Queen’s Plate generates second-highest handle in event history

Safe Conduct’s triumph in Sunday’s 162nd running of the Queen’s Plate highlighted a tremendous day of world-class racing at Woodbine Racetrack that produced the second-highest wagering handle in event history.

A total of about $12.7 million (all amounts U.S.) was wagered on Sunday’s 13-race card, including $2.8 million on The Queen’s Plate. The total handle is second-only to the 2019 event total of $14.2 million and tops the 2020 handle of $11.5 million by 11 percent.

“This year’s Queen’s Plate brought the energy of our great sport back in full-force to Woodbine with an outstanding crowd and thrilling racing,” said Jim Lawson. “It’s evident that this excitement was felt across North America and we’re elated to see the support this great day of racing received as part of the continued growth of the Woodbine brand.

“On behalf of Woodbine, a sincere thank you to our staff, partners, horse racing community, horseplayers and fans for adding to the storied history of The Queen’s Plate.”

The Queen’s Plate card included a trio of graded stakes races, 11 turf course races and several multi-leg wager guarantees. Horseplayers saw several generous payouts, including a 70-1 upset by Mambointheforest in the eighth race. The Late Pick 5, which generated a pool of $388,882, featured three stakes contests as part of the sequence and returned $12,795.65 for a $1 ticket ($2,559.13 for 20 cents).

With post time favorites going four for 13 on the program, the average $2 win price (excluding the 70-1 upset) was $12.40.

The last time The Queen’s Plate was run on a Sunday, it generated a handle of $8.7 million (2017). The three previous Queen’s Plate cards were run on Saturday.

Earlier in the week, Woodbine Entertainment successfully launched Dark Horse Bets, an innovative app that simplifies wagering on horse racing.

Live racing resumes Thursday afternoon at Woodbine and continues Thursday through Sunday for the remainder of the season.