Play The King Stakes
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| Grade II race | |
|---|---|
| Grass Stakes | |
| Location | Woodbine Racetrack Toronto, Ontario |
| Inaugurated | 1987 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website | www.woodbineentertainment.com |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 7 furlongs |
| Track | Grass, left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds & up |
| Weight | Assigned |
| Purse | $200,000 |
The Play the King Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. A Grade II sprint race, it is open to horses age three and older and is run over a distance of seven furlongs on turf. It currently offers a purse of $200,000.
Inaugurated in 1987 as the Toronto Budweiser Breeders' Cup Handicap, it was competed at a distance of six furlongs on dirt until 1996 when it was shifted to the turf and set at its current distance of seven furlongs. The race was renamed the Play The King Handicap in honor of Kinghaven Farms' 1988 Canadian Horse of the Year, Play the King.
The Play The King Stakes is an official prep race for the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.
The race was run in two divisions in 2000.
[edit] Records
Speed record:
- 1:09.20 - Play the King (1987)
- 1:09.20 - Apelia (1993)
Most wins:
- 2 - Play the King (1987, 1988)
- 2 - King Corrie (1991, 1992)
- 2 - Soaring Free (2003, 2004)
- 2 - Le Cinquieme Essai (2006, 2007)
Most wins by an owner:
- 4 - Sam-Son Farm (1997, 1998, 2003, 2004)
Most wins by a jockey:
- 3 - Todd Kabel (1995, 2003, 2004)
Most wins by a trainer:
- 4 - Mark Frostad (1997, 1998, 2003, 2004)
[edit] Winners of the Play The King Stakes
| Year |
Winner |
Age |
Jockey |
Trainer |
Owner |
Time |
| 2007 | Le Cinquieme Essai | 8 | Steven R. Bahen | Paul Nielsen | William A. Scott | 1:26.28 |
| 2006 | Le Cinquieme Essai | 7 | Steven R. Bahen | Paul Nielsen | William A. Scott | 1:22.79 |
| 2005 | Vanderlin | 6 | Martin Dwyer | Andrew Balding | J. C. Hitchins et al | 1:21.18 |
| 2004 | Soaring Free | 5 | Todd Kabel | Mark Frostad | Sam-Son Farm | 1:20.97 |
| 2003 | Soaring Free | 4 | Todd Kabel | Mark Frostad | Sam-Son Farm | 1:23.52 |
| 2002 | Zone Judge | 4 | Constant Montpellier | Dave Dwyer | Winston W. Penny | 1:20.42 |
| 2001 | Mr. Epperson | 6 | James McKnight | Scott H. Fairlie | R. & S. Fairlie et al | 1:21.84 |
| 2000 | Solitary Dancer | 4 | Mickey Walls | David R. Bell | John A. Franks | 1:22.00 |
| 2000 | Olympian | 3 | Na Somsanith | John Cardella | Rexdale Stable et al | 1:21.68 |
| 1999 | Dawson's Legacy | 4 | Constant Montpellier | Norman McKnight | J. M. Stritzl Stable | 1:21.87 |
| 1998 | Skybound | 4 | Robert Landry | Mark Frostad | Sam-Son Farm | 1:21.00 |
| 1997 | Randy Regent | 3 | Sandy Hawley | Mark Frostad | Sam-Son Farm | 1:23.40 |
| 1996 | Jilin | 4 | David Clark | John MacKenzie | Greenoaks Farm | 1:23.80 |
| 1995 | King Ruckus | 5 | Todd Kabel | Daniel J. Vella | Frank Stronach | 1:09.80 |
| 1994 | Premier Angel | 5 | Sandy Hawley | Dennis M. Erwin | William Sorokolit | 1:10.00 |
| 1993 | Apelia | 4 | Larry Attard | Phil England | Knob Hill Stable | 1:09.20 |
| 1992 | King Corrie | 4 | Dave Penna | Sherry Noakes | Aubrey W. Minshall | 1:09.40 |
| 1991 | King Corrie | 3 | Pat Day | John A. Ross | Aubrey W. Minshall | 1:09.40 |
| 1990 | Cardel's Ruckus | 3 | Ray Sabourin | Joseph Attard | C. & D. Arnone | 1:11.60 |
| 1989 | Confederate Bill | 4 | Jim McAleney | David C. Brown | F. McDonnell | 1:10.00 |
| 1988 | Play the King | 5 | Don Seymour | Roger Attfield | Kinghaven Farms | 1:10.40 |
| 1987 | Play the King | 4 | Don Seymour | Roger Attfield | Kinghaven Farms | 1:09.20 |
