The Plate: 150 Years of Royal Tradition from Don Juan to Eye of the Leopard (December 2009, ECW) by Louis E. Cauz and Beverley A. Smith explores the colourful history of the Queen’s Plate through words and archival photographs

. The book will be launched to the public at Woodbine Racetrack on Sunday, December 6th from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., on the second floor grandstand.

The Queen’s Plate is the first jewel in Canada’s Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing and is the longest continuously run stakes race in North America. It is Canada’s most prestigious one-day social and sporting event.

Cauz, an historian, archivist and the managing director of Canada’s Horse Racing Hall of Fame, and Smith, an award-winning reporter for the Globe and Mail, will be on hand to autograph copies and engage race fans with insider stories from the last twenty-five years of the Plate.

The Plate updates a previous book by Cauz on the first 125 years of the stakes race with the inclusion of such greats as With Approval, who in 1989 became the first Triple Crown winner in 26 years, 2003 Triple Crown hero, Wando, and 2009 champion, Eye of the Leopard.

When asked about the importance of an updated edition Cauz said, “More than fifty years ago my obsession with the Plate and its history took roots at Woodbine. Years later, that infatuation with this historic piece of Canadiana prompted me to chronicle its first 125 runnings. My fixation on the Plate has not diminished. Joining forces with the talent of Beverley Smith, I have had the pleasure of adding another twenty-five years of Plate history and revisiting the first 125 years by editing, rewriting and adding photos and anecdotes that were not available in 1984.”

Smith was also pleased to be involved in the book adding, “I've been watching the Queen's Plate since I was twelve years old — and writing about it — so it seemed only natural now that I am a real journalist, I could carry on what I started many years ago. It’s been a labour of love from the first day and I’m honoured to have been given the task.”

The book will be available at most bookstores and online booksellers, with a retail price of $39.99.

(WEG)