by Bob Gates Does the title of our blog story this week have a familiar ring to it? Hope so. Most of you are probably too young to remember the 1959 American courtroom drama and crime film "Anatomy of a Murder" produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The film stars...
by Bob Gates Well another Manitoba Derby is on the books and congratulations go out to the winner Red Knobs and his connections, owner Rob Nokes, trainer Robertino Diodoro and jockey Jorge Carreno. It's fun to look back at the list of previous winners of our Derby....
by Bob Gates A few weeks ago we tried something different. The traditional blog story was replaced by an array of photos complete with captions and it turns out, you liked it! With our Manitoba Derby going to post Monday, August 1 let's give the photo story idea...
by Bob Gates Last winter, during a covid-induced research binge, the name Light Dust jumped off the pages of the defunct Winnipeg Tribune. The headline read, "That's all for Light Dust." This old-time runner's name was a familiar one. He was a rare breed, a champion...
by Bob Gates In a 1989 interview Darren Dunn told Paul Turney of the Daily Racing Form (DRF) that he was 11 years old when he heard his first race. "It was an exciting confrontation between Northern Diamond and Picatune and when I heard the announcer I fantasized,...
by Bob Gates Who was Miko Siah? Equibase stats have the multiple stakes-placed stallion with $10,892 in career earnings from 74 starts. He compiled a record of 8 wins, 10 seconds and 13 thirds from 1948 to 1956. Respectable considering his level of competition, but...
by Bob Gates Let's celebrate a Diamond Jubilee, shall we? This year marks the 60th anniversary of jockey George Richard "Dickie" Armstrong's first leading-rider title (1962) at Assiniboia Downs. The Maple Creek, Saskatchewan native would go on to top the Downs...
by Bob Gates "And Now for Something Completely Different" was a catchphrase from the British television comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus, and it just happens to be perfect for this week's blog. This isn't your typical history story, at least it's not what...
by Bob Gates R. James Speers and "Bobby" Summers are getting awful lonely over at 145 Pacific Avenue, home of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame (MSHOF). This past March, Assiniboia Downs took steps to address this situation by filing Hall of Fame nomination papers for...
by Bob Gates Well, now that we have a couple of days of racing under our belt, let's celebrate with some M&M's. Nope, not the multi-coloured, button-shaped chocolates which are the flagship product of Mars, Incorporated. We're talking about milestones and memories...