Queen's Plate Card Sets Record

Monday, July 4, 2016 | 4:50 pm

Updated: July 4, 2016 at 4:52 pm

Toronto Ont.July3, 2016.Woodbine Racetrack.Jockey Julien Leparoux guides Sir Dudley Digges to capture the 157tj running of the $1,000,000 dollar Queen's Plate Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack.Sir Dudley Digges is owned by Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey and trained by Michael Make. michael burns photo

The Queen's Plate card at Woodbine Sunday set records for both attendance and wagering, according to figures released by Woodbine Entertainment Group Monday.

All sources wagering on the 13-race card was $11,839,883, up 7% from the $11,064,870 figure recorded in 2015. The Queen's Plate race itself had wagering of $3,354,822, also a record. Attendance for the day was 37,063, topping the 35,000 mark in 2015.

“The 157th Queen's Plate was truly spectacular,” said Jim Lawson, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment Group. “From the racing, to the parties, to the fashion, to the music, to the weather, both longtime racing fans and those new to the Queen's Plate experience were treated to a tremendous show. Our efforts to amplify the Queen's Plate to new heights succeeded.”

The all-sources handle mark is second only to the $67,738,890 wagered at the 1996 Breeders' Cup at Woodbine. The attendance record is the highest for a non-royal Queen's Plate. With Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in attendance, the 1973 Queen's Plate was witnessed by a crowd of 40,137.