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Assiniboia Downs sprung open the starting gate for its 50 th anniversary in grand fashion with a blast from the past and one for the record books.
Apprentice jockey Janine Stianson and trainer Jared Brown teamed up to win the first four races. That’s right the first four. “I believe that is a record,” said Director of Operations Darren Dunn.
It was also overheard in the crowd from an elderly gentleman from England , “I’ve never seen that in my life.”
The Don Gray Memorial, the traditional first race at the track, was won by Steve Holburn’s Cascadian Buck, a 4-year-old gelding by Cascadian out of La Femme Feline. Claimed from Jonathan Nance last year by his connections, Cascadian Buck has a running style that perfectly suits the standard five furlong sprint used at the track for the first couple of weeks.
“Winning the first was really exciting,” said Stianson, “It was my first race at a new track, the first of the season, and the first of the next fifty years, it was kinda neat!”
Dick Armstrong, the jockey aboard the first-ever winner of Assiniboia Downs fifty years ago, Gold Ern, was on hand to start the first race and greeted Stianson in the winners circle after her victory.
Jared and Janine paired up again in the second with Valid Dream, a horse Jared bought for his folks while at Delta Downs for the winter. Then there was Gonestylin in the third and Punchmeoutabuck in the fourth.
Gonestylin, a 5-year-old son of Gone West, was bought by Brown in the Barretts sale at the beginning of 2007. “He was recovering from a small fracture in his left front, but he then fractured his pelvis right after the sale and had to spend a year in the stall,” said Brown. Showing incredible patience, Brown kept the horse knowing he wanted to give him a chance to win at Assiniboia Downs.” That patience paid off for Brown.
Punchmeoutabuck, a horse Brown claimed for $5000 at Delta Downs, completed the historic grand slam for Stianson and Brown. The track announcer Darren Dunn exclaimed “Is this a broken record?” as they crossed the wire.
The featured seventh race showed off some of the best fillies and mares from 2007 with Spillway, the winner of the Jack Hardy, Out for Glory, second in the Chantilly, and Miss Lucky Lou, third in last year’s Canada Day Stakes. But new blood from the Jim Fergason barn, Silver Patrona, went wire to wire to give two-time leading rider Alan Cuthbertson his first win of the 50th season.
Silver Patrona got the lead early in the backstretch just in front of Marty Drexler’s Spillway on the rail. Going into the final turn, the 4-year-old mare from Turf Paradise in Phoenix , Arizona was able to hold off a valiant effort by Spillway on the rail. A fast closing Out for Glory, trained by Emile Corbel, ran out of real estate and had to settle for second.
On Saturday, it was the boys turn. The best older horses from last year, including Brinello (Manitoba Bred Older horse of the year) and Car Keys (Horse of the Year) hit the track, but it was trainer, Jim Fergeson and his Portland Meadows invader Slew Can Dance that stole the show.
Slew Can Dance sat in behind the early leader Brinello and Storm Patrol until the middle of the turn and powered by coming into the stretch. Storm Patrol, trained by Aaron Sayler, gave an incredible effort and just missed at the wire. A fast closing Gold Lad got up for third.
With snow falling on Sunday, the feature showcased some of this year’s 3-year-old crop, including heavy favourite Ascot Hall, trained by Carl Anderson. One of two fillies in the field, Lunacat from the Emile Corbel barn led the field down the backstretch with another Fergeson charge Rogerbur.
Mr. Exspeedient , trained by Clint Willson, charged around the turn three wide and took the lead at the top of the stretch and was able to hold off a fast closing Ascot Hall. Lunacat held on for third.
Mr. Exspeedient and Ascot Hall will have to go through last year’s Winnipeg Futurity winner Mikayla’s Baby to accomplish their Derby dreams. Mikayla’s Baby worked an easy four furlongs in 48.4 Sunday, and was the fastest of the day.
Jeanine Stianson and Jared Brown paired up for two more wins on the weekend with Set Match on Saturday and Boldtoboot on Sunday for a total of six winners.
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