The Queen and Prince Philip attend the Queen's Plate at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto on Sunday afternoon. (CBC)

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh watched Big Red Mike win the 151st running of the Queen's Plate in Toronto on Sunday afternoon.

The Queen, an avid owner and breeder of horses, presented the trophy to the winning jockey, Eurico Rosa da Silva, and Big Red Mike's handlers from Terra Racing Stable.

She and Prince Philip arrived at Woodbine Racetrack in a horse-drawn carriage. It was her fourth trip to see North America's oldest continuously run stakes race, after visits in 1959, 1973 and 1997.

The royal couple, who were pulled down the track in a landau to applause and cheers from thousands of people at the track, spent some time in the walking ring before watching the running of the Queen's Plate.

For the first time, two women were in the jockey lineup, including Emma-Jayne Wilson, riding D's Wando.

"I'm honoured. My parents are from Britain and I've been to England a few times," Wilson, who was born and raised in Ontario, said before the race.

However, she added that she wouldn't be distracted by the presence of royalty.

"I hope I can enjoy it as best as I can, but I got a job to do, and I promise you, I'm going to be focused on my job," she said.

The Queen's Plate, commemorating a plate granted by Queen Victoria that was then valued at 50 guineas, is a 1¼-mile race for three-year-old Canadian thoroughbreds. Today, race winners get a gold cup and 50 gold sovereigns, as well as 60 per cent of the total purse of $1 million.

On Sunday morning, the Queen and Prince Philip attended a church service in Toronto as royal watchers gathered outside in the sweltering heat and humidity.

Royal watchers applaud as the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh leave church in downtown Toronto. (Dave Seglins/CBC)

About 1,500 people waited as the couple entered St. James Cathedral in downtown on their second-last full day of a nine-day visit to Canada.

The Queen wore a blue patterned outfit with a matching turquoise hat. Those invited inside donned their Sunday best and fancy hats, and several men were decked out in military regalia.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, his wife and Lt.-Gov. David Onley sat across the aisle from the Queen.

The royal tour continued amid a heat alert in Toronto. Temperatures in the low 30s were expected to feel like the high 30s — maybe even 40 C — when the humidity was factored in.

Queen mingles with the crowd

The crowd applauded as the Queen did a short walkabout after the church service and was presented with bouquets of flowers.

Dharby Harrison, 8, travelled from London, Ont., to see the Queen outside St. James Cathedral. (Dave Seglins/CBC)First in line for the Queen's greetings was eight-year-old Dharby Harrison.

"It was awesome," Dharby told CBC News. "She said, 'Thank you' and I said, 'No, thank you, Your Majesty."

So far, the royal couple have visited Halifax, Ottawa and Winnipeg on their Canadian tour.

On Monday, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will visit the headquarters of Research In Motion Ltd., maker of the BlackBerry device, in Waterloo, Ont. They will return to Toronto before leaving for New York City on Tuesday.

With files from The Canadian Press