And they’re off! (Jason Halstead)
By Track Historian Bob Gates
When opening night rolls around on Tuesday, May 13th it will have been 230 days since we said goodbye to “live” racing on September 24, 2024. Yes, it’s been about 7 ½-months since last year’s race meet wrapped up. I don’t know how you feel, but am I ready for the thundering hoofs of our four-legged friends.
Last season saw the second-highest wagering totals in Downs history with $62,130,464 bet on the ponies. The 2024 Manitoba Derby helped set a wagering record when $3,743,784 was bet on the August 5th Derby Night card.
How do you top last year’s results? Well, it won’t be easy, but rising to the challenge and putting forth the best product possible is exactly what Assiniboia Downs does year after year.
This past off-season saw our racetrack family lose some valued members. Here are some of our brothers and sisters who were here to mark the end of the 2024 season, but won’t be present on opening day 2025: Sandra Korchinski, Paul Turney, Shelley Brown, Linda Scott, Leo Langlois, Marg Teske, Wayne Armstrong, Myles Flaman, Shirley Vanderhorst, Leona Stahl, Sidney Storey, Gayle Dowler, David Koch, Ralph Packulak, and Michael Olito.
Shelley Brown - The first female to win the leading trainer title in 2012. (Jason Halstead)
Back in February we said goodbye to Kenneth Dwain ”Hank” Hendricks. Hank, as he liked to be called, sits atop the Downs leading rider board with 1,685 trips to the winner’s circle. Ken was a Facebook friend of mine who checked in on a regular basis and always considered the Downs to be his “home” track. He rode for 40 years over five decades and participated in 34 meets at the Downs. According to the late great trainer Don Gray, Hank was the best “go-to” jockey in the business, a real money rider!
Kenny "Hank" Hendricks parades Major Enterprise, July 1, 1986. (Gerry Hart)
Finally, this past March we lost Brian Gory, aka “Ivan Bigg.” What can I say about Brian? Well, let’s start with Brian was just… Brian. He was a character, and I mean that in a respectful way.
Most of you wouldn’t know this, but Brian was responsible for “opening the door” to Assiniboia Downs for me. Without Brian, my relationship with Downs, which is going on 15 years, may never have happened. The passage of time saw us drift apart, and I regret that our paths seldom crossed in recent years. It’s still hard to accept that I’ll never see him in his usual carrel in the Downs sports book.
Brian Gory aka "Mr. Tomato" with Dorothy Dobbie. (Bob Gates)
Hank and Brian are gone, and I miss them both!
Our sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of all those we lost.
On April 2, 2025 the Manitoba Jockey Club announced the addition of five new members to the Board of Directors, they include Barry Arnason, Pat Beavis, Bill Drew, Lisa Osachoff, and Larry Wandowich. They will join Board Chair, Dr. Norm Elder, Vice-Chair Darrell Stephansson, and existing directors Barry Anderson, Dr. Ross McKague, Barry Tuckett, Norva Riddell, and Darren Dunn.
If Canadian hosers Bob and Doug McKenzie wrote an opening day-themed horse racing blog it would probably go something like this…
“Good day and welcome to season #68!”
Let’s look ahead to the season that awaits us. The upcoming live race meeting will showcase many milestone races including:
- June 24 – Free Press – 65th Running
- June 25 – Chantilly – 45th Running
- July 22- R.C. Anderson Memorial – 50th Running
- August 19 – Phil Kives Memorial – 10th Running
- September 9 – The Distaff – 30th Running
Last August the track was all abuzz about Downs all-time leading trainer Gary Danelson’s health. Gary was injured in a run-in with his 8-year-old mare Kate’s Princess. Would he fully recover? Would the 2024 meet be his swan song?
Gary Danelson - Downs all-time leading trainer returns to the Downs for the 2025 season. (Jason Halstead)
Danelson Update: I spoke with Gary a couple of weeks ago, and he said he was doing well and looking forward to another season. He expects to arrive at the Downs in May with a small stable, which will be conditioned by Jared Brown.
Last fall Gary must have felt pretty healthy because he purchased a yearling. And according to him, its been a while since he had a 2-year-old in his barn. And this my friends is the kind of news that makes my heart smile!
Mark your calendars! Opening night is Tuesday, May 13th. Racing starts at 7:30 p.m., and remember, the first race of the year is always the Don Gray Memorial.
The wait is almost over. How about we all meet trackside and cheer on the thoroughbreds, like we haven’t done in 230 days?