June 9, 2017 Overnight Stakes Honouree – Merry’s Jay (Gerry Hart)
By Track Historian Bob Gates
This season, the Assiniboia Downs Overnight Stakes Series has ten burning candles on its birthday cake. Credit for the creation of the Overnight Stakes goes to the Manitoba Division of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA). These races were introduced in 2015 to enhance what were previously allowance “prep” races for various stakes events. They also provided an opportunity to add prestige by honouring champion horses of the past.
The purses for the Overnights are funded by the Manitoba Jockey Club, with the “added” money coming from nomination, eligibility, entry, and starting fees paid by owners. Heading into the 2025 season, a total of 63 Overnight Stakes have been run. Purses started at $18,000 added and have grown into $24,000 added events. Races that have been run in recent years include:
Three-year-old fillies & mares sprint
Three-year-old fillies & mares route
Three-year-old colts & geldings sprint
Three-year-old colts & geldings route
The list of past champions honoured by having a race named after them is a long one. Among the 25 honourees, six are Manitoba Derby winners (MDW): Golden Stripe, Island Fling, Plenty Chilly, P.C.’s Bluff (MDW), Merry’s Jay (MDW), Balooga Bull (MDW), and Prime Time T.V. (MDW). Others include Body Works, One More Lady, Kalfaari, Northern Spike, Smoky Cinder, Intercontinent, Miss Missile, Monsoon Rain, Preservata, Liz’s Pride, Astral Moon, Proven Reserve, Electric Fever, Elite Mercedes, One and Only, Bocage (MDW), Taboga, and Nephrite.
August 29, 2023 Overnight Stakes Honouree - Bocage (ASD Archives)
Last year, the Overnight Stakes Series made history. On June 3, 2024, Zorina and She’s My Niece did something that hadn’t been seen at the Downs in more than 60 years — they dead-heated for the win. The only other time two horses finished in a dead heat in a stakes race at the Downs was in the 1963 Winnipeg Futurity, when Canadian Zenith and Double Dove hit the wire together. Thanks to the 2024 dead heat, the 63 Overnight Stakes (O/N/S) have now produced 64 winners!
Leading the Overnight Stakes leaderboard is Plentiful, with four wins. Three other horses follow with three victories apiece: Media Melee, Miss Imperial, and Manitoba-bred Melisandre. Who would have predicted those names?
Plentiful - Four-time Overnight Stakes winner (Jason Halstead)
Top jockey honours in the Overnights go to Tyrone Nelson, with nine wins, followed by Adolfo Morales with seven, and Stanley Chadee Jr. with six.
Trainer honours might surprise you. Jared Brown — who has never won a trainer title — and Jerry Gourneau — who has five titles — are tied for second place with eight O/N/S wins each. But the top spot belongs to veteran trainer Murray Duncan, who has never won a training title, yet boasts an impressive 15 victories in the Overnights.
Jared Brown - Eight-time Overnight Stakes winner (Jason Halstead)
Jerry Gourneau - Five-time Leading Trainer and Eight-time Overnight Stakes winner (Jason Halstead)
Who could have foreseen this trio leading the pack — Murray Duncan with 15 wins, Tyrone Nelson with nine, and Plentiful with four? Not only are they leaders in their respective categories, but they were also a team during 2017, 2018, and 2019.
Tyrone hasn’t ridden here since 2022, but Murray and Plentiful still call Assiniboia Downs home. Both are in the twilight of their careers — Murray is 84 and Plentiful is 11, a ripe old age for such a classy competitor. The gelding has accomplished just about everything at the Downs. In addition to his four O/N/S wins, he’s captured the Manitoba Derby, Gold Cup, R. J. Speers, Free Press, and Manitoba Mile. While he may have lost a step, the competitive fire still burns within.
Murray has enjoyed a dream career dating back to the early 1960s. He even stepped away from racing for a time to work a steady job at the Carnation plant in Carberry and raise a family with Pat, his wife of 58 years. He returned to racing with a vengeance in 2010 when he partnered with Garylle “Gary” Stewart, forming a small but high-quality stable that became a dominant local force.
Murray Duncan, 15-time Overnight Stakes winner (Jason Halstead)
According to Equibase, Murray’s top five horses are Plentiful, Burrow Down, Pleasant Closing, Go Go Lolo, and Miss Imperial. With the exception of Burrow Down, Murray co-owned all of these horses with his late partner Gary. One can only imagine how much Murray misses his old friend. Wouldn’t it be something if one more “big horse” was still in his future?
There you have it — ten years of Overnight Stakes history. The series has become a standout on the Downs’ stakes schedule. Our heartfelt thanks go out to the local HBPA for giving life to what has become…
A series steeped in tradition.