by Bob The Manitoba Derby is coming up Monday, August 4, so how about a trip down memory lane for our annual Derby tale. Local cattleman, Helmuth "Harry" Gumprich will never be famous for his efforts in our Derby, but I have a soft spot for Manitoba horsemen who enter...
by George There was a lot of digging in and wearing down going on Saturday night at Assinboia Downs, and when it was all over more than one person walked away with a $2 Pick-4 that paid $5,363.60. Favourites were defeated in every leg. There was a hint of extra...
by George Friday night started slow at ASD, but it certainly picked up speed starting in the fourth race with a combination of longshots, huge Superfecta payoffs and a Pick-4 carryover of $6,149. As a result, the Pick-4 pool on Saturday night could swell to $15,000 or...
by Bob Talk of ponies and a princess evokes thoughts of a fairytale. Insert politicians and it becomes a nightmare. Thirty-two years have passed since one fateful day in July 1982, but it's a blemish on track history is difficult to forget. It was supposed to be an...
by George Balooga Bull brought his "A" game for the Wheat City Stakes, Jet Again did the same in the Harry Jeffrey Stakes, and Paul Nolan won half of the eight races in front of a large appreciative crowd on Wednesday night at the Downs. Balooga Bull had lost two in a...
by Bob The success that owner Larry Carter enjoyed with Elite Mercedes was unprecedented, but two short years later he further established himself as a dominant and influential force in the Downs' stakes schedule with Monsoon "The Machine" Rain. While the Downs has...
by George It wasn't supposed to be this close. Nose the Pose was the overwhelming favourite to win the restricted $30,000 R. C. Anderson Memorial for Manitoba-foaled 3-year-old fillies on Saturday night, but Regal Silver forgot to read the tote board and took the...
by Bob Brian Todd Bochinski's riding career started long before his first mount at Assiniboia Downs in 1986. In a way it had been a work in progress for years. It was always his life-long dream to be a jockey and win races, lots of them. His father, Bill, owned...
by Rob The process of wagering on a horse race in the modern era of gambling is much more complicated than "which horse do I like?" In outdated systems all you had to do was pick a horse. Now it takes a firm understanding of not only picking winners, but also on...
by Bob I'm guessing the name "Powder Puff" was created by a male of our species. Certainly there aren't many women these days that would come up with such a sexist sounding name for a horse race featuring women-only riders or "jockettes" as they were often called, a...