by Bob Gates In the early 1950s Eddie Dean wrote a song that he said was inspired by a dream. Dean recorded "Hillbilly Heaven" in 1954 but it never really caught on. In 1961 Tex Ritter, father of the late TV actor John Ritter, released his version, which became a huge...
by Bob Gates Horses come and horses go, but have you ever noticed that the ones we think of most fondly are almost always from another era. Pagan Star is one such horse. So, who was Pagan Star and why are we talking about him? It wasn't all that long ago that I...
by Bob Who knew? The Downs has honoured the City of Brandon with a race carrying the name “Wheat City” since it first opened in 1958. According to old media guides and newspaper accounts this year’s Wheat City Stakes should be the 42nd running, but it’s actually the...
by George First, my sincere condolences to the family and friends of the late A. E. “Bert” Blake – a friend, a true gentleman and a tremendous horseman who unselfishly taught so many people so much. I worked for Bert in the ‘80s and spent good bit of time with him...
by Bob I guess deep down I knew that one day it would happen, but honestly, the news hit me harder than I expected – Albert Edward “Bert” Blake passed away today, 10 days short of his 93rd birthday. Mr. Blake, and I apologize, I can’t bring myself to call him anything...