Vaughan Marshall holds the L’Ormarins King’s Plate after One Stripe’s victory last season (Picture: Wayne Marks)
Sarah Whitelaw
One of the highlights on the South African racing calender, the G1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate, is set to be run this season at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on January 10th 2026.
This will be the 165th renewal of a race, which has been run, at various times in its history, as the Queen’s Plate.
The race was first run in 1861 in honour of Queen Victoria, and has been won by some of the greatest thoroughbreds to grace the South African turf. Among the numerous equine superstars to win the Queen’s Plate are Royal Affair, Sea Cottage, In Full Flight, Sledgehammer, Politician, Foveros, Wolf Power, Flaming Rock, Empress Club, London News and Jet Master. The latter went on to make his presence felt as a sire in the Queen’s Plate with Jet Master’s champion son Pocket Power winning the race on four occasions. Jet Master is also broodmare sire of dual LQP winner Jet Dark.
Since L’Ormarins first sponsored the Queens’ Plate in 2005, the race has been won by a host of champions.
Triple Horse Of The Year Pocket Power made history when he won the race four times in a row, with “Pocket” winning the LQP in 2006,2007, 2009 and 2010.
His Queen’s Plate winning streak finally ended in 2011, when Pocket Power could only finish fourth, behind another champion Mother Russia.
Another champion to dominate the Queen’s Plate was Legal Eagle, with that eight time G1 winning champion winning the L’Ormarins sponsored showpiece in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
Between Pocket Power and Legal Eagle’s triumphs, however, the LQP was won by a host of stars including multiple champion sire Gimmethegreenlight (2012), subsequent G1 Champions Mile hero Variety Club (2013) and Horse Of The Year Futura.
Following Legal Eagle, champions to win the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate included Do It Again (2019), Vardy (2020) and Jet Dark (2021 & 2020).
Following King Charles III’s accession to the throne, the race name was altered to the King’s Plate, with Al Muthana causing an 80-1 shock when winning the first running in 2023. Champions Charles Dickens (who had finished second to Al Muthana in 2023) and One Stripe subsequently won the LKP in 2024 and 2025 respectively.
However, it is not only the winners on the honour roll of the L’Ormarins sponsored feature which make for impressive reading.
Horses beaten in the Hollywoodbets Kenilworth showpiece include such outstanding performers as Hawwaam, Kommetdieding, Charles Dickens, Soqrat, Rainbow Bridge, Jet Dark, Legal Eagle, Pocket Power, Big City Life, Variety Club, What A Winter, and Legislate.
The dress code for the 2026 King’s Plate is, once again, blue and white, with the day set to get underway at 12:00 PM. A fantastic day of racing will be followed by a night of dancing under the Cape Town skies.
L’Ormarins King’s Plate day promises racegoers an outstanding day of racing and it promises to be one of the highlights of the New Year.
