Blog
The Ragens: Born Into Racing
by Bob Gates The Ragens were a multi-generational horse racing family with its roots in Ireland. Edward Michael Ragen was one of the original grand old men of racing. “Eddie” spent more than 70 years racing thoroughbreds, until an injury from a 1981 fall forced him...
Secretariat’s Triple Crown: A Half Century Later
by Bob Gates As the opening passage starts, “In the beginning…” One of the greatest horses in the history of horse racing made his first start on July 4, 1972. In time he would become America’s horse, so how fitting is it that Secretariat would go to post on...
Memories of Hall of Famer Irwin Driedger
by Bob Gates One of the many rewards of writing the history blog is meeting a lot of good people from the sport we all love. Getting to know Irwin Driedger easily sits near the top of that list. While we never met in person, we spoke several times over the last 10...
Last Breaths and Forever Fred
by Bob Gates Fred was a thoroughbred who only knew one racetrack, Assiniboia Downs. His first start came as a 2-year-old on July 30, 1976. His final call to the post took place 11 years later, on May 24, 1987. He had reached the ripe old age of 13 and retirement...
Footprints, Hoofprints & Milestones at ASD
by Bob Gates Can you believe that come opening day, Monday May 22, 235 days will have passed since our four-legged athletes were called to the post here at the Downs last September 28. So, who’s ready for some live racing! If your keeping track, 2023 will be season...
From His Bench in the Shadow of the Grandstand, the Old Man says Au Revoir to Live Racing for 2022
by Bob Gates With only three days of "Live" left in 2022 Season, the 65th at ASD, we caught up with the portly old man who can usually be seen sitting on one of the benches closest to the grandstand. There he sat looking pensive, staring into the distance, so we...
“Doc” Elder reflects on the Captain, the Colonel, a Close Encounter and more…
by Bob Gates Most of us know Dr. Norm Elder as the one-time owner of Elder's Equine Clinic, or for that matter some might think he still owns the clinic. In addition, he's recognized as a member of the Manitoba Jockey Club (MJC) Board of Directors, but there's so much...
Bob Crockett, Owner, Breeder of Thoroughbreds. A 50-Year Adventure.
by Bob Gates Quiet and unassuming, that's Robert "call-me-Bob" Crockett. And this friends, makes his story challenging to tell. For the purposes of this history blog that means there's less information about him in the local newspapers, which is a major source...
Eddie Werre Jr. Journeyman Jock From Ashley, North Dakota
by Bob Gates Werre? There has to be some of you wondering who Ed Werre is and what's so special about him? This is another one of those blogs where our person of interest represents a number of -- in this case -- riders who have spent a good portion of their lives at...
Lumberjack Ron: Memories of Secretariat, Northern Dancer and Assiniboia Downs
by Bob Gates Ron Turcotte was 14 when he left school to work as a lumberjack with his father. He saw his career go from cutting lumber in the bush to construction work and eventually he found his way to E. P. Taylor's Windfields Farm in 1960. In those early years his...