by Bob Gates One of the many challenges facing Jack Hardy when he opened Assiniboia Downs in 1958 was to establish races that would grow into annual contests steeped in tradition. In the first year of operation the only signature race with "tradition" was the...
by Bob Gates Following an 11-year absence (2009 -2019) the Downs 2020 stakes race calendar features the return of the Derby Trial. Jack Hardy resurrected the Manitoba Derby in 1960 and since that time 60 Derbies have been run at the Downs. During this same period, the...
Milestones & Memories Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the 1970 Manitoba Centennial Derby by Bob Gates Welcome to the new "normal" as the Downs makes the final preparations to open for its inaugural "No Fans In The Stands" 2020 race meet. We have all lived the...
by Bob Gates Everyone's talking about the Kentucky Derby and Mothers' Day is just around the corner. You know what that means! Live racing is set to return to Assiniboia Downs! After a seven-month hiatus the Downs launches its 2018 season of thoroughbred horse racing...
by Bob Gates Isn't it sweet when everything clicks and you can do no wrong? Well, Assiniboia Downs can boast of at least five jockeys who experienced a rare combination of skill, luck and whatever else is required to achieve an evening of greatness. This week...
by Bob Gates Much has been written about the president and founder of K-tel International since his unexpected death on April 27, 2016. Today we leave the world of the Miracle Brush, Veg-O-Matic, Teflon Fry Pan, Patty Stacker and records like "Hooked on Classics" and...
Jockey Chris Husbands won four of the eight races on Mothers' Day opening night 2016 at Assiniboia Downs; trainer Tom Gardipy Jr. scored a hat trick, and trainer Gary Danelson bookended the card with wins in the first (Don Gray Memorial) and eighth races in front of a...
by Bob Gates The 2016 live racing season kicks off on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 8, as has become our custom at Assiniboia Downs, and have I got a story for you. It goes like this: An old Cherokee told his grandson, "My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside...
by Bob It's been almost 40 years since 22-year-old Jimmy Sorenson lit up the tote board under a star-lit sky at Assiniboia Downs. Patrons in attendance on the evening of Wednesday, June 23, 1976 will not soon forget the riding exhibition put on by the young man from...
by Bob Ashton Kucher's 2000 comedy film was set in the '60s when he "lost" his car in the Downs' parking lot? Uhm… No! But, in the early days of Assiniboia Downs there were always large crowds and that meant cars, hundreds of cars, and a parking lot that was busting...