August 17, 2023
TORONTO — For a race about to add the 164th winner to its honor roll, there’s a lot about Sunday’s King’s Plate that feels like a fresh start.
First off, the name. Since its inaugural running in 1860 when Queen Victoria made her first donation of 50 guineas to the race, the Plate has corresponded with the head of the British monarchy.
It operated as the King’s Plate through four monarchs from 1902 to 1951 and, that final year, Major Factor defeated 20 rivals at the track that was last known as Greenwood Racetrack until its closing in 1993. The name returns this year with the ascendency of Charles III to the throne.
Read the full story from Richard Mauntah here.
