Woodbine Entertainment is excited to share its plans for the 161st Queen’s Plate that will bring one of Canada’s most prestigious events and storied traditions directly to fans like never before.
The digital-first experience will largely live on Woodbine Entertainment’s Instagram channel @WoodbineTB and will feature content anchored in the event’s longstanding traditions of fashion, gourmet food, music, wagering and world-class Thoroughbred racing.
Kicking off at Noon ET on Saturday, September 12, The Queen’s Plate @ Home will engage with fans from coast-to-coast and culminate with the live broadcast of The $1 million Queen’s Plate at 4:30 p.m. ET on TSN and CTV.
To help bring the experience to fans at home, Woodbine Entertainment has partnered with a stable of multi-platform content creators, celebrities and musicians, who will contribute unique #QueensPlate inspired content throughout the day.
North America’s longest continually run stakes race is for three-year-old Thoroughbreds foaled in Canada and is the first jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown. The event was originally scheduled for June 27 prior to being postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to ongoing health and safety precautions regarding COVID-19, Woodbine Entertainment has made the decision not to open The Queen’s Plate to the general public. All ticket purchasers will be provided with a full refund through Ticketmaster.
“We are very much looking forward to creating new traditions with our fans for an event that is already steeped in tradition and has a history dating back to 1860,” said Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment. “While it’s unfortunate we can’t welcome patrons in our stands this year, we are inviting Canadians to experience The Queen’s Plate safely from home with family and friends in their bubble.”
The Queen’s Plate @ Home will be hosted on Instagram by The Social’s Melissa Grelo and will lead into the national broadcast of the 161st running of The Queen’s Plate on TSN and CTV. The networks’ coverage is hosted by TSN’s Brian Williams, alongside Laura Diakun and Jason Portuondo at the Racing Night Live desk, and reporters Brodie Lawson and Chad Rozema.
“The world has seen so many challenges in 161 years and the Queen’s Plate has persevered through all of them,” said Grelo. “I’m excited to enjoy and share the race with fans in a new and exciting way this year!”
Click here for a special QP @ Home video of Melissa Grelo.
Fans enjoying the Queen’s Plate @ Home will also have the opportunity to enhance their experience with Woodbine’s new horse racing app, Dark Horse. Built for the next generation of horse racing fans, Dark Horse uses artificial intelligence to simplify the experience for the new player.
“Easy to use and a ton of fun, I would highly recommend Dark Horse to sports bettors or casual fans looking to get their feet wet with wagering on horse racing,” said Portuondo, Host/Analyst, Woodbine Entertainment. “Especially with the Derby and The Queen’s Plate coming up, it’s time to download the app and start playing!”
Dark Horse is available in the Canadian Apple app store or can be downloaded at playdarkhorse.com.
For the latest information about QP @ Home, fans should follow @WoodbineTB on Instagram and visit QueensPlate.com.
