By Bob Gates Since assuming my duties as your track historian 15 years ago, several interesting artifacts have been unearthed. You may have noticed some of them on display in the Downs Racing Through Time area. However, there are others waiting for their turn in the...
Gary Danelson Leading Trainer Plaque By Bob Gates This August 28th our dear friend from Scobey, Montana will be celebrating 87 trips around the sun and August 29th will mark the 65th anniversary of his first win at Assiniboia Downs. The other day I gave Gary a quick...
by Bob Gates Like a lot of others, jockey Dean W. Kutz got his start at country fairs and riding in the bushes. However, unlike other saddlesmiths, Kutz battled the odds just to get his shot at sitting atop thousand-pound thoroughbreds. Dean was born in Harvey, North...
by Bob Gates The Ragens were a multi-generational horse racing family with its roots in Ireland. Edward Michael Ragen was one of the original grand old men of racing. “Eddie” spent more than 70 years racing thoroughbreds, until an injury from a 1981 fall forced him...
by Bob Gates Can you believe that come opening day, Monday May 22, 235 days will have passed since our four-legged athletes were called to the post here at the Downs last September 28. So, who’s ready for some live racing! If your keeping track, 2023 will be season...
by Bob Gates Werre? There has to be some of you wondering who Ed Werre is and what's so special about him? This is another one of those blogs where our person of interest represents a number of -- in this case -- riders who have spent a good portion of their lives at...
by Bob Gates "And Now for Something Completely Different" was a catchphrase from the British television comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus, and it just happens to be perfect for this week's blog. This isn't your typical history story, at least it's not what...
by Bob Gates Well, now that we have a couple of days of racing under our belt, let's celebrate with some M&M's. Nope, not the multi-coloured, button-shaped chocolates which are the flagship product of Mars, Incorporated. We're talking about milestones and memories...
by Bob Gates The 2021 season gets underway on Monday, May 24. This will be the second year of the pandemic "No Fans in the Stands" season of racing. Sure, it's not what everyone wants, but it beats the blazes out of seeing the local racing scene fade into obscurity. I...
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...