Jack Hardy
Founder & President, Assiniboia Downs, 1958-1974
By Bob Gates
Fifty years ago James C. Hardy, founder of Assiniboia Downs, presided over his final year of racing at our Portage Avenue racetrack. The 56-day season began on May 12 and ended on August 11, 1974. Racing was held on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with a weekday post time of 7:10 p.m. and 2:10 p.m. on Sundays and holidays. General grandstand admission was $1.50, while the more “exclusive” Turf Club was $2.50.
Here are some memories from Jack’s final year at the helm of the good ship Assiniboia Downs:
May 12: Opening day saw jockey Bobby Stewart win three on the eight-race card. Young upstart Kenny Hendricks had a banner day also, winning two, finishing second twice, and adding two thirds from eight mounts. Single wins on that Sunday afternoon went to Melvin Krueger, Ray Correa and Bernie Howland.
On the trainer side of the ledger, Gordie Marsh scored a hat trick. Other familiar names recording their first victories of the meet included Harry Gumprich, Wendell Mustard, and Don Gray.
May 30: Star center for the LA Kings “Butch” Goring’s Gai Roussel, a recent purchase at the Manitoba Horse Breeders sale, won the first race of her career.
June 5: Kenny “Hank” Hendricks continued to serve notice that he was going to be a force to be reckoned with amongst the riders. The 24-year-old saddlesmith won four consecutive races, in addition to a second and three thirds from eight mounts.
June 8: A few lucky punters were treated to a record payoff when Shady’s Style and Super Jacket combined for a $787.50 quinella. The 1-8 pairing topped the previous 1973 record of $520.80.
July 1: Ivan Dowler and sons, John and Graham, greeted their Model Oscar in the charmed circle when she won the John Sifton Memorial.
July 14: The 26th running of the Manitoba Derby went to eastern shipper Rushton’s Corsair. His $60,000 share of the purse made the Derby winner the top money earner at the Downs that year.
Rushton’s Corsair, Manitoba Derby, July 14, 1974
July 21: Scott Tyler, who was named after Barry Anderson’s three-year-old son, won the Buffalo Stakes for Hillside Farm.
Scott Tyler, Buffalo Stakes, July 21, 1974
July 26: Tempe Senga made history as 5-year-old gelding, becoming the first horse to win the R. J. Speers Memorial twice, and he did it in consecutive years.
August 5: J. L. Levesque’s L’Enjoleur won the $51,900 Winnipeg Centennial Futurity with Sandy Hawley in the irons.
,L’Enjoleur, Winnipeg Futurity, August 5, 1974
Turn To Rule won the 17th running of the Gold Cup for the partnership of trainer Clayton Gray and Wayne Jacobson. It was jockey Ken Hendricks’ second Gold Cup victory, he would go on the add five more Cup wins, giving him a record-setting seven wins in the classic.
August 11: On the final day of racing, 5-year-old Rejected Judge won his seventh race of the year. In his 11 starts at the Downs in 1974, he also had a second and three thirds.
The 56th day of racing also featured two wins a piece for jockeys Larry Bird and Jimmy Anderson. Familiar trainer names had Clayton Gray with a pair of victories, while single winners included Walter Adams, Bobby Franklin and Harold Bieber. Clayton Gray was the leading trainer with 29 wins and Ken Hendricks was the top rider with 83 trips to the winners circle.
In the December 1974 Manitoba Horse Breeders Journal Jack Hardy said good-bye:
May I extend my many thanks to all those people; fans, staff and friends who contributed to the success of Assiniboia Downs.
I believe the horse racing industry in Manitoba holds promise of a bright and progressive future and it will be my pleasure to be a part of this scene in the breeding, raising and running of horses.
Once again thank you. Good racing and Good Luck!
While no deal had been inked, rumours were rampant that the “For Sale” sign on the Downs had been out for some time. The September 4th edition of the Free Press read:
“Assiniboia Downs Reported Sold”
The headlines continued on the 5th:
“Downs Sold, Hardy Says”
The September 6th Free Press confirmed that former Winnipegger Jim Wright of Calgary and his partner, wealthy Edmonton businessman Bory Margolus, had taken ownership of Winnipeg’s west end track.
Jim Wright
The ownership change was good for racing and Winnipeg in general. However, Wright’s role wasn’t so much as a savior or rescuer, that would come in 1983 when the transplanted Winnipegger purchased the Downs for a second time following the short-lived ownership by Michael Gobuty and the subsequent receivership. For more on the Wrights’ story you might want to refresh your memory by clicking on the link to last year’s blog story Mr. and Mrs. Racing had all the Wright Stuff.
During the Wrights’ tenure at the Downs there were several innovations. Some of the more prominent items on that list included:
- Uniform coloured jockey silks by post position
- Triactor and Twin Triactor wagering
- Telephone account betting
- Televised racing on the local and provincial cable channels
- Installation of Video Lottery Terminals
Most importantly, Jim and wife Hazel were a team who weren’t afraid of hard work. A family affair you ask? Well, yes and no.
Daughter Lorraine was living in Calgary and never got involved in racing. She didn’t move to Winnipeg and partake in the business like her brother, Bob. Lorraine explained that her parents and Bob had moved to Winnipeg while she took an academic position at the University of Calgary. Lorraine loved the academic life at the University and enjoyed horse racing from a distance and through her family.
Bob on the other hand, had been working for Burns Food in Calgary, when his parents invited him to join them in the general management of the track. The offer was a unique and an exciting one. He was pleased to be a part of such a huge and interesting business. Bob, with his wife and three small children moved to Winnipeg in late spring and “the track became my life… it was a 7 day a week job… but my parents were always at the center of it all.” Bob did anything and everything to help his mom and dad run Assiniboia Downs.
And as we like to do here at the history blog, we will come full circle. It was 30 years ago that the Manitoba Jockey Club conducted its first season of horse racing in 1994, following the (not-for-profit) Manitoba Jockey Club’s purchase of the Downs from Wright in 1993.
Talk about a nice Triactor combination; Jack Hardy, Jim & Hazel Wright and the Manitoba Jockey Club. Let’s make that one a $2.00 Tri-Box…
And cover all the possibilities!