“They're off in the Queen's Plate!” The exuberant announcer shouted the start of the horse race from Woodbine Racetrack on June 21, 2009 the 150th anniversary of the horse race in Toronto, Ontario. This year, thirteen sleek horses, all Canadian-bred, burst out of the gates with jockeys leaning into the wind. And in barely a breath over two minutes, the running was over and glory awaited one horse and rider.
In April of 1859, two members of the Toronto Turf Club “petitioned Queen Victoria to grant a plate for a race in Ontario,” said Woodbine Entertainment . Acknowledging the request, the Queen suggested an annual prize for the event, “a plate to value of 50 guineas.” The two club members, Sir Casimir Gzowski and Thomas Patteson, determined that the race should become a Canadian institution, and would benefit from having a Royal visitor at the first running.
Governor General and Wife at Queen's Plate
Queen Victoria did not make the trans-Atlantic trip for the event, but the next-best royal guest was already in Canada – her daughter Princess Louise was the Canadian Governor-General's wife. The Marquis and Marchioness of Lorne attended the race, giving the Queen's Plate the distinguished regal aura the Toronto Turf Club desired.
Queen's Plate Track
The Queen's Plate was temporarily changed to the King's Plate from 1902 to 1951.while Canada was under the rule of King Edward VII and King Edward VIII When Queen Elizabeth II was crowned, the race then reverted back to the title of Queen's Plate. Initially, the race was one mile long, then varied from 1-1/8 miles to two miles. Since 1957, the track has been set at 1-1/4 miles. In the past few years, the Woodbine Racetrack was resurfaced with Polytrack®, a synthetic surface that replaces dirt and sand, and is cushioning on horses' hooves.
Restrictions have limited the age of race horses to three years old. “Before 1938, the race was open to horses aged three and up, though after the 1900 edition the winners were most often three-year-olds,” said Robin Bush of The Examiner. “The oldest winner, according to available records, was Palermo in 1862 at age nine.”
Queen's Plate the Longest-Running Race
Throughout the traumatic events of World War One, World War Two, the Depression, and other numerous ups and downs in Canada, the Queen's Plate race went on. The race now holds the grand title of longest-running, uninterrupted horse race in North America. The Travers Stakes in Saratoga Springs, NY, began in 1864, the Kentucky Derby began in 1875.
Women Jockeys in Queen's Plate
While jockeys are nearly always men, a few women have participated in the Queen's Plate. In 2007, Emma Jayne Wilson won the prestigious race. The closest a woman came to winning before that was in 1991 when Francine Villeneuve placed second. Josie Carroll was the first woman horse trainer to win in 2006.
This year, three-year-old stallion Eye of the Leopard and his Brazilian jockey, Eurico Rosa da Silva, took the prize for Sam-Son Farms in Milton, Ontario. The Queen's Plate trophy was presented by Ontario's Royal representative, Lieutenant-Governor David Onley, thereby continuing the Royal attachment to the race. While called a plate, the Queen's Plate prize is actually a classically-shaped gold trophy set on a black base, measuring over a foot high.
The next two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown are the Prince of Wales Stakes held in July and the Breeder's Stakes in August. Happy 150th Anniversary, Queen's Plate. You've won the endurance race yourself.
Susanna McLeod - Intriguing Canadians, the art of cartoonists, and fascinating moments in Canada's history have kept Susanna McLeod writing for 16 years.
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