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It's been
50 YEARS!
CLICK HERE
to listen to a hit
song from 1958!
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1958 Ford Fairlane
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"McDonald's sells its one-millionth hamburger!" That was the headline 50 years ago today when an
upstart restaurant chain in the U.S. was making a
name for itself selling hamburgers for 19-cents and Cokes for a nickel
at its 40 stores. In Canada, A & W
was king of car dining. Car hops were kept busy delivering trays of
Mama Burgers, Whistle Dogs and root beer to teens sporting crew-cut and
ducktail hairstyles as they listened to Gerry Lee Lewis belt out "Great Balls of Fire"
and Frank Sinatra croon
"All the Way" on AM radio in their two-tone Ford Fairlane and Chevy Biscayne cars outfitted with
wide whitewall tires.
In
Winnipeg, auto company boss and horseowner Jack Hardy was lobbying the
provincial government to ignore anti-gambling sentiment coming from
church groups and the mayor's office and float bonds to raise the
necessary funds to complete a sparkling new racetrack called Assiniboia
Downs on the western fringes of the city, replacing the tiny bull-ring
half-mile track called Polo Park that had closed in 1956. A 21-day summer meet was slated
to start on June 10,
1958,
and a 21-day fall meet in September.
With the government finally giving its okay, horse fans breathed
a sigh of relief and eagerly awaited opening day at what was billed
"the finest racetrack in Western
Canada."
 Fast-forward 50 years . . . Yes, the big 5-0 is here and what a year it will be,
starting immediately with the fun of Tour d' Champs and my challenge to serious horseplayers to
resolve to make 2008 a winning year.
To put you in a celebration mood, I'm going to start off every
column with a different musical hit from 1958 and a vintage car from that
time. And each column will
contain memorable moments from people of every walk of life who
visited, raced at, worked at or played races at Assiniboia Downs since
its inception. A pitchfork-tossing incident offers a little drama in
today's segment. And expect a "knock-your-socks-off"
announcement just prior to the opening of the 50th live season on Friday, May
2. Hang on! It's gonna
be one heckuva ride! Happy New Year!
I'm ready to bite the bullet! Are you? Here's a sure way to make the Downs' 50th anniversary
year a memorable year for you, too:
Make
it a winning year.
Keep tabs on your bets, play smartly and you can do it! That's a New Year's resolution I'm
making right here and now and I'm inviting you to join me. By declaring your commitment, you'll
feel more of a need to follow through.
And look at everyone who benefits:
•
You benefit. That's
obvious, of course. But it's more than a money thing. The philosopher Emmanuel Kant said that by
making a resolution and following through, you'll give
your life more dignity and attain a higher level of freedom.
•
The track benefits. If you're winning, you have the money
to increase the size
and frequency of your bets.
•
The economy benefits. When you play smarter, you're
scooping money from bettors in New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, Miami and Las Vegas to inject
into the local economy. Last year, a local bettor bought a
car and made a down-payment on a house with his
winnings.
How
to make it happen: You won't win just by wishing it, of
course. You need to make a plan
and stick with it. You likely
know what works for you and what doesn't. Even reading or re-reading my "secrets to picking winners" could help. I caught a 70-1 horse at Fair Grounds
last week that had a "jump off the page" giant pace
number. Also, read Bettor's Blog.
How
to track your plays: Download and print each month's
racing schedule from the Downs'
website. Then note the amount
you made or lost on the particular day you played the races. You may
want to circle the track that gave you the most success and make notes
on the back of the page of bets or angles you want to remember.
End result--awards and more: At the end of the year, certificates
of achievement will be presented to those who accomplished their
goal. Other events will be
planned as well. I think I could
convince Premier Gary Doer
to make presentations to the winners because winning players are a boon
to the economy.
Getting
started: Email me that you are committed to
Beat the Ponies in '08. Making that commitment in written form is a very
important start. Then simply email me every two weeks, telling me your
status. You can mention money
amounts if you wish but that's not necessary. It would be nice, too, if you
document plays that worked for you or share your plan. Just keeping in touch, though, is the
most important.
Ready
to bite the bullet? Email me at theinsider@assiniboiadowns.com. It could
turn out to be the most exciting and satisfying challenge you've given
yourself in years.
DERBY COUNTDOWN: How to increase your fun
 If
you start paying attention now to 3-year-old horses and their races,
you'll increase your enjoyment of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, the three legs of
the Triple Crown that begin May 3.
Not to mention being in a better position to predict
winners. My horse to watch: Tyro
who finished second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in October. The winner of that race, War
Pass, is also on
the lips of many. Can you spot a
dark one?
There are three other neat
things about watching 3-year-olds closely:
•
Win a trip to the Breeders' Cup: The more stakes races you attend at
the
Downs leading
up to the Kentucky Derby, the more chances you'll have of
winning a trip for two to the Breeders' Cup in the
fall. Look for Tour d' Champs
contest cards at the kiosk next to the Race Book.
• You can
future-bet your horses--sometimes at huge odds: Churchill Downs
offers future bets on the Derby and the
Kentucky Oaks (the female division of
3-year-olds) three times between now and the Derby. Look for free future-bet
programs at the Downs and at OTB
locations.
• You're
in a better position to enter the Triple Crown Challenge: For
$5 an entry (which will be available in February)
you'll have a chance to win
$500 for being the best predictor of winning
3-year-old horses.
“Hey, put down that pitchfork!"
In the early 1960's, as David
Miles (now chairman of the Manitoba Horse Racing Commission),
recalls, he and horseman friend Leonard
Zenith, had their eye on a horse by the name of Sam Sam
trained by Cec Filby,
figuring the horse was better than he looked on paper. Zenith even bet $100 on Sam Sam each time he ran. But the horse always finished
up the track, prompting the pair to try to buy the horse to improve his
racing. As Miles recalls it, Filby demanded $1,000 for his horse but he told Filby the horse was worth only $500. That was like waving a red flag in Filby's face. Miles said Filby
grabbed a pitchfork and hurled it at him "just missing." Soured by the experience, Zenith
didn't bet the horse in his next start.
"And of course it won," Miles told The Insider. "And it paid
$60! He never ran four strides
before and all of a sudden 'bang,' he wins!" It's a memory he chuckles about today.
(Share your
most memorable moment--and receive a free theme night dinner for two if
it's published! Email the insider@assiniboiadowns.com. Please include a picture--or
one can be arranged.)
HORSEPLAY TIP OF THE WEEK:
Hooray for Santa
The best news in a long time: Santa Anita's alleged Cushion Track
is playing like a dirt track which means, unlike Hollywood,
speedy horses are more likely to go all the way. Why do I say "alleged"
Cushion? Because my suspicion
is--especially after listening to comments from jockey David Flores--that Santa Anita
dumped good old-fashioned sand on top of the Cushion instead of the
treated synthetic stuff. Flores
said it's "comfortable" to race
on. So, basically, it's
"dirt" with a synthetic base.
Maybe this is something Woodbine could experiment with on a
small section of their controversial Polytrack before their meet opens
next spring.
IT'S NOT NECESSARY TO SPEAK UKRAINIAN to enjoy perogies, cabbage rolls, kielbasa with sauerkraut
and baked salmon in celebration of Ukrainian Christmas tonight in the
Terrace Dining Room from 5 to 8
p.m. Everyone welcome! Great salad bar and to-die-for
dessert treats as well. All you
can eat $14.95. Menu. Next
Thursday: Irish. Phone
885-3330 to reserve.
 UPCOMING EVENTS: Gulfstream Park in Florida opened today at 12:15 p.m. Their 89-day meet offers Canadians
common pools for the first time.
Their biggest day this month is the Sunshine Millions on Jan.
26, the first day to get your Tour
d' Champs card stamped to earn chances to win a trip to the
Breeders' Cup.
Horseplayer tourney in two weeks: Sign up for
the first Player's Choice tournament of the year on Saturday, Jan. 19
where your $25 entry fee can win you $500. Details.
Free
$1,000 Winter Poker begins Friday, Jan. 18. Top two finishers in Friday's games
get into a finale with $1,000 cash first prize. More.
Next
long weekend is six weeks away: First-ever provincial holiday in
February, Louis Riel Day, will be celebrated on Monday, Feb. 19, the
same day as Presidents' Day in the U.S., which means
great racing!
Best wishes for a fantastic year, folks!
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