by Ashley Mayotte, WEG communications

Toronto, ON — Woodbine Entertainment Group today announced stakes conditions for its major races will be revised to align with the stallion eligibility requirements introduced by U.S. racetrack operator Jeff Gural.

Beginning with foals born in 2014 (and therefore affecting WEG’s major 2-year-old events in 2016), horses eligible to participate must be sired by stallions that raced as a 4-year-old or older.

“We were asked to consider adopting this initiative and after careful consideration have determined it’s definitely worth undertaking on a trial basis,” said Jamie Martin, WEG’s Executive Vice President of Racing. “For all Jeff Gural has done towards saving the Meadowlands, he deserves the entire industry’s support. We believe that barring certain circumstances with a horse’s health, the best interests of racing are served when top horses race beyond their 3-year-old seasons.”

Gural, who has strongly advocated for harness racing’s star performers to continue on the track after their 3-year-old campaigns, operates Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey, along with Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs in New York.

“After implementing the stallion eligibility requirement, we’ll monitor its effectiveness to determine if it will be a long term policy,” said Martin.

The new conditions and a list of races for future stallion eligibility at WEG will be announced in early 2012.