The King's Plate (known as the Queen's Plate from 1860 to 1901 and 1952 to 2022) is Canada's oldest

thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

and the oldest continuously run race in North America, having been founded in 1860. It is run at a distance of for a maximum of 17 three-year-old thoroughbred horses foaled in Canada. The race is the first in the Canadian Triple Crown, typically taking place each summer at

Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The track ...

Etobicoke, Ontario Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district and former city within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west end, Etobicoke is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by the Humber River, on the west by Etobicoke Cre ...

. The event was scheduled in June or July until 2020, when it was postponed to September, due to government-imposed restrictions in place through the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Since 2021, Woodbine ran the Queen's Plate, and now runs the King's Plate, in August. The race's name reflects the title of the reigning

Canadian monarch The monarchy of Canada is Canada's Government#Forms, form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is one of the key components of Canadian sovereignty and sits at the core of Canadian federalism, Canada's cons ...

, following on

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

's donation of the first cup. The Woodbine Entertainment Group, which owns and operates the event, announced in December 2022 the race would be renamed the ''King's Plate'', following the accession of King

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

on 8 September 2022.

History

In 1859, the then-President of the Toronto Turf Club, Sir Casimir Gzowski, petitioned

to grant a plate for a new race in the

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

(today Ontario). With the monarch's approval, the first Queen's Plate was run on 27 June 1860, at the Carleton racetrack in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, with the prize of "a plate to the value of 50

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...

". Despite the name, the winning owner is presented with a gold cup, rather than a plate. The race was originally restricted to three-year-olds bred in Canada that had never won a stakes race and was run in heats, with a horse having to win two heats to be declared the winner. The race conditions have since evolved; heat racing was discontinued in 1879 and, around the same time, the race was opened to stakes winners (some early records are incomplete). For many years, the race was open to older horses and, in the early 1900s, was even open to two-year-olds. The King's Plate is currently restricted to three-year-olds foaled in Canada. The owner must pay a nomination fee ($500 in 2018) in February, a second subscription fee ($1,500 in 2018) in May, and a final entry fee ($10,000) prior to the race. ] The first four renewals were run at Carleton racetrack. After that, the Queen's Plate became a "movable feast", with politicians from all over modern-day Ontario vying to host the race in their constituency. Fifteen different race tracks hosted the race over the next two decades, with distances varying from one to two miles. In 1883, the race moved to Old Woodbine Race Course, Old Woodbine, located in eastern Toronto along Lake Ontario. The race continued to be held at Old Woodbine until that track was replaced by "New" Woodbine in northern Toronto in 1956. The race has been run at Woodbine ever since. In 2006, Woodbine changed the track surface for the main track from natural dirt to a synthetic surface known as Polytrack. In 2016, the surface was changed to Tapeta. Because of the change in racing surfaces, Woodbine maintains several sets of track and stakes records. The fastest time for the race on the original dirt surface at the current distance is 2:01 4/5, set by Kinghaven Farms'

Izvestia ''Izvestia'' ( rus, Известия, r=Izvestiya, p=ɪzˈvʲesʲtʲɪjə, "The News") is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Russia. Founded in February 1917, ''Izvestia'', which covered foreign relations, was the organ of the Supreme Soviet of th ...

in 1990. The current stakes record (the fastest all-time) is 2:01.48, set by Moira in 2022 on Tapeta. In 1902, the year after Victoria's death, the race became the King's Plate, after her successor,

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

. It became the Queen's Plate again during the reign of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

(1952–2022). In 2022, it reverted to the King's Plate upon the accession of

. Horses owned by

Windfields Farm Windfields Farm was a six square kilometre (1,500 acre) Thoroughbred Stud farm, horse breeding farm that was founded by businessman E. P. Taylor in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Origin The first stable and breeding operation of E. P. Taylor o ...

have won the Plate eleven times, but the most successful was the stable owned by Joseph E. Seagram, a prominent

distiller Distillation, also classical distillation, is the process of separating the component substances of a liquid mixture of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by way of the selective boiling of the mixt ...

from

Waterloo, Ontario Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (formerly Waterloo County, Ontario, Waterloo County). Waterloo is situated about west-southwest of Toronto, but it is n ...

. Seagram's stable won the Plate on twenty occasions between 1891 and 1935 including eight times in a row between 1891 and 1898, and ten times in eleven years from 1891 to 1901. At the 1925 King's Plate,

W. A. Hewitt William Abraham Hewitt (May 15, 1875September 8, 1966) was a Canadian sports executive and journalist, also widely known as Billy Hewitt. He was secretary of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1903 to 1966, and sports editor of the ''To ...

and his son

Foster Hewitt Foster William Hewitt, (November 21, 1902 – April 21, 1985) was a Canadian radio broadcaster most famous for his play-by-play calls for ''Hockey Night in Canada''. He was the son of W. A. Hewitt, and the father of Bill Hewitt. Early life ...

called the first horse race broadcast on radio. In 1964,

Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred that, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. After being retired from racing, he became one of the most successful Stallion, sires of the 2 ...

, the first Canadian-bred horse to win the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

, also won the Queen's Plate in his final race. In 2006, Josie Carroll became the first woman trainer to win the Queen's Plate. The following year, Emma-Jayne Wilson became the first female

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

to win the race. The 2004-2013 Plate winners had little success in their subsequent racing careers. This compares unfavourably to the 1990s when a number of Plate winners had considerable success thereafter, including

With Approval With Approval (May 9, 1986 – June 21, 2010) was a Thoroughbred Thoroughbred horse race, racehorse who won the Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, Canadian Triple Crown in 1989 under jockey Don Seymour. Even though he missed ...

, Dance Smartly and

Awesome Again Awesome Again (March 29, 1994December 15, 2020) was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and stallion. As a three-year-old, he won the Queen's Plate in Canada and the Jim Dandy Stakes in the United States. He was undefeated at age four ...

. The more recent Queen's Plate winners have also been successful, including Lexie Lou (who became a multiple graded stakes winner in Canada and the US after winning the Plate in 2014) and Shaman Ghost (a Grade I winner in America after winning the Plate in 2015). Nick Eaves, former President and CEO of Woodbine Entertainment Group, announced during the 2012 Queen's Plate post position draw that Woodbine Racetrack might be forced to close in April 2013 due to the cancellation of Slots at Racetrack program partnerships between Ontario's racetracks and the

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, known for corporate branding purposes simply as OLG since 2006, is a Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario, Canada. OLG conducts and manages gaming on behalf o ...

. Eaves said that if Woodbine is not open, "there won't be a Queen's Plate." A new funding agreement was put in place in March 2013, which ensured the continuation of horse racing at Woodbine. 39 fillies have won the Plate, beginning with Brunette in 1864. The 2017 running was won by the filly Holy Helena, while the 2018 running was won by Wonder Gadot. Two chestnut fillies both by the name of Wild Rose have won the Queen's Plate, in 1867 and 1886. They were the daughter and great-great-granddaughter respectively of Yellow Rose, who also produced the first Queen's Plate winner Don Juan. The latest filly to win the Queen's Plate was Caitlinhergrtness in 2024. The race has been held at a variety of distances: * 1860–1867: heats * 1868–1870: * 1871: miles (2.82 km) * 1872–1886: miles (2.4 km) * 1887–1923: miles (2.01 km) * 1924–1956: miles (1.811 km) * 1957-: miles (2.01 km)

Triple Crown dispute with Fort Erie Race Track

Since 2021, a year after the Queen's Plate was moved to September from its usual June or July spot due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Canada The COVID-19 pandemic in Canada is part of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (). It is caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Most cases over the course o ...

, Woodbine has run the race in August. As a result, Fort Erie Race Track, which runs the second of Canada's Triple Crown races, the Prince of Wales Stakes, moved their race to after the King's Plate. In April 2023, a few months after Woodbine announced that the 2023 King's Plate would again be run in August, Fort Erie filed a grievance with the Canadian Trade Commission over what it called business practices that were "unfair and clearly predatory." A member of the Fort Erie Council suggested that the COVID pandemic was over and that the King's Plate should move back to June, adding that continuing to run the race in August would not be in Fort Erie Race Track's best economic interests, as it would result in the Prince of Wales Stakes being run after

Labour Day Labour Day is an annual day of celebration of the labour movement and its labor rights, achievements. It has its origins in the trade union, labour union movement, specifically the Eight-hour day movement, eight-hour day movement, which advoca ...

, when the key summer tourism season is over. Woodbine responded that Fort Erie's allegations are "baseless and without merit" and that they would defend themselves if requested by the Trade Commission.

Royal patronage

King of Canada The monarchy of Canada is Canada's Government#Forms, form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is one of the key components of Canadian sovereignty and sits at the core of Canadian federalism, Canada's cons ...

is patron of the event. Various other members of the Canadian royal family have attended, beginning with John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne, and his wife,

Princess Louise Princess Louise may refer to: People * Louise of Denmark (disambiguation), various princesses * Louise of Prussia (disambiguation), various princesses * Louise of Saxe-Meiningen (disambiguation), various princesses * Princess Louise of Schleswig-H ...

, in 1881, when Lorne was serving as

governor general of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...

and the couple was touring Ontario. Queen

's fourth and final visit to the race was in early July 2010.

Records

Stakes Record * Dirt –

— 2:01 (1990) * Synthetic dirt - Moira – 2.01.48 (2022) Winningest Jockeys: * 4 – Avelino Gomez (1957, 1960, 1966, 1969) * 4 – Sandy Hawley (1970, 1971, 1975, 1978) * 4 – Robin Platts (1972, 1974, 1977, 1984) Winningest Trainers: * 8 – Harry Giddings Jr. (1911, 1913, 1914, 1920, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1942) * 8 – Roger Attfield (1976, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2008) * 6 – John R. Walker (1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896) * 6 – Gordon J. "Pete" McCann (1940, 1951, 1953, 1957, 1959, 1963) * 6 - William H. Bringloe (1923, 1926, 1928, 1933, 1936, 1937) Winningest Owners: * 20 - Seagram Stables * 11 -

Winners

File:Strait_Of_Dover_Queens2012.jpg, 2012 winner,
Strait of Dover File:Midnight_Aria_Plate2013.jpg, 2013 winner,
Midnight Aria File:LexieLouQueensPlate2014.jpg, 2014 winner,
Lexie Lou File:ShamanGhostQueensPlate2015.jpg, 2015 winner,
Shaman Ghost File:SirDudleyDigges Horse.jpg, 2016 winner,
Sir Dudley Digges File:HolyHelenaHorse.jpg, 2017 winner,
Holy Helena File:WonderGadot_QP18.jpg, 2018 winner,
Wonder Gadot File:OneBadBoy QP19.jpg, 2019 winner,
One Bad Boy File:SafeConduct_QP2021.jpg, 2021 winner,
Safe Conduct File:ParamountPrinceKingsPlate23.jpg, 2023 winner,
Paramount Prince File:Caitlinhergrtness KingsPlate2024.jpg, 2024 winner,
Caitlinhergrtness † indicates a filly

References

Racing Post ''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing, and sports betting publisher published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 60,629 ...

: ** , , , , , , , , , ** , ,

Bibliography

* Cauz, Louis E. ''The Plate''. (1984) Deneau Publishers

External links

* {{Authority control Restricted stakes races in Canada Horse races in Canada Flat horse races for three-year-olds Organizations based in Canada with royal patronage Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing Woodbine Racetrack Horse races established in 1860 1860 establishments in Canada West Summer in Canada