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 Gates More than 40 years ago, the late Philip Kives built his K5 racing empire on the back of Island Fling. Phil couldn't recall how he met up with Don Gray, but Gray was the man he approached about buying a horse and getting into the racing biz. According to...
by Bob Gates For as long as most of us can remember, the first Saturday in May is reserved for the Kentucky Derby, but not this year. The "Run for the Roses" was rescheduled to the fall because of COVID-19. You just knew NBC wasn't going to let an opportunity like...
by Bob Gates There are times when the past begs to be remembered. To hear her story, you must listen carefully, because sometimes it comes to you in unusual ways. The most recent case of nostalgia-like-symptoms came courtesy of the Winnipeg Free Press. This year on...
by Bob Gates Not even Looney Tunes with its wascally wabbit has anything on thoroughbred horse racing when it comes to the zany and unusual. From the annals of Winnipeg turf lore, few stories rival the wondrous happenings at Assiniboia Downs or at Jimmy Speers' old...
by Bob Gates Marge and Victor Clare ran one of those typical "Mom & Pop" stables. Their story is a good one, except for the part that it took me seven years to get it done. Marge and I "met" via Facebook in 2012, traded emails and lost touch. Fast forward to this...
by Bob Gates It's been 50 years since Fire N Desire won the 21st running of the Manitoba Derby. The recent media flood of documentaries reminds us of another event that shares this anniversary. Fire N Desire's July 19, 1969 Derby romp took place on the eve of the...
by Bob Gates Polo Park racetrack played host to some of the most historic races in Western Canada including the Manitoba Derby, Canadian Derby, Winnipeg Futurity and the Western Canada Handicap, the latter of which featured some of the greatest weight carriers in...
by Bob Gates When we left off last week's blog story, horse racing's future in Winnipeg looked bleak. R. J. Speers had known for some time that the Polo Park site was too valuable to be used for summer race meets and had taken an option on 200 acres in what was then...
by Bob Gates Following the death of one of the most popular and respected men in the history of thoroughbred racing in Western Canada in July 1977, Winnipeg Free Press sports editor Maurice Smith wondered, “Who among the loyal followers of horse racing in Winnipeg...