Blog
Racehorses, Forever Homes & the Final Furlong
by Bob Gates I'm back following a week's hiatus due to one of the ugliest bouts of, well, why don't we just call it a bad case of colic and leave it at that. I'm still on the mend and am writing this from what was a week ago, my death-bed. This week I have a story...
The Benjamins of Miles City, Montana, A Gem of a family
by Bob Gates Montana's state motto is "Oro y Plata" (Spanish for gold and silver). The mountains of Montana have yielded fortunes in gold and silver since they were first discovered in the mid 1800s, but Big Sky Country's real riches are its people. This week's story...
Milo, Munnie & Minne, the Out-of-Towners
by Bob Gates I've been writing this blog for going on six years and for the most part the stories have concentrated on local horsemen and their thoroughbreds. The Downs wouldn’t have survived all these years, however, if it were not for the "out-of-towners." For years...
The Rivalry. Northern Spike and Mr. Macho
by Bob Gates Mr. Macho and Northern Spike's two-year rivalry at Assiniboia Downs was a classic. Why just 1979 and 80? Well, after 1980 "Spike" raced at the Downs until May 1984. "Macho" move to Woodbine and Fort Erie in 1981 with "pit stops" at Santa Anita and...
Harry “The Little Tiger” Jeffrey was the Heart and Soul of Assiniboia Downs
by Bob Gates Winnipeg native, Harry Jeffrey was in a word "Special." He was fair, well-respected, and when called for, a no nonsense kind of guy. Jeffrey was also the first employee of Assiniboia Downs. When Jack Hardy started looking for someone to...
Duke Campbell, one of the greatest horsemen to ever walk the prairies
by Bob Gates Donald H. "Duke" Campbell's bio on the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame website says that his chief claim to fame was that he discovered and developed Sandy Hawley into a world class jockey. Well he did that alright, but there was so much more to the...
Rupert “Chicago” Parker liked hats and a good cigar
by Bob Gates Some and perhaps most of you will consider this week's blog story choice a little obscure. Others will look at the title and wonder, Rupert who? Rupert Parker was a jockey who plied his trade at Assiniboia Downs from the mid 1960s to the mid to late...
15 Minutes with Clayton Gray, The Man from Dominion City
by Bob Gates What can I say? Those of you who know Clayton Gray will see the humour in the title of this week's blog story. Let's face it; you are more likely to see pigs fly than have a 15 minute conversation with the Dominion City native. Clayton's wife, Margaret...
Already Dia, Alberta invader with talent to burn
by Bob Gates You hear glowing accolades about certain thoroughbreds all the time around the race track. You know, the usual and arguably over-used descriptors like "the peoples' horse", "champion" and the like. I do it here in my blog stories all the time, but the...
Assiniboia Downs celebrates Diamond Jubilee as dark, mysterious stranger lurks
by Bob Gates Have you seen him? His slicked-back black-as-night hair high atop the 60-year-old Assiniboia Downs grandstand. For the last couple of months his signature morning screams have echoed throughout the grounds as the Downs prepares to kick off Season...