Blog
Everything you wanted to know about the Manitoba Derby, but were afraid to ask
by Bob Gates The Manitoba Derby is a month away and what better time to look back at the history of the premiere race of the season. The 2018 edition of the Derby is the 70th running of what was once called "The Run for the Tartn." This week's blog post provides an...
Jim Coleman left a “Hoofprint on our Heart”
by Bob Gates This week's blog story is a departure from our usual tale of yesteryear. In the early 1970s Toronto sports columnist, Jim Coleman took on a task that few would dare try. In 1971 Coleman together with Canadian Publishers, McClelland and Stewart Limited...
G. Sydney Halter. CFL Czar and Lord High Commissioner of Manitoba Horse Racing
by Bob Gates G. Sydney Halter was the fledgling Canadian Football League's (CFL) top boss from 1958 to 1966. As he was winding down his career in the world of Canadian football an opportunity arose for Halter to immerse himself in another sport he held near and dear...
Captain Stanley Harrison – Pioneer of Racing in Winnipeg
by Bob Gates Imagine yourself exploring central Africa much like Henry Morton Stanley in search of missionary and explorer David Livingston and stepping into a clearing from the jungle stands your quarry. Only in this case the phrased uttered is Captain Harrison, I...
Nathan “Nick” Block — Owner, Trainer, Philanthropist
by Bob Gates Owner, trainer, philanthropist. Now there are three words you don't usually see together, at least not in the world of horseracing in this part of the country. Owner, trainer – sure. But philanthropist? And then along comes horseman, Nathan "Nick" Block....
Cowboy Jack Kaenel. A Preakness Memory.
by Bob Gates With this year's Preakness in the books, Justify and jockey Mike Smith are busy preparing their bid for racing's Triple Crown. For reasons unknown to me the recent Preakness stirred-up a 36 year-old memory of the second leg of the Triple Crown. In 1982 a...
Robert J. “Boo Boo” Watt – A Racetracker for Seven Decades
by Bob Gates On the evening of Friday August 30, 1946, old Polo Park looked more like Satan's Hell than it did a racetrack. The scene was chaotic. Flames leveled "B" barn in less then 30 minutes at the westend oval. Bob "Boo Boo" Watt had only been training for a year...
Remembering “Hustlin” Hugo Dittfach’s epic journey: From Concentration Camp to Leading Jockey
From World War ll Concentration Camp to 1958 Leading Jockey Title at the Downs by Bob Gates As a young boy Hugo Dittfach spent three years in a Russian prison camp. His journey through life would see him find his way to Calgary, Alberta where he would find work at a...
Opening day 2018 beckons at ASD. A little history!
by Bob Gates Everyone's talking about the Kentucky Derby and Mothers' Day is just around the corner. You know what that means! Live racing is set to return to Assiniboia Downs! After a seven-month hiatus the Downs launches its 2018 season of thoroughbred horse racing...
Approaching a Day at the Races with Tom Hammond
Night School Handicapping Video courtesy of Jeremy Plonk and his Handicapping Team at HorsePlayerNow.com Approaching a Day at The Races You should always do some homework before you attend the races. It will save you money. Try to determine how each race will set up...