Thoroughbred › Trainers

The first family to dominate The Queen's Plate, as well as racing and breeding in Ontario, was the White brothers-John and James and John's son-in-law, David Watson Campbell, of Hilton County.

Described as "the real pioneers' of breeding in the province, they owned, bred and/or trained twelve Queen's Plate winners, including Don Jaun, winner of the inaugural running of the Plate in 1860. For the next 25 years the Whites influenced the growth of racing in Ontario, Their flaming scarlet silks appeared for the last time in the Plate's winners circle in 1886 with the victory of Wild Rose.

Irish born, the two brothers complemented each other with John becoming a successful lumber merchant and the owner of the first privately owned racetrack-Woodlands. The 320-acre spread was operated by James, who bred and trained many of the Plate winners.

Terror, which the Whites bred and owned, dominated the breeding sheds, siring four Queen's Plate winners-Vice Chancellor (1881), Fanny Wiser (1882), Williams (1884) and Victorious (1891). Two of Terror's daughters also produced Plate winners.

Yellow Rose, which the Whites owned, was the dam of Don Jaun, the first Plate winner in 1860, and Wild Rose in 1867. One of her daughters, Liberty, produced Plate winners Touchstone and Palermo, whose sire Royal George, interestingly enough was a trotter. Between 1860 and 1886, Yellow Rose appeared in the pedigree of eight Plate winners, a feat no mare has come close to equaling since.

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