King’s Plate rescheduled after fierce storm

Mother Nature has forced King’s Plate organizers to postpone Canada’s biggest horse race until Friday.

The remainder of Saturday’s card at Toronto’s Woodbine Racetrack, including the first jewel of Canada’s Triple Crown, was cancelled in the afternoon after heavy rain made a mess of the track.

Eight of 13 races were called off due to unsafe track conditions.

“An incredibly difficult decision; it was just the amount of rain we had in such a short amount of time,” said Woodbine CEO Michael Copeland. “It came down hard and it was pooling on the track and it created unsafe conditions for the horses. Safety is always No. 1 for us. Despite this being such an important day, we really have to make the decision that is best for the horses and the jockeys.”

The track is not far from areas where some motorists had to abandon their cars during a heavy downpour hours earlier in the west end of Toronto and Mississauga, Ont.

The Plate, now in its 165th year, is North America’s oldest continuously run stakes race.

The Price of Wales Stakes, the second jewel of the Triple Crown, is scheduled for Sept. 10 at Fort Erie Race Track, followed by the Breeders’ Stakes on Sept. 29 at Woodbine.