Blog
Zdeno continues spectacular comeback with stylish win in Sifton
by George Champion and 2013 Horse of the Year Zdeno continued his spectacular comeback at Assiniboia Downs Friday night in the 45th running of the $30,000 J. W. Sifton Stakes, and he did it in style. Facing only three rivals after stablemate Jet Again was...
The man they call “Hank”
by Bob No one has ridden more winners at Assiniboia Downs than the man they call "Hank". Ken Hendricks sits atop the Downs' leader board with 1,666 trips to the Winner's Circle. A quick scan of those who follow shows that only two of the top 20 riders are still active...
“Spud” Murphy and old Joe Geary, a man and his horse, the greatest and purest love
by Bob It's not likely many will remember the name Harold “Spud” Murphy. Those who do will probably associate it with his horse Brother Leo, who won the Manitoba Derby in 1963, but this week's trip back in time centers around the first horse Spud ever owned, Joe...
Tempered Sapphire survives foul claim to win $50,000 Matron
by George Smiles and cheers were in abundance on Labour Day at the Downs as favourites and second choices won six of the eight races on the card. There wasn't much for longshot hunters, but they certainly came close in the $50,000 Matron Stakes. The biggest win payoff...
$50,000 Matron Stakes looks wide open on Labour Day Monday at Downs
by Rob Labour Day Monday at Assiniboia Downs has always been a big day on the Winnipeg racing calendar and this Monday will be no different, with the $50,000 Matron Stakes attracting some star horses. In 1991 there were 10 races on the Labour Day card highlighted by...
Four claims on Wednesday night a positive sign for racing industry
by George If you needed an indication of where live racing at Assiniboia Downs was headed, Wednesday night offered some clues. People don't invest money in this game unless they think there's a future, and they stepped up on Wednesday evening with four claims. In the...
Gone but not forgotten, two promising apprentices from 1967
by Bob This week we remember two promising young apprentices who got their start at Assiniboia Downs in the 1960s, Bobbie Dimma and Vernon Sayler. Most of us are familiar with "Bobbie". Yes, that's how his name appeared on his birth certificate, Bobbie not Robert,...
Sly Gold rebounds off tough-trip loss to win 51st running of Osiris Stakes
by George Sly Gold rebounded off a tough-trip loss in the Graduation Stakes to wire his field in the $30,000 Osiris Stakes for 2-year-olds on Wednesday night at Assiniboia Downs, and in the process turned the tables on Graduation Stakes victor Spider's Alibi. Taking...
George Howell, son of a blacksmith, spent two decades training for the “House”
by Bob "He was a real gentleman." That's how people who knew the man that trained horses and ran Jack Hardy's JY Farm in St. Adolphe for the better part of 20 years, described George Victor Howell. The Howell family hailed from Saskatchewan, but made their home in...
Irwin Driedger, the Jock with the Golden Locks
by Bob Clifford "Shorty" Gray hired 11-year-old Irwin Driedger as an exercise rider. The young blonde schoolboy from Russell, Manitoba tipped the scales at 78 pounds and got his first win on a race track at the Neepawa Fair Grounds on horse named Admiral Zenith. Who...