Victoria Park (1957–1985) was a Canadian

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

. He was the first Canadian-bred horse to place in an American Triple Crown race.

Background

Victoria Park was a bay horse bred and raced by

E. P. Taylor Edward Plunket Taylor, CMG (January 29, 1901 – May 14, 1989) was a Canadian business tycoon, investor and philanthropist. He was a famous breeder of Thoroughbred race horses, and a major force behind the evolution of the Canadian horse-racing ...

Racing career

At age two, the colt won the

Clarendon Stakes The Clarendon Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race currently run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Held in early July, the sprint race is open to two-year-old horses foaled in the Province of Ontario and is contested over ...

plus the two richest 2-year-old races in Canada, the

Coronation Futurity Stakes The Coronation Futurity Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old horses foaled in Canada. It is run annually in mid-November at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at a distance of miles. Along with its turf counterpart, the ...

and

Cup and Saucer Stakes The Cup and Saucer Stakes is a thoroughbred horse race held annually in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Open to two-year-old horses foaled in Canada, it is currently run at a distance of miles on turf. Along with its dir ...

, and was voted Canadian Champion 2-Yr-Old Colt. Victoria Park finished 3rd behind

Venetian Way Venetian Way (March 23, 1957 – October 17, 1964) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1960 Kentucky Derby. Background Venetian Way was a chestnut horse bred in Kentucky by John W. Greathouse. He was purchased by Ch ...

in the 1960

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

. In the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () on ...

, he ran 2nd to

Bally Ache Bally Ache (February 3, 1957 – October 28, 1960) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Preakness Stakes in 1960 but died later that year. In her book ''American Classic Pedigrees (1914–2002)'', author Avalyn Hunter wrote that Ba ...

whom he had beaten in the Leonard Richards Stakes while setting a new Delaware Park track record. Through February 2020, Victoria Park still holds the Delaware Park track record he set on June 18, 1960 of 1:47 4/5 for one and one-eighth miles on dirt. Owner E. P. Taylor chose to bypass the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

to return for Canada's most important race, the

Queen's Plate The King's Plate (known as the Queen's Plate between 1860 to 1901 and 1952 to 2022) is Canada's oldest Thoroughbred horse race, having been founded in 1860. It is also the oldest continuously run race in North America. It is run at a distance of ...

. Victoria Park won the race in a record time that stood for more than forty years. He was voted 1960's Canadian Champion 3 Yr-Old Colt and

Canadian Horse of the Year The Canadian Horse of the Year is a thoroughbred horse racing honour given annually since 1951 by the Jockey Club of Canada. It is the most prestigious honour in Canadian thoroughbred horse racing. Part of the Sovereign Awards program since 1975, ...

Stud record

Retired to

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar ...

, Victoria Park sired 25 stakes winners, including three Queen's Plate winners: Almoner (1970), Kennedy Road (1971), and

Victoria Song Song Qian (; born February 2, 1987), known professionally as Victoria or Victoria Song, is a Chinese singer, dancer, actress, model, host and author known for her work as a member of South Korean girl group f(x). In 2010, Song gained fame as pa ...

(1972). He is the damsire of

The Minstrel The Minstrel (11 March 1974 – 3 September 1990) was a Canadian-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Bred in Ontario, he was sold as a yearling and exported to Europe, where he was campaigned in Ireland and the United Kingd ...

as well as the damsire of

Northern Taste Northern Taste (March 15, 1971 – December 11, 2004) was a Canadian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who raced in France and who became one of the most successful and influential leading sires in Japanese racing history Background Bred by E. P. Ta ...

, who led the Japanese leading sires list for ten years, and topped the broodmare sires list a number of times. On its formation in 1976, Victoria Park was inducted into the

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The H ...

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1957 racehorse births 1985 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Canada Racehorses trained in Canada Horse racing track record setters King's Plate winners Canadian Champion racehorses Canadian Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees British Champion Thoroughbred broodmare sires Thoroughbred family 10-c