by Track Historian Bob Gates Let’s go for a walk and retrace the steps of jockeys that the newspaper scribes once called the “winningest” riders in the history of Assiniboia Downs. “Winningest” is an awkward term and not one you hear much anymore. So let’s go with...
by Bob Gates The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it. -– Thomas S. Monson It’s been three and a half months since starter Derek Corbel sent the first field of horses on there way to kick-off the Downs 2023...
by Bob Gates Well another Manitoba Derby is on the books and congratulations go out to the winner Red Knobs and his connections, owner Rob Nokes, trainer Robertino Diodoro and jockey Jorge Carreno. It's fun to look back at the list of previous winners of our Derby....
by Bob Gates "Cull - to remove an inferior animal from a herd." The definition sounds sad, doesn't it? However, following Assiniboia Downs' 1962 race meet that is exactly what took place at the 6 ½-furlong oval on the edge of Winnipeg’s Perimeter Highway. The goal of...
by Bob Gates The 1970s were a special time for the Sport of Kings. The decade bragged of its three Triple Crown winners Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977) and Affirmed (1978). Secretariat's sweep of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes ended a 25-year...
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 The 2019 racing season is loaded with special anniversaries. Last week it was Barbara Jo Rubin and this week belongs to another jockey, Robert Roy "Bobby" Stewart. In 1969 the American Triple Crown races turned into a duel between Calgary resident Frank...
by Bob Gates Imagine, a blog dedicated to all things historical, and this week we travel all the way back in time to last year's Derby. Murray Duncan and the Estate of Garylle Bruce Stewart's Plentiful won the 69th running of the Manitoba Derby in 2017, and that’s our...
by Bob Gates This week we put the finishing touches on Season #59 at Assiniboia Downs with a weekend featuring five stake races. The Winnipeg Futurity and Matron kick things off on Friday. Saturday night sees the Sifton and Gold Cup, and the season wraps up with the...
by Bob Gates The August 1, 2016 Manitoba Derby will be one I never forget, and forever remember, as bittersweet. The inclement weather created a dream track if you were a mudder, but it was a less than ideal day for the Manitoba Jockey Club, which was hoping to draw a...