By Track Historian Bob Gates Every once in a while a horse comes along with a unique combination of qualities that separates him from the rest. Lloyd Gray & sons’ Rangatira was a racehorse that ticked all the boxes. He was a gelded son of 1955 Horse of the Year...
by Track Historian Bob Gates It’s Pop Quiz time. Who remembers the Inaugural Handicap, the horses, riders and trainers? Well buckle-up friends, you’re about to partake in a whirlwind tour as we look back at the history of the race most knew simply as “The...
by Track Historian Bob Gates Most local racing buffs already know that veteran horseman Gary Danelson is the current Downs All-Time Leading Trainer (ATLT). Coming into the 2024 season Gary had notched 1,250 wins here. It’s a challenge to tell the history behind the...
by Track Historian Bob Gates On June 16, 1934 quinella betting was introduced to Winnipeg racegoers at Polo Park racetrack. Traditionally the wager was offered on the final race of the day. The bet called for picking the first two finishers, regardless of order....
by Track Historian Bob Gates Let’s go for a walk and retrace the steps of jockeys that the newspaper scribes once called the “winningest” riders in the history of Assiniboia Downs. “Winningest” is an awkward term and not one you hear much anymore. So let’s go with...
by Track Historian Bob Gates Tucked away between the Red River and the CNR main line embankment in St. Boniface lies a recreational green space called Whittier Park. However, Father Time and the flood of 1950 have erased any evidence of the old racetrack. The only...
by Track Historian Bob Gates How about something just a little different this go around? Our subject this week is race programs of the past, but not just any old programs. Those that follow are special in their own way and with one exception are from my private...
By Track Historian Bob Gates Have you ever wondered what inspires these stories from our racing’s past, a song, a smell, or perhaps even a line from a movie? This time around it’s a quote from the CBS television series NCIS. “We all die twice. Once when our bodies...
By Track Historian Bob Gates The 150th Running of the Kentucky Derby – check. Mothers’ Day Brunch at the Downs – check. So now you know live racing at our Portage Avenue track is just around the corner. Throw in a surprise telephone call from long-since retired...
by Bob Gates The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it. -– Thomas S. Monson It’s been three and a half months since starter Derek Corbel sent the first field of horses on there way to kick-off the Downs 2023...