The Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) 2026 schedule was released on Friday, Feb. 6.
The OSS program, which has been instrumental in developing world class Standardbreds in Ontario such as undefeated 2025 Canadian Horse of the Year Beau Jangles, is celebrating its 52nd year in 2026.
The schedule of dates is available on the OSS website. As the full 2026 race date calendar for Ontario's racetracks has yet to be finalized and released, additional details will be added to the OSS schedule as soon as they are available. Updates will be published to the OSS website and in the annual Racing Guide.
As in 2025, there will be five OSS Gold Series legs, five Grassroots Series events – featuring six racing opportunities with one leg split into A and B events – and Prospect Series races for each of the eight two- and three-year-old divisions.
The Grassroots will also have both year-end Championship and Consolation events. All eight Grassroots Consolations will be held on Friday, Oct. 2 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. All eight Grassroots Championship events will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. As in both 2024 and 2025, each Grassroots champion will be able to enter and draw into its respective Gold Series Super Final if the latter does not fill with Gold Series point earners.
In 2026, all eight Gold Super Finals will be held on Saturday, Oct. 10 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
The OSS continues to be essential to producing exceptional Standardbreds in Ontario. In 2025, seven OSS regulars earned O’Brien Awards honouring the best horse in Canada in each division. They are:
- Beau Jangles – both two-year-old pacing colt and overall Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year
- A Clean Deal – two-year-old pacing filly of the year
- Strobe Lite – two-year-old trotting colt of the year
- Chantilly – three-year-old pacing filly of the year
- Stormont Beautiful – three-year-old trotting filly of the year
- Crack Shot – three-year-old pacing colt of the year
- Logan Park – older trotting horse of the year
Beau Jangles, who swept all six of his OSS starts in 2025, including the Super Final, has also been named the U.S. Dan Patch winner as the top two-year-old pacing colt of the year in North America. He is a strong contender for both the Dan Patch Pacer of the Year and overall Horse of the Year. Those awards will be announced on Feb. 22 in Orlando, Florida.
Former OSS regular Lexus Kody has been named the Dan Patch winner in the older trotting horse division and is in contention for both the Trotter of the Year and Horse of the Year awards.
Since the OSS program began in 1974, there have been 155 Ontario-sired Standardbreds that have earned $1 million or more in their careers as of Feb. 5, 2026. Twenty-five Ontario-sired Standardbreds are enshrined in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
(with files from Ontario Racing)