by Bob Gates Life in Saskatoon grew to be a bore and at times even a nightmare for young Joan Phipps. School work couldn’t hold a candle to competing in the Saskatoon-Regina-Prince Albert light horse show circuit where she rode jumpers and barrel raced. Horses became...
by Bob Gates Not even Looney Tunes with its wascally wabbit has anything on thoroughbred horse racing when it comes to the zany and unusual. From the annals of Winnipeg turf lore, few stories rival the wondrous happenings at Assiniboia Downs or at Jimmy Speers' old...
by Bob Gates Marge and Victor Clare ran one of those typical "Mom & Pop" stables. Their story is a good one, except for the part that it took me seven years to get it done. Marge and I "met" via Facebook in 2012, traded emails and lost touch. Fast forward to this...
by Bob Gates On Monday, August 5, 2019, the Queen's Cup trophy will make her way to the Assiniboia Downs winner's circle to be presented to the Derby champion. Don’t worry she knows the way, it's a trip she's made many times, but this one's special. This is the 50th!...
by Bob Gates It's been 50 years since Fire N Desire won the 21st running of the Manitoba Derby. The recent media flood of documentaries reminds us of another event that shares this anniversary. Fire N Desire's July 19, 1969 Derby romp took place on the eve of the...
by Bob Gates Polo Park racetrack played host to some of the most historic races in Western Canada including the Manitoba Derby, Canadian Derby, Winnipeg Futurity and the Western Canada Handicap, the latter of which featured some of the greatest weight carriers in...
by Bob Gates What's the wackiest injury that resulted in a jockey cancelling his mounts for the day? There aren't any records on the subject, but I think I've got a good one. On June 24, 1981 Larry Bird booked-off his mounts because he had sliced his finger while...
by Bob Gates When we left off last week's blog story, horse racing's future in Winnipeg looked bleak. R. J. Speers had known for some time that the Polo Park site was too valuable to be used for summer race meets and had taken an option on 200 acres in what was then...
by Bob Gates On Saturday, June 29 "The Speers" celebrates its 60th running, but what most don’t realize is that there is more than 90 years of history behind the race that honours Robert James Speers, the "Father of Thoroughbred Horse Racing" on the Canadian prairies....
by Bob Gates Following the death of one of the most popular and respected men in the history of thoroughbred racing in Western Canada in July 1977, Winnipeg Free Press sports editor Maurice Smith wondered, “Who among the loyal followers of horse racing in Winnipeg...