AJAX DOWNS, MAY 29, 2025 - The queen of the BATTLE OF THE BREEDS races, JESS A DEAL, has won another race against her Thoroughbred counterparts. The stocky 9-year-old mare, owned by Marie Broadstock and Picov Cattle Company, held off Bruno Schickedanz's Determined Love to win the first Battle of the Breeds race of 2025 on May 28.
AJAX DOWNS, MAY 27, 2025 - Come out to the Quarter Horse races early on Wednesday, May 28 to catch the return of the popular Battle of the Breeds at Ajax Downs. The first race on Wednesday, with a post time of 1:45 p.m., matches three Quarter horses against two Thoroughbreds at 770-yards, around a turn.
The journey to the racetrack begins at the breeding farm and for Standardbred owner-breeder Tom Rankin, the entire breeding process fuels his passion for harness racing.
A decline in Home Market Area wagering has led to decreased funding for critical programs such as the Thoroughbred Improvement Program and the Ontario Sires Stakes. The best way to support the sector is to bet on live racing in Ontario from Ontario.
AJAX DOWNS, MAY 21, 2025- The aptly-named HAD TO BE FABULOUS brushed off eight rivals and a cold wind and rain on Wednesday on her way to an easy one-length victory in the $32,400 QROO Open Derby, the first stakes race of the 2025 Quarter Horse season. The Derby topped another record-breaking day as wagering on the eight-race card was up 94 percent from the same race-day last year.
AJAX DOWNS, MAY 14, 2025 - It didn't take long for jockey BRIAN BELL to get back into the winner's circle at Ajax Downs after missing the first day of the season. Last year's High Point Jockey guided Joe Tavares' A FANCY ARRANGEMENT to victory in race 2 on May 14,the second day of the 2025 Quarter Horse season.
AJAX DOWNS, MAY 13, 2025 - BRIAN BELL, 2024's High Point Jockey at Ajax Downs, begins his 25th year in the saddle on Wednesday, May 14, the second day of the Quarter Horse meeting. Bell, who has won more than half a dozen riding championships is nine wins away from 800 victories, more than any other Quarter Horse jockey in Canada.
Kentucky Derby Day was the best betting day at Ajax Downs in six years and the track’s general manager said two new large video screens mostly funded by Ontario Racing’s Capital Funding Program were especially popular.
One prolific broodmare was all it took for small Ontario Thoroughbred breeder Ericka Rusnak to earn $114,427 in awards in 2024. Both that mare, Platinum Steel, and the money, has been a godsend.
AJAX DOWNS, MAY 6, 2025 - The long winter break is over and the fastest breed of equine, the Quarter Horses, are back for another exciting racing season at Ajax Downs this Wednesday, May 7. The first of 25 race dates gets underway with a seven-race card and a first race post time of 1:45 p.m.
