Sam Roberts and Wonder Gadot at the 2018 Queen’s Plate Saturday

The 159th Queen's Plate drew a big crowd to Woodbine Racetrack on Saturday, and those who were able to handle the heat were in for a treat.

The sun beat down at Woodbine all day long as well-dressed fans of horse racing and music gathered to celebrate the day's festivities. Inside and out, folks milled about with their attention on live music, the Hats & Horseshoes party, live racing and all that was available to them. You could see the excitement on the faces of people holding winning bets, and you could see that excitement again in the evening when Sam Roberts Band and Born Ruffians took the stage for the Queen's Plate Festival Saturday concert.

Before we go any further, we have to give our congratulations to Wonder Gadot, her owner Gary Barber, trainer Mark Casse, and her Queen's Plate jockey John Velazquez. It was a great race, full of excitement that had the crowd roaring as Wonder Gadot pulled away to win the $1,000,000 race by 4 3/4-lengths.

We also want to give a nod to Aheadbyacentury, a sentimental favourite in name, who finished second at the 159th Queen's Plate.

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After the big race, the crowd moved back outside to the Hats & Horseshoes area to get ready for some Canadian rock and roll.

The sun wasn't yet down when Midland, ON's Born Ruffians took the stage for their set. But as the trio of rockers moved through their set, it was clear that they were ready for both the weather and the show. Luke, Mitch, and Steve worked through songs including Don't Live Up and Oceans Deep while also working the crowd with light-hearted back-and-forth and some playful jokes.

ps. If the boys are reading this, and that truly was their 10th show on a stage beside a Ferris wheel, we'd like to suggest that their 11th be performed while actually riding on a Ferris wheel.

As the music played more fans came to the stage, and by the time Born Ruffians finished their set they had the attention of the assembled revellers at Woodbine.

The headliners on Saturday night, perfect for a Canada Day long weekend, was Montreal's Sam Roberts Band. The veteran rockers took the stage with all of the enthusiasm that we're used to seeing from them. And they sounded great too.

With songs like Rogue Empire, Shapeshifters setting the tone early, Sam and the band had everyone all-in. And when they broke into Where Have All The Good People Gone?, the crowd took things to another level. The singing got louder, the energy hit a new high, and Saturday was in full effect.

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The long weekend heatwave may have sent some people home early from the Queen's Plate Festival, but those that stayed were treated to good Canadian rock and roll.

Note: We saw Sam earlier in the afternoon as the racing was in full swing. And while he told the crowd that he lost a bunch of money... we hope he had a good day anyway.

The Sam Roberts Band have been Canadian rock and roll mainstays since 2002. And on Saturday night at Woodbine Racetrack, they proved once again that they are great on stage, putting on a really fun show, and playing good rock and roll. The singing, dancing, laughing, and enthusiasm in the crowd was proof of that.

Many thanks to Woodbine Entertainment for having us, we can't wait for the 160th Queen's Plate in 2019!