BEAT THE HEAT!  Get a cool $20 from Frank (left) at the horseshoe kiosk opposite the Guest Services counter when you sign up for an HPI (Horseplayer Interactive) account. And (right) escape to the air-conditioned comfort of the VLT lounge where you can enjoy your favourite frosty refreshment, something that's not possible at the casinos, where you cannot drink while you play.

TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT!  Jon's Golden Run makes his much-anticipated debut in race 5 against nine other 2-year-olds. What are his thoughts on this big day?  Read the colt's letter to his mother, father and namesake friend, Olympian Jon Montgomery, below.

 

KIRT'S "SO PIE ME" PICK FOR TONIGHT: #1 The Band Played On in Race 4.

IT'S OKAY TO DROOL!  IT'S RIB-ILICIOUS WEDNESDAY!  Four meaty ribs with Chef Michael's secret barbeque sauce plus homestyle fries and creamy coleslaw for $6.95. Double the ribs: $11.95.

 

DEL MAR BEGINS TODAY:  Experience the glamour of Del Mar, the holiday playground of the rich and famous near San Diego, where racing begins this afternoon at 4 p.m.  What kind of horse should you watch for in the opening days?  See Tip o' the Week below.  The classical track of Saratoga in upstate New York starts its 40-day meet Friday at noon.

---

"Wait 'til they see this back home!" Despite coming from a country that produces some of the most imaginative slapstick game shows in the world, Japanese visitors to the Downs last Wednesday were delighted to be snapping pictures of Kirt getting pied in the Winners' Circle by Anastasia O’Brien after Kirt's best bet lost for the 13th time. You may be losing the pie war, Kirt, but you're adding levity to international relations.

---

                                  LETTER FROM JON'S GOLDEN RUN

Dear Mom, Dad and Monty:   Well, tonight's the big night (Wednesday)--the first race of my 2-year-old life. I'm entered in the fifth race against nine other horses. Gulp!   Actually, I'm kind of surprised I've been entered in a race so soon.  My trainer, Emile Corbel, thought I was "blowing" too hard after my 4f workout a week-and-a-half ago so I thought I wouldn't be starting until early August. But apparently not.  Ivan the race columnist asked Emile why he changed his mind and Emile simply said:  “Got to get him started.  That's all there's to it."     Me with my rider, Prayven Badrie, and trainer Emile Corbel.  Wish me well!  So whatever happens, happens, I guess.  Of course, I'm going to try my hardest but it IS five furlongs--and if I were huffing and puffing at 4f--well, we'll see.  But what I like to hear is Emile loves the way I move--smoothly, gliding over the track and he thinks I'll be a superior distance runner.   I looked back at what you did in your first baby race, Dad.  Remember?  You also had your first start 27 months after you were born--same as me. And you didn't win your first race--you finished fourth. It was a 6f race at Del Mar in August, 2005. Here's what the chart on you says:  "Bob and John chased outside, went four wide on the turn and into the stretch and just missed the show."  Oh, and I notice you had the great Patrick Valenzuela on your back!   But, wow, look at you two weeks later in a mile race. You crushed, beating your eight rivals by 11 1/2 lengths!  And the rest is history, eh, Dad?  You went on to make almost $1 million ($996,330 to be exact), winning the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct in 2006 along the way and were retired at five to begin making babies (meeeee!).  Love your style, Dad!   Would obviously love to follow in your horseshoe prints.   And, Mom, I thank you for my beautiful chestnut colour (no wonder they named you Sheza Honey) and, of course, you gave birth to my half-brother Zinzan who won $45,000 at three.  And I owe so much to my owner, Edwina Larsen, who had enough confidence in me to pay $7,000 at the yearling auction last August and to my breeders, Cam and Sherisse Ziprick of Russell, Manitoba, who saw something special in me to name me for the local town hero, Jon Montgomery.   Well ... here goes nothing!  I want you to be proud of me. Especially you, Monty.  I want to live up to the standard you set when you won that gold medal for skeleton racing in Vancouver.  Wish me well!    Your loving son (and friend), Jon's Golden Run

---

HOTTIES OF THE WEEK: Wednesday to Saturday

Darren Dunn's "Thrill of the Week:"  Wed. July 13, Race 4
#6 O K Indy. "Sharp rally from an ever improving horse. Proved he was worth the purchase price. Derby dreams abound."
Hottest jock:   David Lopez  (7 wins)

Hottest trainer:  Carl Anderson (3 wins)

Biggest win payoff:  $37.60.  Justicegotrhythm (Sat. 5th)

Biggest 20-cent superfecta:  $747  (Fri, race 6, #6-4-1-2)

---

HIGH SUMMER QUIZ (dedicated to reader Laj who asked me what a "ridgling" is):  You tell me.  What is a ridgling?  (a)  A horse that performs in the Ridgling Bros. circus?  (b)  A wild horse that lives among the ridges and valleys  (c) A colt with undescended testicles (d)  A dwarf horse.  See answer at end of column.

---

Quick bits . . .

Players reap windfall as Hollywood posts wrong prices

You may recall the Downs posting the wrong payoffs for the last race on June 1 when someone failed to post the dead-heat for third.  It resulted in triactor payoffs of $3,272 that were actually worth half of that and 20-cent supers paying $212 that should have been halved.  Well, last Saturday Hollywood did something similar.  It posted a superfecta in the Gleam Handicap race as 5-4-8-7 when, in fact, the result was 5-4-8-6.  It took two minutes to discover the error and, during that time, alert bettors everywhere in North America, including Canada, were able to cash $1 superfecta tickets for $847.80 that were essentially worthless after the

New owner Riley Kling with O K Indy

mistake was corrected.  The correct combination paid $611.30.  Race stewards had noticed the wrong postings and notified the mutuel department.

O K INDY MORE THAN A ONE-RACE WONDER!  It was good to see O K Indy, the horse that dazzled us with his last-to-first finish in his maiden race a month ago, win a race for his new owner, Riley Kling, whose father, Guy Kling, is a popular longtime trainer at the Downs.  You may recall the horse's previous owner/trainer, Bert Blake, sold the horse (for something in the $12,000-plus range) to the Klings after receiving a handful of offers after his remarkable win.  Kling recovered $7,200 of his purchase price in a one-mile $15,000 optional claiming race last Wednesday with Perry Winters in the saddle and paid $21.40. The horse's next ambitious spotting?  The $75,000 Manitoba Lotteries Derby on Aug. 1.

MANLEY WIELDS A DEFT 4-IRON:  ASD food and beverage manager Manley Chan proved last week he has talent that extends beyond the kitchen to the golf course.  He powered a 4-iron shot to within 2 1/2 feet of the pin on the 170-yard par-3 fifth hole at Breezy Bend Golf Course to win a golf bag and a $100 gift certificate for golf supplies because it was closer than the other 143 golfers participating in the annual Sysco Food Services golf tournament. Manley will now give golf lessons at my "secrets" stage after the races. Uh, I don't think so.  Nice going, Manley!

Trainer Gary Danelson Three wins from 1,500?

YOU'RE RIGHT, OF COURSE!  Eagle-eyed readers corrected me on some whoopsies they spotted in the last Insider--but they missed one I caught myself.  (1) Yes, trainer Carl Anderson also has more than 1,000 wins (besides Ardell Sayler and Gary Danelson). (2)  Yes, Hollywood doesn't have a mandatory pick-6 payoff the day before the meet ends which Canadian tracks do  (3) Yes, I should have mentioned Janine Stianson won the first four races on opening day, 2008, when writing about remarkable female rider accomplishments (4)  It's River Park and not River Downs that held races in Winnipeg off Jubilee Avenue from

Michael Magee (1930-2011)

HOTTEST WEEK OF THE YEAR:  As if you can't tell, this week of the year, on average, is the hottest week of the year, the reverse of which is Jan. 19, the coldest day of the year. There, doesn't that cool you off?  Another chilling thought:  It's the dead of winter down in Australia where you can bet the races tonight.

CALIFORNIA THORN PRICKS KENTUCKY OFFICIALS:   Horse owner and land developer Jerry Jamgotchian, the outspoken critic of the California racing industry whose Jaguar was scratched by the frustrated former head of the California Horse Racing Board (Insider, Feb. 18, 2010) has now taken Kentucky race authorities to court.  He wants to overturn a regulation that forces owners who claim horses in Kentucky to keep their horses in Kentucky until the race meet is over.  Jamgotchian had claimed a horse from a race at Churchill Downs that he was barred from taking out of state to race at Penn National in Pennsylvania.

Marty Drexler One more win ties record

2013 -- The first year that all horses in Breeders' Cup races will not be permitted to use Lasix.

2 -- The number of sleeps before quarter horses return to the Downs

0 -- The number of porcupines that will be available for petting at the petting farm on Winnipeg Sun Day, July 31, and Manitoba Lotteries Derby Day, Aug. 1.  But there will be llamas on DDerby DDay!

15 -- The number of wins that separate leading jockey David Lopez (42 wins) from second-place rider Janine Stianson (27 wins).  Does Lopez have the jockey title in the bag?  Here are the entries in my leading-jockey contest.

38 -- The average number of different desserts you get to choose from at the all-you-can-eat race night buffet in the best seats in the house that stars certified Angus prime rib.  Phone 885-3330 to fulfill your dessert fantasies.

Putting foot in his mouth . . .  forces Dave Brockhill to "eat" my hat

Because, of course, he knew what was going to happen, as probably most of you do, too. Coastal King won and paid $13.10 and, as bemused players watched, I took off my straw cowboy hat and brought over a bottle of ketchup for Dave to make good on his promise.  But I told Dave he could forego eating the hat if he just posed for the picture you see.  Being a good sport, he did, and I have to admire that character trait in Dave.  But isn't it interesting how many times we've seen this happen?  It's almost a law of racing. When someone says "this horse can't win" it's almost a signal to run, not just walk, to the windows to bet that horse.  It's as if the gods of racing won't stand for such wonton displays of hubris and will arrange a race finish that will have that smug player eating crow or a cowboy hat or humble pie or whatever.   

Halfway through the race season, here's Honour Roll of potential car winners   Well, at the halfway mark of the live race season, with 30 days left, 18 of you have shown you are dead serious about winning that $25,000 Chrysler 200 sitting in the lobby at the Downs because you acquired extra chances to win the car by having visited the Winnipeg Dodge Chrysler Jeep dealership in the Pointe West Autopark near the track.   All of you reading this can be doing the same thing, of course.  There will only be about 500-600 qualifying entries to win the car and wouldn't it be nice if you have three or six or nine or 12 or more entries that have a chance at being matched with a horse or horses in the final day of the meet, Sept. 25?  It's possible some of you could be matched with several horses in that race because of the number of entries you have in the drum already.   So, at the halfway point in the Horses & Horsepower win-a-car challenge, congratulations to these 18.  You're on my Honour Roll because you won the game of Horses & Horsepower and tripled your car-winning entries by having visited the dealership:   Claire Magne-Klassen, George McLean, Lisa Pawluk, Bonnie Simmonds, George Newbury, Gordon Balanduk, Patrick Choma, Norm Fraser, Kathleen Buckoski, Leslie Smaha, Cliff Poirier, Rick Dow, Pat Stockmann, Hank Stockmann, Jim Roberts, Paul Gray, Merv Pilkey and Felix Berthelette.

2011 Chrysler 200 WIN THIS CAR!  Enter Horses & Horsepower every live race day.  Visit Winnipeg Dodge Chrysler Jeep to triple your car-winning chances. Draw: Sunday, Sept. 25. Qualifying entries to date: 296.       Kirt Contois PIE THIS GUY!  When his best bet on Wednesdays loses, someone who bet his horse gets to pie him.   Score:  Kirt 4, Pie 13.                                                           TRIP TO VEGAS:  Each month, winner of horseplayer tourney earns Vegas trip and entry into $1 million event.  Get a reduced entry fee by predicting three winners on any preceding Saturday. Next tourney: Saturday, July 30. BARN TOURS:  Breakfast tour includes press box, jockeys' quarters, stables and breakfast in horsemen's kitchen.  Sign up for $5 at Guest Services.  Next tour:  Sunday, July 24, 9:30 a.m.     FAMILY FUN:  On all holidays and select Sundays.  Free pony rides, bouncy gym, petting farm and more.  Next event: July 31, Winnipeg Sun Day. NEXT BIGGIE:  July 31: Winnipeg Sun and Track Invasion Day. Aug. 1: Manitoba Lotteries Derby Day. Features hat contest, being matched with Derby horses to win cash, the appearance of llamas on the petting farm and more. Post time: 1 pm.     MOLSON COORS FREEROLL POKER:  Play Friday and Saturday at 10:30 p.m.  Sundays at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.  Top player gets $50.  Everyone earns points toward tourney finale to earn a trip to Vegas and entry into World Series of Poker event. Read the poKERR room blog.  RACE PRESENTATION PACKAGES:  Have a race named for a person or group.  Winners' Circle photo and more.  Call Abbi at 885-3330 ext. 277. VLT MADNESS:  Every day 9 a.m. to 2 a.m.  Bonus games calendar.

Try our nachos again for the first time! Crisp fresh fried tri-colour corn tortilla chips loaded with cheese and topped with fresh vegetables and banana peppers. These have replaced the jalapenos for a more vibrant colour presentation and pleasing spicy taste."

---

Looking forward to . . .

Fastest horses in the world return Friday
 

The $17,000 Quarter Horse Derby for 3-year-olds races Friday.  It's the first race on the card so arrive early and don't miss out on the action.  And Saturday will feature two QH races:  the $17,000 Quarter Horse Futurity for 2-year-olds and an allowance race.  Don't blink!

 

LLOOK!  Llamas make their petting farm debut on Manitoba Derby Day Monday, Aug. 1.  You're reminded, too, about the $300 Derby Hat contest with $100 being awarded in each of these categories:  (1) most glamourous (2) kookiest  (3) best racing theme.  Special prizes for kids' creations, too!

 

TRACK INVASION SUNDAY, JULY 31.  (It's also Winnipeg Sun Day at the Races)  Get jockey autographs, "race" from the starting gate, scoop a sample of the track to give as a Christmas gift to someone who longs for the return of live racing way before they begin.  Red River Co-op Speedway will also be on hand. Checkout cool cars and win tickets to the speedway.

---

Answer to HIGH SUMMER QUIZ:  Answer is (c).