$100 Winner Triggers Monster Pick 4 Payoff, Fans Feast on Stakes

Take Charge Tom and jockey Rasheed Hughes win the $50,000 Derby Trial on Monday evening at ASD.

$100 Winner Triggers Monster Pick 4 Payoff, Stakes Feast Entertains Loud Crowds

By G.S. Thompson

What a week! Four stakes, a $104.10 winner, a $27,239.05 Pick 4, and big crowds that cheered like they were at the Manitoba Derby already!

Ropers N Wranglers went off at 51-1 in the fifth race on Wednesday, but someone forgot to tell her that.  Claimed in her previous start by trainer Bill Mooney, the 6-year-old mare looked more like an even-money favourite forcing the pace from the inside under jockey Dario Dalrymple, surging to the lead on the final turn, and opening a dig-in lead into the stretch that she would never relinquish.

She paid $104.10, $33.50, $8.80 across the board as the longest priced winner of the meeting to date and triggered a slew of huge payoffs including a $1 Exactor of $598.35, a 20-cent Triactor that paid $392.20, a 20-cent Superfecta of $1,505.37, a 20-cent Pick 3 that paid $679.52, and a monstrous $1 Pick 4 that paid $27,239.05!

And that was with the heavy favourite Lab Rat ($4.10) winning the seventh and last race in a Pick 4  sequence that also included longshot Ethan’s Animal ($27.10) in the fourth race and Welcometohollywood ($8.20) in the sixth race, the Jack Hardy Stakes. Three lucky bettors held winning $1 Pick 4 tickets, and each took home over $27,000!

The stakes action began on Monday night with the $50,000 Derby Trial, and once again, trainer Robertino Diodoro stamped himself as the one to beat for owner Randy Howg in the $125,000 Manitoba Derby on Monday, August 4, when his Take Charge Tom won a hard-fought battle with Just Trust Me, trained by Dewey Williams.

Ridden by Rasheed Hughes, Take Charge Tom forced the pace outside Just Trust Me in the one-mile race, and he appeared to be put away into the stretch when Don’t Trust Me opened up, but he came with a long determined rally to wear down his rival late and win by three-quarters of a length.

A four-time stakes winner south of the border, Take Charge Tom was coming into the race off a third place finish in the $300,000 Texas Derby at Lone Star Park, and had previously won the $125,000 Mine That Bird Derby at Sunland Park, the $100,000 Riley Allison Derby at Sunland, and the Lost in the $40,000 Fog Juvenile Stakes at Turf Paradise. He looks like the real deal for a trainer that has won the Manitoba Derby a record four times.

The $50,000 R. J. Speers Memorial Stakes for 3-year-olds and up also took place on Monday night and resulted in a thrilling stretch drive, with second choice Judo ($7.20) coming with an all-out wide rally to win by a nose over 31-1 longshot Pinky Ring Bling under co-leading rider Prayven Badrie for leading trainer Steve Keplin, Jr. and owner James Parisien. Badrie is tied at the top of the standings with Damario Bynoe with 24 wins, while Keplin sits alone at the top of the trainer standings with 20 wins, seven more than Mike Nault.

There was more stakes action on Tuesday night and Gerald Babchishin’s Burrow Down ($3.90) showed that she’s still the boss of the local filly and mare set when she wants to be, avenging a loss in her previous local start to win the $50,000 Canada Stakes under jockey Ronald Ali by 2 1/4-lengths over Marvelous Lady. Trained by Mike Taphorn, the 6-year-old mare has now won 10 stakes at Assiniboia Downs. Well done!

On Wednesday evening, the 3-year-old fillies were in action in the $50,000 Jack Hardy Stakes Stakes, and last year’s Winnipeg Futurity winner Welcometohollywood ($8.20) got back on the winning track with a romping 6 ¾-length victory for trainer Jared Brown and ownership partner John Ganas with Antonio Whitehall in the saddle.

The crowds not only continued to grow this past week, they also got noticeably louder cheering for their horses in the stretch drive.

Prepping for Manitoba Derby Night.