Record Performance By First BC-bred to Win Queen's Plate

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Production Team • June 24, 2012

Strait of Dover (Michael Burns Photo)

One of the biggest days in British Columbia breeding and racing happenned at Woodbine on Sunday when Strait of Dover (English Channel), became the first BC-bred in history to win Canada's premier race, the $1,000,000 Queen's Plate over a polytrack surface he had never lost on. The winner was bred in the dogwood province and races for Wally and Terry Leong's Canyon Farms and is the 10th runner and second stakes winner out of Bahrain Star, a daughter of Danzig and is a half-brother to local stakes winner Starlite Strike. The winner, trained by Dan Vella was ridden by B.C. born rider Justin Stein for the biggest moment in his riding career. The final time, 2:01.99 was a record over the rain drenched polytrack and the winner was well backed at Woodbine returning $$9.60 to his devoted backers.

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BC BREEDERS' BANTER

By CTHS BC • January 15, 2026

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE CTHS BC BOARD OF DIRECTORS by Dave Pihl, President CTHS BC Division

NOT BOURBON PASSES

By CTHS BC • January 10, 2026

Not Bourbon (Not Impossible – Bourbon Belle) passed away on December 28, 2025, at the age of 20. Bred and owned by Charles Fipke and trained by Roger Attfield, Not Bourbon was an exceptional racehorse whose accomplishments earned him a place in Canadian racing history. During his career on the track, Not Bourbon captured some of the nation’s most prestigious races, including the Queen’s Plate, Plate Trial, Queenston Stakes, and Overskate Stakes. As a two-year-old, he showed early promise by winning the Bull Page Stakes and setting a track record for six furlongs at Woodbine. Over the course of three racing seasons, Not Bourbon earned more than one million dollars, and his outstanding three-year-old campaign was recognized with a Sovereign Award. Retired to stud, Not Bourbon went on to become a champion sire in Ontario, further cementing his legacy in the breeding shed. In 2020, he relocated to British Columbia, standing his first season at Emerald Acres in Aldergrove, before moving to Flying Horse Farm in West Kelowna, where he continued to make a meaningful contribution to the provincial breeding industry. Not Bourbon will be remembered for his talent as a racehorse and his contributions to breeding in both Ontario and British Columbia.