The Play the King Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...

 run annually at Woodbine Racetrack

Woodbine Racetrack

Woodbine Racetrack is a Canadian racetrack for Thoroughbred horse races located at 555 Rexdale Blvd. in the city of Toronto, Ontario. It is the only horseracing track in North America which stages, or is capable of staging, thoroughbred and standardbred horseracing programs on the same day...

 in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

. A Grade II

Graded stakes race

A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...

 sprint race

Sprint (race)

Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...

, it is open to horses age three and older and is run over a distance of seven furlong

Furlong

A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....

s on turf

Grass

Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

. 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

Kinghaven Farms

Kinghaven Farms is a thoroughbred horse racing stable founded in 1967 by Donald G. "Bud" Willmot. Located in King City, Ontario, north of Toronto, the success of the stable would see it expand to the United States with the acquisition of a farm and training center near Ocala, Florida. Kinghaven...

' 1988 Canadian Horse of the Year, Play the King

Play the King

Play the King was a Canadian Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred and raced by Kinghaven Farms of King City, Ontario, he was sired by King of Spain, a descendant of the very important sire, Nearco. His dam was Whisper whose sire Laugh Aloud was a son of U.S...

.

The Play The King Stakes is an official prep race for the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint

Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint

The Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint is a Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up. As its name implies, it is a part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the de facto year-end championship for North American thoroughbred racing...

.

The race was run in two divisions in 2000.

Records

Speed record:

• 1:09.20 - Play the King
  Play the King
  Play the King was a Canadian Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred and raced by Kinghaven Farms of King City, Ontario, he was sired by King of Spain, a descendant of the very important sire, Nearco. His dam was Whisper whose sire Laugh Aloud was a son of U.S...
  
   (1987)
• 1:09.20 - Apelia (1993)

Most wins:

• 2 - Play the King
  Play the King
  Play the King was a Canadian Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred and raced by Kinghaven Farms of King City, Ontario, he was sired by King of Spain, a descendant of the very important sire, Nearco. His dam was Whisper whose sire Laugh Aloud was a son of U.S...
  
   (1987, 1988)
• 2 - King Corrie (1991, 1992)
• 2 - Soaring Free
  Soaring Free
  Soaring Free is a retired Canadian Champion Thoroughbred racehorse who was bred and raced by one of Canada's leading Thoroughbred operations, Sam-Son Farm. He was out of the mare Dancing With Wings, a daughter of three-time Champion Sire, Danzig...
  
   (2003, 2004)
• 2 - Le Cinquieme Essai (2006, 2007)

Most wins by an owner:

• 4 - Sam-Son Farm
  Sam-Son Farm
  Sam-Son Farm is a thoroughbred horse racing stable with farms locations in Milton, Ontario, Canada and Ocala, Florida. Originating in the 60's by Ernie Samuel, it began as a home for hunter/jumper horses...
  
   (1997, 1998, 2003, 2004)

Most wins by a jockey

Jockey

A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...

:

• 3 - Todd Kabel
  Todd Kabel
  Todd K. Kabel is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began his career riding at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, Manitoba and in 1987 started competing at tracks in Ontario, moving to Toronto permanently in 1991.Riding out of Woodbine Racetrack, Todd Kabel won the Sovereign Award for...
  
   (1995, 2003, 2004)

Most wins by a trainer

Horse trainer

In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...

:

• 4 - Mark Frostad
  Mark Frostad
  Mark R. Frostad is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse trainer. He grew up with a father who owned a stud farm but before becoming involved in thoroughbred horse racing, Frostad obtained a BA degree in literature from Princeton University then in 1976 an MBA degree from the University of Western Ontario...
  
   (1997, 1998, 2003, 2004)

Winners of the Play The King Stakes

Year	Winner	Age	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
2011	Havelock	4	Jermaine Bridgmohan	Darrin Miller	Silverton Hill	1:21.56
2010	Smokey Fire	5			Jim Dandy Stable	1:20.83
2009	Jungle Wave	4	Todd Kabel Todd Kabel Todd K. Kabel is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began his career riding at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, Manitoba and in 1987 started competing at tracks in Ontario, moving to Toronto permanently in 1991.Riding out of Woodbine Racetrack, Todd Kabel won the Sovereign Award for...	Sid C. Attard Sid C. Attard Sid C. Attard is a Canadian horse trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing. Members of his family emigrated to Canada in the 1960s where older brothers Joseph and Tino Attard became racehorse trainers and Larry became one of the top jockeys in the country and a member of the Canadian Horse Racing...	Tucci Stables	1:23.06
2008	Just Rushing	7	James McAleney James S. McAleney James S. "Jim" McAleney is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing jockey.A native of Fort St. John, British Columbia, Jim McAleney began his career as a jockey in Western Canada where in 1986 at Northlands Park in Edmonton, Alberta he got his first win. The following year, he competed in the West as...	Sid C. Attard Sid C. Attard Sid C. Attard is a Canadian horse trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing. Members of his family emigrated to Canada in the 1960s where older brothers Joseph and Tino Attard became racehorse trainers and Larry became one of the top jockeys in the country and a member of the Canadian Horse Racing...	Tucci Stables	1:19.77
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 Martin Dwyer Martin Dwyer is an English Derby winning flat racing jockey having won the 2006 Vodafone Derby upon Sir Percy. This was his second classic success after winning the Epsom Oaks aboard Casual Look in 2003...	Andrew Balding	J. C. Hitchins et al.	1:21.18
2004	Soaring Free Soaring Free Soaring Free is a retired Canadian Champion Thoroughbred racehorse who was bred and raced by one of Canada's leading Thoroughbred operations, Sam-Son Farm. He was out of the mare Dancing With Wings, a daughter of three-time Champion Sire, Danzig...	5	Todd Kabel Todd Kabel Todd K. Kabel is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began his career riding at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, Manitoba and in 1987 started competing at tracks in Ontario, moving to Toronto permanently in 1991.Riding out of Woodbine Racetrack, Todd Kabel won the Sovereign Award for...	Mark Frostad Mark Frostad Mark R. Frostad is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse trainer. He grew up with a father who owned a stud farm but before becoming involved in thoroughbred horse racing, Frostad obtained a BA degree in literature from Princeton University then in 1976 an MBA degree from the University of Western Ontario...	Sam-Son Farm Sam-Son Farm Sam-Son Farm is a thoroughbred horse racing stable with farms locations in Milton, Ontario, Canada and Ocala, Florida. Originating in the 60's by Ernie Samuel, it began as a home for hunter/jumper horses...	1:20.97
2003	Soaring Free Soaring Free Soaring Free is a retired Canadian Champion Thoroughbred racehorse who was bred and raced by one of Canada's leading Thoroughbred operations, Sam-Son Farm. He was out of the mare Dancing With Wings, a daughter of three-time Champion Sire, Danzig...	4	Todd Kabel Todd Kabel Todd K. Kabel is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began his career riding at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, Manitoba and in 1987 started competing at tracks in Ontario, moving to Toronto permanently in 1991.Riding out of Woodbine Racetrack, Todd Kabel won the Sovereign Award for...	Mark Frostad Mark Frostad Mark R. Frostad is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse trainer. He grew up with a father who owned a stud farm but before becoming involved in thoroughbred horse racing, Frostad obtained a BA degree in literature from Princeton University then in 1976 an MBA degree from the University of Western Ontario...	Sam-Son Farm Sam-Son Farm Sam-Son Farm is a thoroughbred horse racing stable with farms locations in Milton, Ontario, Canada and Ocala, Florida. Originating in the 60's by Ernie Samuel, it began as a home for hunter/jumper horses...	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 Mickey Walls Mickey K. Walls is a retired Thoroughbred horse racing jockey who was a Champion in both the United States and Canada....	David R. Bell	John A. Franks John A. Franks John Franks was an American businessman and a Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. A native of Haughton, Louisiana, he earned a degree in geology from Louisiana State University. In 1962, he founded the highly successful Franks Petroleum Inc. and later invested in real estate with 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 Robert C. Landry Robert Charles Landry is a Canadian Champion jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing.Landry embarked on his career while in his teens, earning his first victory on June 21, 1981, at Fort Erie Racetrack. He went on to a stellar career as one of his country's top jockeys and in 1993 and 1994 was voted...	Mark Frostad Mark Frostad Mark R. Frostad is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse trainer. He grew up with a father who owned a stud farm but before becoming involved in thoroughbred horse racing, Frostad obtained a BA degree in literature from Princeton University then in 1976 an MBA degree from the University of Western Ontario...	Sam-Son Farm Sam-Son Farm Sam-Son Farm is a thoroughbred horse racing stable with farms locations in Milton, Ontario, Canada and Ocala, Florida. Originating in the 60's by Ernie Samuel, it began as a home for hunter/jumper horses...	1:21.00
1997	Randy Regent	3	Sandy Hawley Sandy Hawley Desmond Sanford "Sandy" Hawley, CM is a Hall of Fame jockey.Sandy Hawley started out as a plumber then later decided to be a jockey. He started his career as a jockey when he was a 17-year-old boy, hotwalking horses at a Toronto racetrack...	Mark Frostad Mark Frostad Mark R. Frostad is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse trainer. He grew up with a father who owned a stud farm but before becoming involved in thoroughbred horse racing, Frostad obtained a BA degree in literature from Princeton University then in 1976 an MBA degree from the University of Western Ontario...	Sam-Son Farm Sam-Son Farm Sam-Son Farm is a thoroughbred horse racing stable with farms locations in Milton, Ontario, Canada and Ocala, Florida. Originating in the 60's by Ernie Samuel, it began as a home for hunter/jumper horses...	1:23.40
1996	Jilin	4	David Clark David K. Clark David K. Clark is a Champion jockey in Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing. He began riding professionally at Ontario racetracks in 1973 and went on to become one of Canada's most successful jockeys of all-time.Clark won the 1998 Sovereign Award as Canadian Champion Jockey and on July 17 of that...	John MacKenzie	Greenoaks Farm	1:23.80
1995	King Ruckus	5	Todd Kabel Todd Kabel Todd K. Kabel is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began his career riding at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, Manitoba and in 1987 started competing at tracks in Ontario, moving to Toronto permanently in 1991.Riding out of Woodbine Racetrack, Todd Kabel won the Sovereign Award for...	Daniel J. Vella Daniel J. Vella Daniel J. "Dan" Vella is a Canadian Champion Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.Dan Vella was introduced to Thoroughbred horse racing by an uncle who owned horses and, after graduating from High School, went to work at a racetrack in his native Toronto...	Frank Stronach Frank Stronach Frank Stronach, CM is an Austrian-Canadian businessman. He is the founder of Magna International, an international automotive parts company based in Aurora, Ontario, Canada, and Magna Entertainment Corp., which specializes in horse-racing entertainment...	1:09.80
1994	Premier Angel	5	Sandy Hawley Sandy Hawley Desmond Sanford "Sandy" Hawley, CM is a Hall of Fame jockey.Sandy Hawley started out as a plumber then later decided to be a jockey. He started his career as a jockey when he was a 17-year-old boy, hotwalking horses at a Toronto racetrack...	Dennis M. Erwin	William Sorokolit	1:10.00
1993	Apelia	4	Larry Attard Larry Attard Larry Attard is a retired Hall of Fame Champion jockey and current horse trainer in Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing....	Phil England	Knob Hill Stable Knob Hill Stable Knob Hill Stable was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding operation established by Toronto businessman, Steve Stavro.The stable bred and raced a number of champions such as Canadian Horse of the Year honourees, Benburb and Thornfield. In 1992, Steve Stavro was voted a Sovereign Award...	1:09.20
1992	King Corrie	4	Dave Penna Dave Penna David "Dave" Penna was an American jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing who competed in the United States but had his gretest successes in Canada. Born in Auburn, New York, he began his career as a professional rider in 1978 and three years later went to compete at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto...	Sherry Noakes	Aubrey W. Minshall	1:09.40
1991	King Corrie	3	Pat Day Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day is an American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991...	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	James McAleney James S. McAleney James S. "Jim" McAleney is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing jockey.A native of Fort St. John, British Columbia, Jim McAleney began his career as a jockey in Western Canada where in 1986 at Northlands Park in Edmonton, Alberta he got his first win. The following year, he competed in the West as...	David C. Brown	F. McDonnell	1:10.00
1988	Play the King Play the King Play the King was a Canadian Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred and raced by Kinghaven Farms of King City, Ontario, he was sired by King of Spain, a descendant of the very important sire, Nearco. His dam was Whisper whose sire Laugh Aloud was a son of U.S...	5	Don Seymour Don Seymour Donald J. Seymour is a Canadian jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing who is the only jockey in history to win two Canadian Triple Crowns....	Roger Attfield Roger Attfield Roger L. Attfield is a Canadian thoroughbred horse trainer and owner.In his native England, Attfield had become an accomplished international-level equestrian competitor when he emigrated to Canada in 1970...	Kinghaven Farms Kinghaven Farms Kinghaven Farms is a thoroughbred horse racing stable founded in 1967 by Donald G. "Bud" Willmot. Located in King City, Ontario, north of Toronto, the success of the stable would see it expand to the United States with the acquisition of a farm and training center near Ocala, Florida. Kinghaven...	1:10.40
1987	Play the King Play the King Play the King was a Canadian Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred and raced by Kinghaven Farms of King City, Ontario, he was sired by King of Spain, a descendant of the very important sire, Nearco. His dam was Whisper whose sire Laugh Aloud was a son of U.S...	4	Don Seymour Don Seymour Donald J. Seymour is a Canadian jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing who is the only jockey in history to win two Canadian Triple Crowns....	Roger Attfield Roger Attfield Roger L. Attfield is a Canadian thoroughbred horse trainer and owner.In his native England, Attfield had become an accomplished international-level equestrian competitor when he emigrated to Canada in 1970...	Kinghaven Farms Kinghaven Farms Kinghaven Farms is a thoroughbred horse racing stable founded in 1967 by Donald G. "Bud" Willmot. Located in King City, Ontario, north of Toronto, the success of the stable would see it expand to the United States with the acquisition of a farm and training center near Ocala, Florida. Kinghaven...	1:09.20