from Georgian Downs

Innisfil, ON — Georgian Downs today unveiled a new stakes event to join its growing repertoire, the C$500,000 Upper Canada Cup.

Restricted to Ontario-sired 3-year-old colts and geldings, the marquee stakes event will serve as the unofficial opening of the national championship stakes season, and the Canadian-based prep race for the North America Cup.

“There’s been a vacancy in the stakes schedule since the Provincial Cup was discontinued in 2006. We’re excited to fill that void and offer a tremendous purse to those owners and breeders that choose to go with Ontario product,” said Chris Roberts, Director of Racing Operations for Georgian Downs.

“The Upper Canada Cup gives us another terrific event and joins the Gold Rush and Xtreme Horsepower in our stable of promotions. Fans can expect all the glitz and fun that they’ve grown to expect from racing events at Georgian Downs.”

The Upper Canada Cup will be conducted in an Elimination/Final format with eliminations on May 16 and the C$500,000 (est.) final one week later, on May 23. The stakes final will be paired with the annual Earl Rowe Memorial Cup to form a blockbuster card of racing.

Nominations for the newly minted stakes event will close on February 15, 2009 and must be accompanied by a C$500 payment. Complete stakes details can be found online at http://www.georgiandowns.com/pdfs/UPPERCANADACUP09.pdf.

The complete Georgian Downs 2009 stakes and events calendar will be released in late December.