Labour Day long weekend looks favorable for longshots at ASD

NCI Manitoba Derby Pre-Game Show

by Rob Last weekend was filled with short-priced favourites, stakes races and impressive performances. Balooga Bull romped home in an allowance race, Red Rebellion won a Maiden Special Weight race and the five stakes races were won mostly by the Sayler family (Da Hoot, She’s Copacetic, Arstar and Two Barrel Tootie) along with the cinch that [...]

Happy Birthday Gary Danelson! All-time leading trainer at Assiniboia Downs!

Coherence gives trainer Gary Danelson his first win at Assiniboia Downs, August 29, 1959

by Bob Gary Danelson, son of Henry and Hazel, and a native of Scobey Montana, is the all-time leading trainer at Assiniboia Downs. He entered the 2012 season with 1,115 wins and has now added 12 more to sit atop the all-time leader board at the Downs with 1,127 wins. Ardell Sayler is in second place [...]

Slew of stakes at ASD this weekend feature the best horses on the grounds, Balooga Bull and betting opportunities

by Rob There are five stakes races this weekend at ASD featuring the best horses on the grounds, including Manitoba Derby winner Balooga Bull, who will face seven rivals in a prep for the Gold Cup on Saturday. The Distaff, Debutante, Osiris Plate, C.T.H.S Sales Stakes and Jack Hardy are all races that are interesting and [...]

Thank You, Mr. Hardy

Gold Ern wins first ever race at Assiniboia Downs on June 10, 1958

by Bob Let’s take a time out from our usual activities this week and remember James C. Hardy, the founder of Assiniboia Downs. The year was 1957, R. James Speers had been dead for two years, Polo Park race track had closed its doors in July 1956, and the demise of horse racing in Manitoba was [...]

Pure Glory wins 2012 Agassiz, Pick-4 pays over $10,000

Pure Glory with groom Scott Creighton after winning the 2012 Agassiz at ASD

by George Pure Glory pounced early under former Jamaican riding champ Trevor Simpson and wired the field in the $50,000 Agassiz Stakes by 3 ¼-lengths on Saturday night at ASD, capping off a $2 Pick-4 that paid a whopping $10,923. Was it gettable? It certainly was for the one bettor who handicapped better than the rest [...]

$4,321 Pick-4 Carryover for Saturday, Moccasin wins Manitoba Quarter Horse Derby

Jockey Tim Moccasin with Gold Strike Mile winner Kola Kat

by George Sharpen your pencils. Longshot Count of Notia came rolling home wide and fast under jockey Chris Husbands to win the seventh race by a neck at ASD on Friday night and force a Pick-4 carryover of $4,321 heading into the Saturday’s card. Expect the Pick-4 pool to grow to anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 [...]

Don’t forget class in your handicapping

Plus Ultra - Blair Miller barn

by Rob Modern handicapping is so heavily focused on speed, how fast a horse ran and numbers, that people often forget about another important basic form of handicapping. Class handicapping puts heavy emphasis on what level a horse runs at and what kind of company it has been keeping in its races. A crucial part of [...]

Tough Manitoba-bred Victor’s Pride made no apologies

GusAgain270

by Bob Have you ever noticed that when the subject of Manitoba breds comes up, it almost sounds like you find yourself having to apologize for the breed? To varying degrees, many of us have done that, but when you think about it, there have been some very good Manitoba-breds over the years. Some of the [...]

Wacky Friday night longshots result in Pick-4 Carryover of $4,299 into Saturday night

by George Friday night at the Downs started off great for the chalk players and got progressively wackier, which was good news for the longshot players but bad news for the Pick-4 players. The latter will be back at it again tonight to take advantage of a longshot-generated Pick-4 carryover of $4,299 going into Saturday’s [...]

Derby Weekend Hangover

317-crystal-ball

by Rob For some of us, Manitoba Lotteries  Derby weekend was an absolute godsend;  for others it was a nightmarish affair. Big favorites like Golden Stripe and Portales were defeated, while hometown heroes like Balooga Bull and Jon Q prevailed. To be honest, the most thrilling affair of last weekend for me was the quarter horse [...]