Blog
Hazel Wright Sire Stakes was named after industry icon
by Bob Assiniboia Downs kicks off its stakes schedule this weekend with the 5th running of the Hazel Wright Sire Stakes for Manitoba-bred 3-year-old fillies on Saturday, June 2. At this point there isn’t a lot of “history” to the race itself. The winner of the...
Rabbit Steals Spotlight on Saturday ASD card as $6 Horses Dominate
by George A rabbit scooted across the track in the sixth race on the turn for home Saturday night about two seconds before a stampede of horses got there. The field proceeded to play pinball with each other from that point on, resulting in a rare trainer claim of...
Jamaican Jockey Champion Trevor Simpson Live at ASD for So Many Reasons
by George Trevor Simpson continued to demonstrate why he was a 5-time champion in Jamaica last night at ASD with a wire-to-wire win on Meshuguna in the first race for trainer Bev Hamilton, and the longshots finally got rolling in the sixth race, culminating with a...
The Phenom Looks Tough, Route Races Begin Today
by Rob Friday’s first marks the beginning of two turn races at ASD in 2012, and the 5-horse affair going 7 ½-furlongs for $2,500 claimers appears to be wide open. Meshuguna on the rail was competitive in the route championship series at Portland Meadows this winter;...
Polo Park, “America’s finest racing plant”
by Bob Polo Park, the “father” in our family tree analogy, was a 6 furlong oval that opened on June 12, 1925. R. James Speers was given credit for building Polo Park, but he was not the driving force behind the idea to build the west-end track. Rather, he came to...
Balooga Bull Delivers Under Pressure to Stay Undefeated on Victoria Day, New Jock Simpson Impresses
by George Reigning Horse of the Year Balooga Bull delivered when it counted on Victoria Day at ASD to keep his perfect record intact, and in the process helped jockey Paul Nolan score a hat trick. Secondarily impressive on the card was 5-time Jamaican jockey champion...
Reeves Jr. and Nolan continue jockey battle at ASD on Victoria Day, Balooga Bull makes 3-year-old debut
by George Robert Reeves Jr. and Paul Nolan continue their battle atop the jockey standings today at Assiniboia Downs on Victoria Day Monday and 2011 Horse of the Year Balooga Bull makes his 3-year-old debut in the third race against five rivals. First Post is 1 p.m....
Bet the Gray Horses in the Mud
by George “Bet the longest shot on the board in a 5-horse field and bet the gray horses in the mud.” Things that grandfather used to say, that only seemed to come true after you’d brushed them off loudly as old wives tales in front of everyone at the track who would...
Bodemeister the pick in 137th Preakness, One longshot for logical live card
by Rob Baltimore, Maryland -- home of the Orioles, the Ravens and Pimlico Race Course. Pimlico is a tight track with a long stretch and a history as rich as any track in the country. Seabiscuit put away War Admiral on this very track, Secretariat ran the unofficial...
Insider Newsletter Preview: Slurpy and Snickers?
by George Have you read the May 17, 2012 issue of the Insider Newsletter yet? Here’s the short version: I’ll Have Another takes on 10 rivals in the 137th running of the Preakness Stakes this Saturday. If he wins he has a shot at being the first Triple Crown winner in...