Play the King
Play the King (1983–1989) was a Canadian Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred and raced by Kinghaven Farms of King City, Ontario, he was sired by King of Spain, a descendant of the very important sire Nearco. His dam was Whisper whose sire Laugh Aloud was a son of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Tom Fool.

Trained by Roger Attfield, in 1987 Play the King won several important stakes races at his home base at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto plus the Toboggan Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. His performances earned him the 1987 Sovereign Award for Champion Older Male Horse as well as the Sovereign Award for Champion Sprinter.

In 1988, Play the King notably won his second consecutive Nearctic Stakes and Toronto Breeders' Cup Handicap and ran second to Gulch in the 1988 Breeders' Cup Sprint. In addition to being voted Canadian Horse of the Year, his performances also earned him his second straight Sovereign Award for Champion Older Male Horse and for Champion Sprinter.

On May 20, 1989, Play the King broke an ankle while competing in the Maryland Breeders' Cup Sprint Handicap at Pimlico Race Course. The severity of his injury was such that he had to be euthanized.
Q16
Canadian
LOC
Q7571580
Champion
EVE
Q210826
Thoroughbred
Concept
Q187916
racehorse
Concept
Q6412760
Kinghaven Farms
ORG
Q5266894
King City, Ontario
LOC
Q2305063
Nearco
MISC
Q6974502
U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
LOC
Q7815827
Tom Fool
MISC
Q7357815
Roger Attfield
PER
Q3135941
Woodbine Racetrack
LOC
Q172
Toronto
LOC
Q17025879
Toboggan Handicap
EVE
Q4782852
Aqueduct Racetrack
LOC
Q18424
Queens
LOC
Q1384
New York
LOC
Q5029836
Sovereign Award for Champion Older Male Horse
MISC
Q5029832
Sovereign Award for Champion Sprinter
MISC
Q6984413
Nearctic Stakes
EVE
Q7203082
Toronto Breeders' Cup Handicap
EVE
Q11296295
Gulch
MISC
Q2924287
Breeders' Cup Sprint
EVE
Q5030109
Canadian Horse of the Year
MISC
Q6781486
Maryland Breeders' Cup Sprint Handicap
EVE
Q7194656
Pimlico Race Course
LOC
Q652653
euthanized
Concept
Q7203119
Play the King
MISC
Q7203119
Play the King
MISC
Q7203119
Play the King
MISC
Q7203119
Play the King
MISC
1987-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1987
DATE
1987-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1987
DATE
1988-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1988
DATE
1988-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1988
DATE
1989-05-20T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
May 20, 1989
DATE
+1983^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1983
NUMBER
+1989^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1989
NUMBER
country
animal breed
located in the administrative territorial entity
located in the administrative territorial entity