Blog
Balooga Bull, Edison, pushed to defeat game rivals in Wheat City, Harry Jeffrey Stakes
by George Balooga Bull brought his "A" game for the Wheat City Stakes, Jet Again did the same in the Harry Jeffrey Stakes, and Paul Nolan won half of the eight races in front of a large appreciative crowd on Wednesday night at the Downs. Balooga Bull had lost two in a...
Larry Carter’s Elite Mercedes and Monsoon Rain were rare Downs’ Triple Crown winners
by Bob The success that owner Larry Carter enjoyed with Elite Mercedes was unprecedented, but two short years later he further established himself as a dominant and influential force in the Downs' stakes schedule with Monsoon "The Machine" Rain. While the Downs has...
Nose the Pose holds on to win R.C. Anderson after thrilling stretch duel
by George It wasn't supposed to be this close. Nose the Pose was the overwhelming favourite to win the restricted $30,000 R. C. Anderson Memorial for Manitoba-foaled 3-year-old fillies on Saturday night, but Regal Silver forgot to read the tote board and took the...
Brian Bochinski lived his dream at the track, every day
by Bob Brian Todd Bochinski's riding career started long before his first mount at Assiniboia Downs in 1986. In a way it had been a work in progress for years. It was always his life-long dream to be a jockey and win races, lots of them. His father, Bill, owned...
Handicapping is more than just picking winners
by Rob The process of wagering on a horse race in the modern era of gambling is much more complicated than "which horse do I like?" In outdated systems all you had to do was pick a horse. Now it takes a firm understanding of not only picking winners, but also on...
Women who rocked the Powder Puff Derby
by Bob I'm guessing the name "Powder Puff" was created by a male of our species. Certainly there aren't many women these days that would come up with such a sexist sounding name for a horse race featuring women-only riders or "jockettes" as they were often called, a...
The Winner’s Circle at Assiniboia Downs, a history of hallowed ground
by Bob Arguably the most hallowed piece of real estate at any race track is the Winner's Circle, also sometimes referred to as the winner's enclosure and the charmed circle. Oddly enough, ours is not, and never has been, a circle! Mind you, not all race tracks even...
Nose the Pose gives Meyaard second straight stakes win, Chow boots home biggest longshot of meet
by George Nose the Pose shook off early pace pressure after a quarter mile and opened up to win the $25,000 Hazel Wright Sire Stakes by 2 3/4-lengths on a Saturday night at the Downs that also produced the longest priced winner of the meet at $87.70. Nose the Pose...
Jet Again continues roll towards Manitoba Derby
by George Jet Again continued his well-managed progression towards the $75,000 Manitoba Derby Friday night with an easy victory in the Frank Aranason Sire Stakes, Jennifer Reid scored a hat trick, and young couples came out in droves as the predicted rain got lost...
Naigo: A rare and special horse, he was
by Bob Naigo had the kind of class that most other horses can only dream about. After all, he was a son of the great Northern Dancer, and his owner, Bud Willmot's Kinghaven Farms, expected a lot from him. Most locals who remember this multiple stakes-placed gelding...