by Bob The month of June has special significance for me. Four of the most important women in my life celebrate birthdays in the month of "leaves and roses," my wife, Kathy, our daughter, Deena, the cat, Kopy Kat and the "other" woman in my life. Yes, you heard it...
by Bob Season #58 is upon us and our majestic four-legged friends go to post this Sunday, May 10th at 1:30. It's Mother's Day of course, and as has become a tradition, the Downs kicks off the 2015 race meet on the day we honour the woman who is at the core of the...
by Bob The horse population wasn't what we had hoped, and as a result we saw shorter fields, but the season still featured some fantastic highlights. On the female side of the ledger Go Go Lolo proved herself to be superior. And how about Balooga Bull! What can you...
by Bob It's not likely many will remember the name Harold “Spud” Murphy. Those who do will probably associate it with his horse Brother Leo, who won the Manitoba Derby in 1963, but this week's trip back in time centers around the first horse Spud ever owned, Joe...
by Bob This week we remember two promising young apprentices who got their start at Assiniboia Downs in the 1960s, Bobbie Dimma and Vernon Sayler. Most of us are familiar with "Bobbie". Yes, that's how his name appeared on his birth certificate, Bobbie not Robert,...
by Bob "He was a real gentleman." That's how people who knew the man that trained horses and ran Jack Hardy's JY Farm in St. Adolphe for the better part of 20 years, described George Victor Howell. The Howell family hailed from Saskatchewan, but made their home in...
by Bob Clifford "Shorty" Gray hired 11-year-old Irwin Driedger as an exercise rider. The young blonde schoolboy from Russell, Manitoba tipped the scales at 78 pounds and got his first win on a race track at the Neepawa Fair Grounds on horse named Admiral Zenith. Who...
by Bob It was an especially tough winter that just wouldn't go away. Season #57 gets underway Sunday, May 4, and I have a feeling this year is going to be special. I can't explain why or tell you what's going to happen, but something great is in the air - you can...