Blog
Hey Good Lookin’, Attractive or Handsome?
by Bob Gates Another Manitoba Derby is in the books and congratulations go out to winner Inside Straight and his connections! What a fine looking beast he is! And that got me to thinking about "lookers" from days gone by. Talk about walking into a mine field! With...
Bimbo the Pony, Legend and Legacy
by Bob Gates All of you who remember or who have ever heard of a horse named "Bimbo" please raise your hands. I don't see many arms in the air. That's not unexpected. Until I found an old obscure newspaper article from the now defunct Winnipeg Tribune I didn't know...
Super Hi 5 Fever at the Downs, Payoff Records & Lucky 777s
by Bob Gates Assiniboia Downs under quarantine? No! But these days Downs' patrons are suffering from Super Hi 5 fever as the carryover is now in excess of a quarter of a million dollars. That makes it a perfect time to take a look at Downs' record payoffs from...
Astral Moon – Bill Grohn’s Saskatchewan speed demon
by Bob Gates Every once in while a mare comes along who distinguishes herself from all others. Multiple stakes winner Astral Moon was just such a mare, but her career was slow in getting started. Owned and trained by Bill Grohn of Weyburn Saskatchewan, Astral Moon was...
Michael Magee – Colourful Canadian CBC Commentator from Caledon
by Bob Gates Remember Michael Magee? Michael was a man of many talents: actor, writer, narrator, producer, director, freelance broadcaster and CBC Sports' horse racing analyst/commentator from 1964 to 1986. Frankly, nobody did it better. I hadn't thought about Michael...
Field of Dreams brought it all in 1977 Polo Park Handicap
by Bob Gates Sunraysed, Taboga, Persian Memories, Victor's Pride, Merry's Jay, Federal Ruler, Icy Welcome and Island Fling. What links these former equine stars who called Assiniboia Downs home during the 1970s? Well, this is one of the many "dream" fields that took...
When Hollywood came to Winnipeg to race, those were the days!
by Bob Gates Who knew? Once upon a long time ago Whittier Park and Polo Park race tracks were playgrounds for the rich and famous. Hollywood types from the early to mid-1900s made regular pilgrimages to Winnipeg with some of their finest California-breds in tow. They...
The Legend of the Whittier Park Clocker
by Bob Gates At first glance you might think this is the story of some curmudgeonly, 60-something lifetime racetracker who was hanging on to the sport he loved and lived in the only way he could - timing the morning workouts of thoroughbreds at old Whittier Park race...
Memories of Vicki Warhol-Essman, thanks Social Media!
by Bob Gates I'm not a huge fan of social media. I don't Tweet and couldn't tell you a thing about Instagram. I am on Facebook, and as a guilty pleasure you might catch me watching cute cat videos on YouTube, but that's about it. This past week I learned via Facebook...
And the Oscar goes to…
by Bob Gates It's Oscar time folks and this week we recognize some of Assiniboia Downs' finest equine performances. Who in their right mind would even attempt to cross this minefield? Yours truly of course, and why not? I've never claimed to be of sound mind, or body...