Connaught Cup Stakes

The Connaught Cup Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Run in late May, the Grade II race is open to horses aged four and older. Raced over a distance of seven furlongs on turf, it currently offers a purse of $196,750.^[1]

The Connaught Cup was first run in 1912 on dirt at Toronto's Old Woodbine Race Course. As a result of World War I, there was no race held in 1918 and 1919 and it was not run in 1930. The Great Depression saw much consolidation in the horse racing industry with track owners reducing the number of races run and the amount of the purses being offered. The Connaught Cup was suspended after the 1932 running and was not revived until 1952. In 1956 it was moved to the newly built Woodbine Racetrack where in 1958 it was converted to a turf race.^[2]

It was run in two divisions in 1984.

Since inception, the race has been contested at various distances:
On dirt:

• 1+1⁄16 miles : 1912 through 1955 at Old Woodbine Race Course, 1956-1957 at Woodbine Racecourse

On turf:

• 7 furlongs : beginning 2010 at Woodbine Racetrack
• 1 mile : 1994 at Fort Erie Racetrack
• 1+1⁄16 miles : 1958-1963, 1980–93, 1995-2009 at Woodbine Racetrack
• 1+1⁄8 miles : 1964-1966, 1979 at Woodbine Racetrack, 1967-1978 at Fort Erie Racetrack