By Track Historian Bob Gates Every once in a while a horse comes along with a unique combination of qualities that separates him from the rest. Lloyd Gray & sons’ Rangatira was a racehorse that ticked all the boxes. He was a gelded son of 1955 Horse of the Year...
by Bob I'm guessing the name "Powder Puff" was created by a male of our species. Certainly there aren't many women these days that would come up with such a sexist sounding name for a horse race featuring women-only riders or "jockettes" as they were often called, a...
by Bob If you scan the list of the Downs' all-time leading trainers you'll find that seven of the top 20 never won a single-season training title. How is it that the best of the best were unable to win a training title? The reasons for this are many and varied, but in...
By Ivan Bigg for George (on holidays) The Bull is back to his old winning self. Balooga Bull, Horse of the Year at 2- and 3-years-old, showed on Friday that his talent is still intact at 4 despite an uncharacteristic fourth-place finish in his previous race, the Wheat...
by Bob Today we remember an Aussie lass whose looks were nothing special, but could she run! Admiration was a bay mare owned by K5 Stables. Actually at that time it was still the K4 Stables that ran at the Downs from 1980 to 1983. K-Tel founder Phil Kives...
Mare purchased south of the border continues to improve for Gray by George The performance of the night on Friday at ASD came courtesy of Hello in the sixth race, and two Superfectas paid more than $2,000. Hello, a 5-year-old chestnut mare trained by Lorna Gray...
by Bob What more can be said about two men – brothers who dominated the leading trainer standings at Assiniboia Downs from 1970 to 1980? Clayton Gray won seven training titles (1970, 72, 73, 74, 76, 79, 80) and older brother Don Gray won three titles (1975, 77, 78)....