Blog Archives

In 1997 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were on hand to witness their third Queen’s Plate. The 138th running was won by Frank Stronach’s Awesome Again. The son of Deputy Minister was trained by David Hofmans and ridden to victory by Mike Smith.

In 1973 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip witnessed their second Queen’s Plate, attending the 114th running, won by Royal Chocolate. The winner was owned by Stafford Farms, trained by Gil Rowntree and ridden by Ted Colangelo.

The 151st running of the Queen’s Plate was made more memorable by the royal visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. It was the monarch’s fourth and final visit to Woodbine, after visits in 1959, 1973, and 1997.

At the 1925 King’s Plate, W. A. Hewitt and his son Foster Hewitt called the first horse race broadcast on radio.

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh attended the 100th running of the Queen’s Plate. In 1959 and ever since, the race has been the first jewel in Canada’s Triple Crown Series.

The new racetrack opened on June 12, 1956 at the time a $13 million dollar facility where it hosted the 97th Running of the Queen’s Plate for it’s first time. The first of many.

King George VI(with his Queen consort, Elizabeth) became the first reigning monarch to attend the running of the King’s Plate at Woodbine Park, later named “Old Woodbine” and now Greenwood Raceway.

It reverted to the former name upon the ascension of Queen Elizabeth II in 1952.

In 1883, the race moved to Old Woodbine, located in eastern Toronto along Lake Ontario. Today, the track is called the Greenwood Raceway.

The Ontario Jockey Club is created. On July 1, the Queen’s Plate returns to Toronto and is held at “The Woodbine,” a picturesque track by the shores of Lake Ontario.