River Park

The Early History of the R. J. Speers Stakes. 1926-1956

The Early History of the R. J. Speers Stakes. 1926-1956

by Bob Gates On Saturday, June 29 "The Speers" celebrates its 60th running, but what most don’t realize is that there is more than 90 years of history behind the race that honours Robert James Speers, the "Father of Thoroughbred Horse Racing" on the Canadian prairies....

The Mighty Seabiscuit Raced in Winnipeg?

by Bob Sorry, Seabiscuit didn’t race here, but now that I have your attention let me tell you the story of a horse much like the “Biscuit” who raced in our fair city in the “dirty ‘30s” and early ‘40s. Joey was a champion racehorse whose career spanned 10 years from...

River Park – The Great Grandfather of Assiniboia Downs

by Bob In family tree terms, the “father” of Assiniboia Downs was Polo Park race track. The “grandfather” in this imaginary ancestry, with apologies for the lack of female references, was Whittier Park. The “great-grandfather” and we will go back no further, was River...