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OLDEST RACE IN AMERICA Sixtyseventh Renewal of Kings Plate at Woodbine Park Toronto Meeting Opens Canadian Racing for 1926 Stands and Grounds in inSplendid Splendid Condition TORONTO Ont May 18 Next Saturday at Woodbine Park witnesses the sixtysev ¬ enth running of the Kings Plate the oldest continuously run racing classic on the North American continent Naturally for Cana ¬ dians this event holds more interest than any other annual feature in the world of racing In fact no other timehonored classic eclipses the Kings Plate from the viewpoint of his ¬ toric interest No race in Canada has done as much to encourage the breeding of thor ¬ oughbreds nor is as rich in its dowry as the Kings Plate The royal donation was first made in 1855 by Queen Victoria and the fifty guineas is the added gift of His Majesty King George V while there is a money value attached to the race of 10000 added divided among the owners of the first four horses i iFor For the sporting public of Toronto next Saturday is a redletter day It not only brings about the renewal of this great race but also ushers in the Canadian racing sea ¬ son for 192C The whole town takes on a holiday spirit Colors of many Canadian establishments are displayed in shop win ¬ dows The outstanding topic of conversation is the Kings Plate and many are the argu ¬ ments heard everywhere about the respective qualities of the starters startersAll All roads lead to Woodbine Park on May 22 and great as the accommodation for the public is at the track it is not enough to comfortably take care of the huge crowd that is expected to turn out outFor For months workmen have been busy at the track and they have the whole plant looking its very best The infield is in bet ¬ ter condition than it ever has been presenting one of the finest steeplechase courses to be seen anywhere Paint has been lavishly applied to the buildings and equipment giving everything a fresh and new appearance Flowers are in bloom and the extensive lawns are a masterpiece of the gardeners skill skillThe The manner in which this beautiful track is maintained by the Ontario Jockey Club to ¬ gether with the advantage it enjoys by rea ¬ son of its naturally scenic location with Lake Ontario as its background certainly means a great deal in the popularity of the course with the public publicContention Contention for the Kings Plate this year is of a high order and the race should be a thrilling one Fine training weather has been enjoyed for the past few weeks and most of the candidates have turned in good trials The chances of the Seagram Stable winning are favored this year Their entry will un ContinucJ on second l age OLDEST RACE IN AMERICA Continued from first page doubtedly go to the post favorite Haplite the mainstay of the Seagram candidates has a record of three wins in five starts as a cellcnt form in his work at the track this year Phanariot and Quartz Sinter also arc working well making up one of the strongest representations the Seagrams have had in the Kings Plate for some years with Fairbank has two dangerous candi ¬ dates in Davenport and Downsview C Mil ¬ lars handsome pair Taurus and Heretrix Stable also have a good pair in Attack and Atwood The Thorncliffe Stable candidates Southern Glow arid Seapen have been train ¬ ing at the Leaside Course and are reported fit and ready readySecond Second in importance to the Kings Plate on the opening days program is the Victoria Stakes for twoyearolds with a value of 5000 added at a distance of fiveeighths Sixtyfive are named for this race which establishes a record in the history of the To ¬ ronto Jockey Club Canadian owners are strongly represented the crop of juveniles in Canada this year being an exceptionally large one and of high order The whole pro ¬ gram for the spring meeting is a most at ¬ tractive one including many features no race having a value of less than 1200 and ranging up to 10000 the money prize at ¬ tached to the Kings Plate and the Toronto Cup Handicap
