Jim Wright with General Manager Bill Clubb (Gerry Hart) By Track Historian Bob Gates If you remember Mood Rings, Rubik’s Cubes or Pet Rocks then you were a graduate of 1975. News events of the day included: Jimmy Hoffa disappears from a restaurant parking lot in...
By Track Historian Bob Gates The Manitoba Derby is now in our rearview mirror, and we still have another half of the 2025 racing season to enjoy. Where does the time go? Speaking of time, track photographer Jason Halstead is in his 10th year with Assiniboia Downs. It...
By Bob Gates, Track Historian With the Manitoba Derby just around the corner, how about another one of our Photo Blogs? They say a picture is worth a thousand words—so let’s not waste any time; we’ve got a lot to say. The Derby photo archive is loaded with plenty of...
June 9, 2017 Overnight Stakes Honouree - Merry's Jay (Gerry Hart) By Track Historian Bob Gates This season, the Assiniboia Downs Overnight Stakes Series has ten burning candles on its birthday cake. Credit for the creation of the Overnight Stakes goes to the Manitoba...
R.C. Anderson Trophy (Jason Halstead) By Track Historian Bob Gates On June 11, 1975, Robert Carr “Bob” Anderson, husband of Victoria May Anderson, passed away, and our racing fraternity lost a special friend and contributor. Not long after Bob’s death, a race was...
Queen's Cup (Jason Halstead) By Track Historian Bob Gates The Manitoba Derby, Winnipeg Futurity, Gold Cup and R. J. Speers combine for more than 300 years of memorable races. This week our story is about the hardware that’s up for grabs, and not so much the history of...
H. Bruce Boreham, Downs Director of Public Relations. (Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame) By Track Historian Bob Gates On June 1, 1959 Assiniboia Downs General Manager, A. G. “Scotty” Kennedy announced that the Downs had appointed its first Director of Public Relations....
Jockey Ray Stewart, a native of Gladstone, Manitoba, seen here in Calgary, 1950 (Ray Stewart family) By Track Historian Bob Gates A funny thing happened on the way to this week’s tale of the turf—the original idea was set aside, thanks to a chance discovery. The title...
Winnipeg Futurity Announcement - Manitoba Free Press, March 19, 1928. by Track Historian Bob Gates As the end of June isn’t far off, we can look forward to seeing the “babies” (two-year-olds) make their way to the races. The stakes races for the youngsters include the...
Robert James Speers circa 1940 by Bob Gates, Track Historian Ever notice that time seems to move more quickly than it used to? The Kentucky Derby and Mothers’ Day are now firmly in the rearview mirror. This year’s race meet at Assiniboia Downs will mark several...