And they’re off: Horse racing in Canada

The King’s Plate, held at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto every August since 1860, is the preeminent horse race of the year in Canada. Woodbine is one of the 135 horse racetracks with employees we counted in December 2023.

Almost three in four horse racetracks in Canada are located in Ontario

In December 2023, 99 of Canada’s 135 horse racetracks with employees (73.3%) were located in Ontario. British Columbia placed a distant second, with nine horse racetracks, while Alberta and Manitoba were neck and neck at third, with seven.

Quebec, Canada’s second-largest province in terms of population, had six horse racetracks. Nova Scotia led the Maritimes with three.

Racing fans in Newfoundland and Labrador and the territories were out of luck, with no local horse racetracks with employees in December 2023.

Most horse racetracks in Canada are small businesses

Just over half of all horse racetracks in Canada (51.1%) were small businesses with four or fewer employees.

The largest horse racetrack in Canada was located in Ontario and had over 500 employees in December 2023.

Manitoba had the largest horse racetrack business outside Ontario, with 100 to 199 employees.

Horse trading

Our trade data track all long-term legal exports of horses through Canada’s southern border and even the state of final destination.

Among the US states, Canadian horse traders exported the most purebred horses to Kentucky in 2023, netting $921,191 for 253 horses. Florida ranked second in terms of Canadian purebred horse exports, with 209 horses, and first in terms of money received, at about $1.8 million.

Indiana ranked first in terms of horses imported from the United States to Canada (183 horses) but came well behind Kentucky in cash received ($800,389) in 2023. Canadian purebred breeders imported 157 horses from Kentucky in 2023, paying $4.2 million.

Over 1 in 10 Canadian men gamble on sports

Well into the late 20th century, horse racing was the only sport for which gambling was permitted in Canada. Today, gambling is a multibillion-dollar business that covers most sports.

Before the pandemic, in 2018, nearly two-thirds (64%) of people aged 15 or older reported gambling at least once in the past year. The majority of people who gambled did so without harm. However, 1.6% of past-year gamblers were at a moderate-to-severe risk of gambling-related problems.

About 1 in 13 Canadians wagered on sports in 2018. Men (12%) were three times more likely than women (4%) to report gambling on sports.