Twenty-three days remain to the 166th King’s Plate and as North America’s longest continually-run horse race, we take a look back at some notable runnings at Woodbine.
Woodbine was opened in 1956 by E.P. Taylor to the tune of $13 million. The 100th Queen’s Plate was held three years later in 1959 and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip attended. Scheduling the Queen’s visit with the running of the Plate led to the race being held on a Tuesday.
The Queen was said to be impressed by Taylor’s new track, in particular the walking ring, which was not a far walk from the royal box where she watched two races prior to taking a peek at the 100th Plate starters, all 20 of then, in the walking ring.
The crowd numbered just over 19,000, smaller than what had been expected; apparently the public was not too sure there would be enough seats at the new plant. Jockey Avelino Gomez made sure everyone knew he was on the horse to beat, Winning Shot, owned by John Evans. A fast son of Woodchuck, Winning Shot had won a division of the Plate Trial and a litany of stakes races as a juvenile.
But traffic woes plagued Winning Shot and Gomez early in the 1 1 /4 mile Canadian classic as they were shuffled back to 11th place halfway through. At 55 cents on the dollar, the favourite tried to rally wide but by then, Taylor’s buy-back colt, NEW PROVIDENCE, had sprung to the lead under Bobby Ussery. The colt opened up a quick four lengths while Winning Shot and Conn Smythe’s Major Flight tried to catch him, but the latter fell short by 1 1/4 lengths.
New Providence, a homebred by Bull Page who went unsold for $10,000 at Taylor’s yearling sale, was 6-to-1 as part of an entry with Sea Page. The time was 2:04 4/5.
American jockey Ussery was brought in from the US to ride New Providence, as the colt had been disappointing at the outset of his 1959 season. Eddie Arcaro and John Longden were Taylor’s first picks, but one was injured and the other was on suspension.
New Providence would go on to win the brand new Canadian Triple Crown and be named the 1959 Horse of the Year. He sired a dozen stakes winners and is best known as the sire of blue hen broodmare, SOUTH OCEAN.
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