Blog
The Richardsons of Assiniboia Downs
by Bob Gates Manhattan was home to the Morgans and the Vanderbilts, Winnipeg the Aspers and Richardsons. Since the early days of Assiniboia Downs, the Richardson name was well-known throughout the backstretch community. No, not the Wellington Crescent Richardsons....
Special Sovereign Award well-deserved by MJC President Harvey Warner
by Bob Gates Let's be truthful, do any of us know how long Manitoba Jockey Club (MJC) President Harvey Warner has been involved in horse racing? This past January 23, The Jockey Club of Canada announced that Harvey was to be presented with the Special Sovereign Award...
The 1970 Manitoba Centennial Derby and “The Trib”: 2020 Milestones
by Bob Gates The Manitoba Centennial Derby celebrates its golden anniversary (1970-2020) this year. Go figure. It doesn’t seem like it, but 50 years have passed since the historic Centennial Derby was run at Assiniboia Downs as "The Queen of all Britons" and her...
Alfred G. Tarn: Rosser Pig Farmer turned World Class Horseman
by Bob Gates Father Time has been cruel to the memory of Alfred Gilbert "Alf" Tarn. Who? That’s the point of this week's time tunnel flashback. There was a time when it was inconceivable that the name Alf Tarn would fade into obscurity. Sad, but true. Who among us...
I Dreamed of a Racetrack Heaven
by Bob Gates In the early 1950s Eddie Dean wrote a song that he said was inspired by a dream. Dean recorded "Hillbilly Heaven" in 1954 but it never really caught on. In 1961 Tex Ritter, father of the late TV actor John Ritter, released his version, which became a huge...
The Derby Trial Returns to Assiniboia Downs
by Bob Gates Following an 11-year absence (2009 -2019) the Downs 2020 stakes race calendar features the return of the Derby Trial. Jack Hardy resurrected the Manitoba Derby in 1960 and since that time 60 Derbies have been run at the Downs. During this same period, the...
Remembering Pagan Star. All-Time Western Canadian Money Winner (circa 1951)
by Bob Gates Horses come and horses go, but have you ever noticed that the ones we think of most fondly are almost always from another era. Pagan Star is one such horse. So, who was Pagan Star and why are we talking about him? It wasn't all that long ago that I...
It all began with a “Fling” – Island Fling that is…
by Bob Gates More than 40 years ago, the late Philip Kives built his K5 racing empire on the back of Island Fling. Phil couldn't recall how he met up with Don Gray, but Gray was the man he approached about buying a horse and getting into the racing biz. According to...
Judge George W. Schilling: His Word was the Law on the Canadian Prairies for Three Decades
by Bob Gates George Schilling was a senior racing official in Mexico, the United States and Canada and among the most respected figures in the sport. Schilling had a keen mind, was scrupulously honest and stern but fair. He was born on January 17, 1886 in San...
The Greatest Race That Never Was
by Bob Gates For as long as most of us can remember, the first Saturday in May is reserved for the Kentucky Derby, but not this year. The "Run for the Roses" was rescheduled to the fall because of COVID-19. You just knew NBC wasn't going to let an opportunity like...