Blog
Badrie Back! Ready to Defend Title on Opening Night!
ASD 2024 Leading Rider Prayven Badre with his double stakes-winner Blazing Bo in trainer Mike Nault's barn. (George Williams) by G. S. Thompson Jockey Prayven Badrie is back to defend his 2024 riding title, and he's ready! But he’ll have quite a bit of competition for...
They’re at the Post for ASD Opening Day 2025!
And they're off! (Jason Halstead) By Track Historian Bob Gates When opening night rolls around on Tuesday, May 13th it will have been 230 days since we said goodbye to “live” racing on September 24, 2024. Yes, it’s been about 7 ½-months since last year’s race meet...
Gut Feeling Guides Smook to First Tournament Win at ASD
Player's Choice Tournament winner David Smook. by G. S. Thompson David Smook captured his first Player's Choice Handicapping Tournament title at Assiniboia Downs last Saturday, building his bankroll to an impressive $125.00 to claim the trophy and $1,000 prize money....
Caribbean Connection: Parris and Ellis Making Their Mark at Assiniboia Downs
Jockey Sachin Parris and trainer Andre Ellis with their longshot winner Orcadian Storm. (George Williams) by G. S. Thompson In the competitive world of horse racing, the partnership of jockey Sachin Parris and trainer Andre Ellis represents a compelling tale of...
Trainer Lise Pruitt Looking Forward to 2025 Live Season at ASD
Trainer Lise Pruitt with 2024 Rangatira Stakes winner Explosive. (George Williams) by G. S. Thompson "I can't wait to start," said trainer Lise Pruitt. "Can't wait." Pruitt is looking forward to the start of the 2025 live racing season at Assiniboia Downs on Tuesday,...
Judy Hunter: Saskatchewan Racing Royalty at ASD
Trainer Judy Hunter has won 459 races at a 21-percent clip over the course of her 47-year career. (George Williams) by G. S. Thompson When Judy Hunter walks through the backstretch at Assiniboia Downs, you can feel the weight of racing history moving alongside her. At...
Trainer Jared Brown Has Another Strong Stable for 2025
Top ASD trainer Jared Brown enjoying a walk in the backstretch Thursday morning. by G. S. Thompson Trainer Jared Brown is back in action at Assiniboia Downs with a 26-horse stable, and it appears he could be heading for another great year. Brown, who first arrived at...
“Longshot Les” Buzzell Wins Player’s Choice Tourney
by G. S. Thompson "Longshot Les" Buzzell captured his second Player's Choice Handicapping Tournament title at Assiniboia Downs last Saturday, but if you think he did it by taking wild stabs in the dark, think again. The 61-year-old Montreal native, who owns a...
A Snapshot in Time Irwin Driedger
By Track Historian Bob Gates On May 21, 2023, Canadian Hall of Fame jockey Irwin Driedger passed away following a long battle with cancer. Over the next four weeks, we will look back at some of Irwin’s 969 wins and remember the man who spent eight full seasons riding...
Down the Homestretch: Remembering Brian “Ivan Bigg” Gory
Brian "Ivan Bigg" Gory By G. S. Thompson Brian Gory, known to many in the racing world as "Ivan Bigg," passed away on March 20, 2025, at 4:55 a.m. – symbolically on the first day of spring – after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 81, just eight days shy...