What is the oldest continously run thoroughbred stakes race in North America?

The Queen's Plate (known as the King's Plate from 1901 to 1952, when the reigning monarch was male) is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race, having been founded in 1860. It is also the oldest continuously run race in North America. It is run 1+1⁄4 miles (2011.68 m) for a maximum of 17 horses. The race takes place each summer, normally in June or July, at Woodbine Racetrack in Etobicoke, Ontario. It is the first race in the Canadian Triple Crown.

The 2020 event, originally scheduled for June 27, was postponed to September 12 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. The 2021 event was run on August 22, 2021.1859, when Canada West was still a colony of Britain, the then-president of the Toronto Turf Club, Sir Casimir Gzowski, petitioned Queen Victoria to grant a plate for a new race in the territory. Upon royal assent, the first Queen's Plate was run on June 27, 1860, at the Carleton racetrack in Toronto, with the prize of "a plate to the value of 50 guineas". Despite the name of the race, the winning owner is presented with a gold cup rather than a plate.

The race is currently restricted to three-year-olds foaled in Canada. The owner must pay a nomination fee ($500 in 2018) in February, a second subscription fee ($1,500 in 2018) in May and a final entry fee ($10,000) in late June prior to the race.