Queen's Plate renamed King's Plate for 2023

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Siding with tradition, Woodbine Entertainment has renamed the $1 million Queen’s Plate the King’s Plate following the accession of King Charles III, the successor to his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died at 96 in September.

The 2023 King’s Plate has been scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 20, around the same time on the calendar as this year’s edition. Known as North America’s oldest annually run stakes, it will be the 164th running of the 1 1/4-mile event for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds.

“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 banner of the King’s Plate,” Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson said. “Coming out of the pandemic, I think it will be fun to rebrand the race. We had built the Queen’s Plate into the iconic sporting and social event in Canada. We’re going to be returning to that this year – the music, the fashion, the food, and, of course, world-class horse racing – a $1 million race for 3-year-olds bred in Canada. It’s going to be exiting, and we’re looking forward to it.”

The prestigious event was known as the King’s Plate from 1902-1951, during which a series of kings headed the British monarchy. The race became the Queen’s Plate during Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign, which followed her father, King George VI, who died in 1952.

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The story of the Queen’s Plate began in 1859 when the president of the Toronto Turf Club, Sir Casimir Gzowski, petitioned for an annual horse racing prize awarded by Queen Victoria to Canadian-bred horses. The prize from the British monarchy, which continues to this day, is the value of 50 guineas.

Woodbine Entertainment also plans to celebrate and honor Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions and support of the event, which she attended on four occasions.

Don Juan captured the first Plate in 1860. The race has an impressive list of winners since it was moved to Woodbine in 1956, including Victoria Park, Northern Dancer, Kennedy Road, With Approval, Dance Smartly, Awesome Again, Alydeed, Wando, and Lexie Lou.

Fittingly, Moira, a filly, won this year’s Queen’s Plate. Moira ran the fastest Plate ever on the synthetic Tapeta surface, scoring by seven lengths in a time of 2:01.48.

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