Month: August 2012

Thank You, Mr. Hardy

by Bob Let’s take a time out from our usual activities this week and remember James C. Hardy, the founder of Assiniboia Downs. The year was 1957, R. James Speers had been dead for two years, Polo Park race track had closed its doors in July 1956, and the demise of...

Don’t forget class in your handicapping

by Rob Modern handicapping is so heavily focused on speed, how fast a horse ran and numbers, that people often forget about another important basic form of handicapping. Class handicapping puts heavy emphasis on what level a horse runs at and what kind of company it...

Tough Manitoba-bred Victor’s Pride made no apologies

by Bob Have you ever noticed that when the subject of Manitoba breds comes up, it almost sounds like you find yourself having to apologize for the breed? To varying degrees, many of us have done that, but when you think about it, there have been some very good...

Derby Weekend Hangover

by Rob For some of us, Manitoba Lotteries Derby weekend was an absolute godsend; for others it was a nightmarish affair. Big favorites like Golden Stripe and Portales were defeated, while hometown heroes like Balooga Bull and Jon Q prevailed. To be honest, the most...