by Bob Gates How do you pay tribute to the father/son duo of Jean-Louis and Pierre-Louis, who were important contributors to the history of Assiniboia Downs? It isn’t an easy task, but let’s give it a go. First, we should acknowledge the elephant in the room....
by Bob Gates Ron Turcotte was 14 when he left school to work as a lumberjack with his father. He saw his career go from cutting lumber in the bush to construction work and eventually he found his way to E. P. Taylor's Windfields Farm in 1960. In those early years his...
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 Jockey Tommy Stadnyk "… has broken his legs twice, has broken both wrists, his collarbone 'many times' and other bones 'I can't remember.' He says he's never been 'seriously' hurt." -- Steve Simmons, Calgary Herald 1984 There will be a number of local...
by Bob Gates The Manitoba Centennial Derby celebrates its golden anniversary (1970-2020) this year. Go figure. It doesn’t seem like it, but 50 years have passed since the historic Centennial Derby was run at Assiniboia Downs as "The Queen of all Britons" and her...
Bidding has now started! The next round of fundraising for paralyzed jockey Alyssa Selman has started with an auction of historic racing memorabilia on eBay. A full description of each package is available on the eBay site and also below. All of the items listed on...