| Surface: | Turf |
| Class: | Grade II |
| Horse Race: | Grass Stakes |
| Location: | Woodbine Racetrack Toronto, Ontario |
| Inaugurated: | 1987 |
| Race Type: | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website: | woodbineentertainment.com |
| Distance: | 7 furlongs |
| Track: | Left-handed |
| Qualification: | Three-year-olds & up |
| Weight: | Assigned |
| Purse: | CAN$200,000 (since 2005)[1] |
The Play the King Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. A Grade II sprint race, it is open to horses age three and older and is run over a distance of seven furlongs on turf. It currently offers a purse of CAN$200,000.
Inaugurated in 1987 as the Toronto Budweiser Breeders' Cup Handicap, it was competed at a distance of six furlongs on dirt until 1996 when it was shifted to the turf and set at its current distance of seven furlongs. At the same time, the race was renamed in honor of Kinghaven Farms' 1988 Canadian Horse of the Year, Play the King.
The race was run in two divisions in 2000.
Speed record:
Most wins:
Most wins by an owner:
Most wins by a jockey:
Most wins by a trainer:
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | align=center colspan=8 | Not run due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | ||||
| 2019 | Silent Poet | 4 | Gary Boulanger | Nicholas Gonzalez | Stronach Stables | 1:29.22 |
| 2018 | Mr Havercamp | 4 | Eurico Rosa da Silva | Catherine Day Phillips | Sean & Dorothy Fitzhenry | 1:23.94 |
| 2017 | Conquest Panthera | 5 | Patrick Husbands | Mark E. Casse | Gary Barber | 1:21.20 |
| 2016 | Glenville Gardens | 4 | Gary Boulanger | Sid C. Attard | Janice Attard | 1:20.82 |
| 2015 | Reporting Star | 5 | Luis Contreras | Pat Parente | Copper Water Thoroughbred | 1:20.66 |
| 2014 | Kaigun | 4 | Patrick Husbands | Mark E. Casse | Quintessential Racing/Horse'n Around/Barber | 1:20.71 |
| 2013 | Dimension (GB) | 5 | David Moran | Conor Murphy | Riverside Bloodstock | 1:19.89 |
| 2012 | Big Band Sound | 5 | Tyler Pizarro | Daniel J. Vella | Kendel D. Standlee | 1:21.62 |
| 2011 | Havelock | 4 | Jermaine Bridgmohan | Darrin Miller | Silverton Hill | 1:21.56 |
| 2010 | Smokey Fire | 5 | J C Jones | Sid Attard | Jim Dandy Stable | 1:20.83 |
| 2009 | Jungle Wave | 4 | Todd Kabel | Sid Attard | Tucci Stables | 1:23.06 |
| 2008 | Just Rushing | 7 | James McAleney | Sid Attard | Tucci Stables | 1:19.77 |
| 2007 | Le Cinquieme Essai | 8 | Steve Bahen | Paul Nielsen | William A. Scott | 1:26.28 |
| 2006 | Le Cinquieme Essai | 7 | Steve Bahen | Paul Nielsen | William A. Scott | 1:22.79 |
| 2005 | Vanderlin | 6 | Martin Dwyer | Andrew Balding | J. C. Hitchins et al. | 1:21.18 |
| 2004 | Soaring Free | 5 | Todd Kabel | Mark Frostad | Sam-Son Farm | 1:20.97 |
| 2003 | Soaring Free | 4 | Todd Kabel | Mark Frostad | Sam-Son Farm | 1:23.52 |
| 2002 | Zone Judge | 4 | Constant Montpellier | Dave Dwyer | Winston W. Penny | 1:20.42 |
| 2001 | Mr. Epperson | 6 | James McKnight | Scott H. Fairlie | R. & S. Fairlie et al. | 1:21.84 |
| 2000 | Solitary Dancer | 4 | Mickey Walls | David R. Bell | John A. Franks | 1:22.00 |
| 2000 | Olympian | 3 | Na Somsanith | John Cardella | Rexdale Stable et al. | 1:21.68 |
| 1999 | Dawson's Legacy | 4 | Constant Montpellier | Norman McKnight | J. M. Stritzl Stable | 1:21.87 |
| 1998 | Skybound | 4 | Robert Landry | Mark Frostad | Sam-Son Farm | 1:21.00 |
| 1997 | Randy Regent | 3 | Sandy Hawley | Mark Frostad | Sam-Son Farm | 1:23.40 |
| 1996 | Jilin | 4 | David Clark | John MacKenzie | Greenoaks Farm | 1:23.80 |
| 1995 | King Ruckus | 5 | Todd Kabel | Daniel J. Vella | Frank Stronach | 1:09.80 |
| 1994 | Premier Angel | 5 | Sandy Hawley | Dennis M. Erwin | William Sorokolit | 1:10.00 |
| 1993 | Apelia | 4 | Larry Attard | Phil England | Knob Hill Stable | 1:09.20 |
| 1992 | King Corrie | 4 | Dave Penna | Sherry Noakes | Aubrey W. Minshall | 1:09.40 |
| 1991 | King Corrie | 3 | Pat Day | John A. Ross | Aubrey W. Minshall | 1:09.40 |
| 1990 | Cardel's Ruckus | 3 | Ray Sabourin | Joseph Attard | C. & D. Arnone | 1:11.60 |
| 1989 | Confederate Bill | 4 | James McAleney | David C. Brown | F. McDonnell | 1:10.00 |
| 1988 | Play the King | 5 | Don Seymour | Roger Attfield | Kinghaven Farms | 1:10.40 |
| 1987 | Play the King | 4 | Don Seymour | Roger Attfield | Kinghaven Farms | 1:09.20 |