News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 02, 2020
 8.4K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
 39K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
 4.7K     0 

W. K. Lis

Superstar
Member Bio
Joined
Dec 24, 2007
Messages
24,074
Reaction score
14,768
City:
Toronto
From link...

Queen's Plate, a stakes race for thoroughbred horses, was first run at Toronto's Carleton Race Course on 27 June 1860. The course was built on the estate of William Conway Keele, where the Toronto Turf Club had established its headquarters. It received royal assent by Queen Victoria in 1859. In 1918 and 1919, to retain its perpetuity during World War I, the 59th and 60th runnings were staged as features of a Red Cross Horse Show in Toronto, the only racing held those 2 years. Thus, it is the oldest uninterrupted stakes race on the continent. (The Kentucky Derby's inaugural was held in 1875.)​
207470607_4021351557942849_7383227090903934161_n.jpg
207000396_4021351571276181_6399490511718138636_n.jpg


For several decades in the 19th century, this area was the site of one of Toronto’s most popular horse racing venues, the Carleton Race Course. Before colonization, the land, just east of the Humber River arm of the Toronto Carrying Place, was the territory of the Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Mississaugas of the Credit River First Nations.​
The racecourse was built by William Conroy Keele on his farm in 1857. It became the home of the Toronto Turf Club and in 1859 the club sought royal patronage for an annual horse racing prize. Queen Victoria awarded a prize of 50 guineas. The first Queen’s Plate was held here in June 1860. The race was advertised as: “Open to all horses bred in Upper Canada, which have never won public money.” Eight horses entered the race and five-year-old Don Juan won in front of an audience of about 3,000.​
The Carleton Race Course was the home of the Queen’s Plate for the next three years. From 1864 to 1882, the event was held at changing venues throughout Southern Ontario until the race was taken over by the Ontario Jockey Club and permanently held at Woodbine Park racetrack.​
Following the death of William Conroy Keele, his estate was gradually divided. Much of it, including the racecourse, was sold in 1882 to developer Daniel Webster Clendenan, who turned the land into what became the Village of West Toronto Junction.​
Produced 2018​
Location: 204 High Park Ave​

From link.

From link.

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, 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 1+1⁄4 mi (2 km) distance is 2:01 4/5, set by Kinghaven Farms' Izvestia in 1990. The current stakes record (the fastest all-time) is 2:01.48, set by Moira in 2022 on Tapeta.​
 

Woodbine's Queen's Plate to become King's Plate, Charles III invited to event​


From link.

Woodbine Entertainment announced that the prestigious Queen’s Plate race would now be known as The King’s Plate following the ascension of King Charles III.

A spokesperson says The King’s Plate thoroughbred horse race will be held on Aug. 20, 2023, at Woodbine Racetrack, noting that Charles has been invited to attend the event.

“The Plate is one of the most celebrated events in horse racing, and we’re proud to celebrate its history while starting a new chapter under The King’s Plate,” said Jim Lawson, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment.

“Those who attend can expect more than elite-level horse racing. They can soak in the elements of food, fashion and culture that have become associated with this prestigious annual event while enjoying moments designed for a new generation of race fans. We’re excited to share more details about The King’s Plate in the months to come.”
Following the succession of King Edward VII in 1901, the annual event changed its name to The King’s Plate before returning to The Queen’s Plate (Queen Elizabeth II) in 1952, the moniker it held for the last 70 years.

Lawson says Woodbine Entertainment plans to celebrate and honour the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2023.

The Plate is the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown and is followed by the Prince of Wales Stakes run at Fort Erie Race Track and the Breeders’ Stakes run at Woodbine Racetrack.

The Plate is typically held in June or July, but in 2020 the race was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Woodbine then elected to run the 2021 and 2022 editions of the race in August.
 

Back
Top