Blog
“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...
Pool to Market and Bobby Stewart, magic in the 1967 Gold Cup
by Bob On August 5, 1967 the stars above Assiniboia Downs aligned perfectly for rider Robert Roy "Bobby" Stewart and his chestnut charge Pool to Market, and the pair put on a fabulous show for the 5,000-plus patrons that filed into the track that evening. The closest...
2014 Manitoba Derby Entries
Manitoba Derby, 66th Running Distance: 1 1/8 Miles. Age: 3-Year-Olds. Purse: $75,000 Guaranteed Weights: Fillies, 121 lbs. Colts & Geldings, 124 lbs. Fees: $100 to nominate - $700 to enter - $700 to start Click horse names for more information. Post Horse &...
Certified Angus Prime Rib Buffet.
Every live race night at ASD!
Girls Night Out at ASD!
Every Wednesday in August!
