December Player’s Choice Tourney winner Brandon Barter with his handicapping assistant. By G.S. Thompson Brandon Barter won last Saturday's Player's Choice Tournament for the second time, but this time he won it by himself, and Roger Jones finally got what he always...
By Travers Cummings 49ers over Seahawks (Saturday night): I didn't think I would be writing about the 49ers playing for the number one seed in the NFC considering how the season started off. Losing Nick Bosa, losing Brock Purdy for a long stretch, losing Fred Warner,...
By G.S. Thompson The barn area fell silent on Christmas Eve, save for the scratchy backstretch speakers playing the local country music station. John Smith sat on a five-gallon pail outside stall forty-seven, nursing a lukewarm coffee while light snow drifted through...
Seahawks over Panthers (Sunday noon): Seattle had quite the comeback last week against the Rams in what was one of the best games of the year. After being down 30-14 in the 4th quarter, a punt return touchdown by Rashid Shaheed cut the deficit to eight points. After a...
Taboga wins the 1976 Manitoba Maturity. Her longtime companion, Rick Ball, far right. By G.S. Thompson A few weeks ago we wrote about Rick Ball and his favourite horse, Taboga. Sadly, Rick passed away on November 5, shortly after our final interview with him. During...
By Travers Cummings 49ers over Colts (Monday night): My 49ers will take their four-game winning streak into Indianapolis to take on the Colts and the corpse of what was once Phillip Rivers. Last week was Rivers' first start in four years, and he looked very,...
Donna Johnston (left) with sisters Marion and Linda (right) and their horse Wire Me the Money in the Assiniboia Downs backstretch. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press) By G.S. Thompson Remembering Donna Johnston Longtime Assiniboia Downs trainer Donna Johnston...
By Travers Cummings Bengals over Ravens (Sunday noon): I have officially washed my hands of the Baltimore Ravens, and more specifically, Lamar Jackson. I don't know if he's more hurt than the team wants to say, but he just doesn't have any of the explosiveness he once...
Betterlucknexttime (#6) and Antonio Whitehall on their way to victory in the $40,000 J.W. Sifton Stakes. (Jason Halstead / Assiniboia Photo) By G.S. Thompson Manitoba-breds put on quite the show again in 2025, with the top five earners all cracking the $50,000 mark...
By Travers Cummings Ravens over Steelers (Sunday noon): Both these teams seem to be heading in the wrong direction at a very crucial point in the season. The Ravens somehow managed to lose to the Bengals last week and showed absolutely no fight in doing so. They were...