Throughout his life after racing, Seattle Slew was tended to by his attentive groom Tom Wade. (Barbara D. Livingston) By G.S. Thompson Looking back over my 50-year career in horse racing from water-bucket carrier to groom to trainer to writer, I’ve met some pretty...
The old man daydreams while staring at the empty paddock (Jason Halstead/Assiniboia Photo) By Track Historian Bob Gates “September days have the warmth of summer in their briefer hours, but in their lengthening evenings a prophetic breath of autumn.” - Rowland E....
By Track Historian Bob Gates Joseph Samuel Perlman spent the better part of 50 years in horse racing. Yet his name is another that is relatively unknown to most of us, and friends that is just WRONG. Perlman spent most of his life as a voice of authority on all things...
Polo Park circa 1950 (ASD archives) By Track Historian Bob Gates Good morning! It’s early on a Saturday and I find myself in my usual spot, sitting at our dining room table. As I prepare to write this week’s blog story, I stare out the patio doors, alone in my...
By Track Historian Bob Gates … at least that’s what they say, and who exactly are “they?” Even AI – Overview wasn’t much help. “There isn’t a single person credited with originally saying "records are made to be broken" it’s a common sentiment that various athletes...
R.W. Mathes (Assiniboia Downs) By Track Historian Bob Gates “Bud” Mathes was an Alberta horseman with ties to the early days of racing in Winnipeg. As tends to be the case with our history blog, the name of our honouree may not be familiar to all of us. After all,...
Hazel Bochinski - November 24 1942 - October 21, 2021 (Bochinski Family) By Track Historian Bob Gates Whether she was teaching young minds at Shaughnessy Park or Lord Nelson Schools, or training race horses at Assiniboia Downs, Hazel was a natural. She was able to...
L'Enjoleur on the cover of the 1976 Stakes Book highlighting stats from 1975. By Track Historian Bob Gates Let’s see, where were we? Oh yeah, 1975, the year of leisure suits, PEZ candy and heaven forbid, Disco. Events of the time included: Movies: One Flew Over the...
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...