Queen’s Cup (Jason Halstead)
By Track Historian Bob Gates
The Manitoba Derby, Winnipeg Futurity, Gold Cup and R. J. Speers combine for more than 300 years of memorable races. This week our story is about the hardware that’s up for grabs, and not so much the history of these races. The Manitoba Derby has been around for 76 years, the first Futurity was run 95 years ago, while the Gold Cup has a 67-year history and the Speers has seen 65 editions of the race go to post.
The $125,000 Manitoba Derby is the highlight for three-year-olds who are prepared to take on the gruelling challenge of the 1 1/8 mile classic. For two-year-olds there’s the $50,000 Winnipeg Futurity. The Gold Cup and the R. J. Speers Memorial will see the finest older horses on the grounds vie for each of the $50,000 purses.
We don’t always get a good look at the trophies for these races, so it’s time for us to get up close and personal with the silver laurels that will bear the names of this season’s winning connections for these classic stakes.
The Queen’s Cup was first awarded 55 years ago on July 15, 1970 when Jack Hardy’s Downs hosted Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll and her family, husband Prince Phillip, daughter Princess Anne, and son, future King Charles. Sorry No Prince Edward or Prince Andrew on this trip.
Ever wonder what’s engraved on the Cup? Well, here you go:
Manitoba
Centennial Derby
Perpetual
Challenge Cup
Presented by
Her Majesty the Queen
July 15th
1970
Manitoba Derby Trophy, 1884 (Speers Family)
The early years of the Derby (1930 to 1940), which were run at Polo Park, saw the “Manitoba Derby Trophy” awarded to the winner. In 1941 the name of the race was changed to the Canadian Derby. This trophy then became the championship symbol for the Canadian Derby which was run at the old Polo Park racetrack until its closure in 1956, when the race was moved to Edmonton. Somewhere along the way this original trophy disappeared without a trace.
The current Winnipeg Futurity trophy is not the original. No one seems sure exactly where the inaugural cup went or when it left. The existing trophy has the names of all the winners dating back to 1961. The engraving strongly suggests that an older trophy may have been repurposed to serve as the current Futurity trophy.
Manitoba Turf Club
Turf Club Cup
Mr. W. J. Hinman V. S.
Prairie Park Winnipeg
Sept. 11, 1883
Winnipeg Futurity (Jason Halstead)
The Futurity is believed to be the oldest continuously run stakes event in western Canada. In 1928 the Manitoba Jockey Club announced the inauguration of the Winnipeg Futurity. The first running of the Futurity was September 10, 1930 and took place at Whittier Park Racetrack in St. Boniface. The Futurity is the premier stake races for two-year-olds and provides fans with the opportunity to spot the racing talent of the future.
When Jack Hardy built Assiniboia Downs in 1958 one of the many challenges he faced was to create races that would grow into contests steeped in tradition. In the Downs’ first year of operation the only signature race with tradition was the Winnipeg Futurity – the Manitoba Derby was not resurrected until 1960. Mr. Hardy more than met the challenge when he established the Gold Cup on September 24, 1958.
Gold Cup Trophy (Jason Halstead)
The trophy bears the name “Gold Breeder’s Cup” and other than all the names of the winning connections dating back to 1958, this fine piece of artistic impression has no other engraving on it.
The final trophy we will look at is the R. James Speers trophy. In 1960 the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association of Western Canada donated the unique trophy for annual competition. The trophy, mounted on a heavy marble base, is in the form of an open book in silver. On one side is a picture of Mr. Speers, on the opposite side is a well-deserved tribute which says it all:
The R. James Speers Trophy, presented to Assiniboia Downs for the
annual running of the R. James Speers Memorial Handicap by
The Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association
of western Canada; Lucien Maynard, President, 1960.
To honor R. James Speers, whose courage, vision, enterprise
and unwavering optimism enabled him to establish thoroughbred
racing on a sound foundation in western Canada. The name of
R. James Speers, whose home was in Winnipeg, but whose proudest
boast was that he was a Canadian, has been inscribed
in the imperishable records of the sport which he loved.
Speer's Trophy, 1960. Left to right: E. Johanson, Downs' GM "Scotty" Kennedy, Jockey Gene Pederon and Scotty's daughter Joan in front (ASD Archives)
The picture of the Speers features veteran Alberta horseman “Jo” Johanson whose horse, Flak Mark won the 2nd running of the race in 1960. The trophy currently has had a second marble tier added to hold all the names of the winning connections from 1959. By the way the trophy weighs in at just under 100 pounds and requires special handling when brought to the winner’s circle for the race presentation.
If you think about it, there is a ton of history wrapped-up in these four trophies. The winning connections have their names engraved on these respective trophies each year and get to take home a smaller but more manageable keepsake. However, the historic trophies remain in safe keeping here at the Downs so that they can be marched out to the winner’s circle annually. . .
To ensure that the respective traditions continue.