Janine Smith gets a hug after winning the first race of the season.
Crowd loud under sunny Manitoba skies as jockettes take 5 of 8 races
by George
Favourites, fit horses, bugs and women dominated the opening day card at Assiniboia Downs on Sunday, May 5, under the sunniest skies we’ve seen this spring in Manitoba.
Bug girl Janine Smith won the first race of the 2013 season aboard B. C. Cat ($6.70) for trainer Chad Torevell. New apprentice Tori Gandia won both the fourth race on Unbridled Thoughts ($3.50) for trainer Jared Brown and the seventh race on Hello Beautiful ($4.90) for trainer Shelley Brown.
Jennifer Reid won the third race aboard Freaky ($2.90) for trainer Blair Miller and helped trainer Shelley Brown double up by winning the sixth race with Daydream Dancer ($2.80).
New 17-year-old bug boy Skyler Whiteshield won with his first ever mount at the Downs when he took the second race on Chippewa’s Gal ($10.50) for trainer Jerry Gourneau and jockey Chris Husbands got on the board with a win in the fifth with Wild party ($6.10) for trainer Murray Duncan.
Veteran Trevor Simpson booted home the longest shot of the day with a perfect ride aboard Cursing Cathy ($12.70) in the eighth race for trainer Kris Weiss, resulting in 20-cent Superfecta payoff of just over $700. Thanks Trevor!
Trevor Simpson was all smiles after winning the final race of opening day at ASD for trainer Kris Weiss.
It was an absolutely gorgeous spring day and the crowd was loud and appreciative when the horses came down the stretch. Still, we can’t help thinking the names of the winners contributed to the festive atmosphere:
B.C. Cat was behaving like a Daydream Dancer with Unbridled Thoughts when she teasingly said Hello Beautiful to the Freaky Chippewa’s Gal at a Wild Party on opening day, but Cursing Cathy quickly straightened her out.
Then the fun started…
Next Post Time for Live Racing: 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 10, 2013