"GUESS THE HANDLE" CONTEST RESULTS:  The combined Tuesday/Wednesday handle was $531,000--a figure much higher than most of you guessed. The closest prediction was $513,000. So next week's prize will be $150 for a correct prediction within $1,000 of the actual amount.

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The star attraction on Canada Day! Ellusive Spell, the rare black and white thoroughbred with blue eyes, was the centre of attention at the second annual Track Invasion following yesterday's races on Canada Day. The $30,000 Canada Day stakes was won by crowd favourite Preservata. See more "Invasion" pictures here.

He shoots!  He scores!   He did it playing for the Winnipeg Jets and now he's doing it playing the races.  And, just like he did in hockey, he's darn

Ed Olczyk, a recent winner of $500,000 pick-6 at Hollywood, will talk hockey and horses on July 11.

good at it.  Who am I talking about?  Eddie O.  THE Eddie O.  Ed Olczyk.  So, just how good is he playing the races?  Well, two weeks ago (Friday, June 19) he won $500,000 playing Hollywood's pick-6 and he did it with a mere $166 ticket--keying a $34 horse!  How's that for equine smarts?

And, lucky you, he's making himself available to talk about that or about his days with the Winnipeg Jets or about his coaching days with the Pittsburgh Penquins or anything else you want to throw at him when he visits his old stomping grounds a week from this Saturday.  He'll be joining a panel discussion on horse racing at the Downs down in the Finish Line banquet hall and YOU'RE INVITED!  No charge!  Other panelists will include Downs clocker Everett Shade and Stretch of Bettor's Blog fame and your loyal scribe (me). Track announcer Darren Dunn will host what is sure to be a very entertaining hour. No question will be off-limits and we'll all be picking prime plays on that night's live card.  

What's more, if you show up in a white Jets T-shirt or jersey, you'll receive a $5 voucher to play the races.  That's Saturday, July 11 at 5:30 p.m.  Live racing begins at 7 p.m.

RESERVE YOUR SEAT:  Do you plan to attend?  It's free but reserve your seat(s) because seating is limited.  Email me at theinsider@assiniboiadowns.com.  Also, indicate whether you'll be wearing a Jets T-shirt or jersey (preferably white so we can do a "white-out")

Hockey 'n'  horses.  Should be a blast!   Now, let's get caught up on the latest news and winners.....

WILL THEY OR WON'T THEY?

Will 7-11 star fillies meet in a race this summer?

The biggest race of this summer, if it comes together, will have these two champion fillies meeting in a race somewhere:  Zenyatta, unbeaten in 11 races, and Rachel

Alexandra, unbeaten in seven races including the Preakness.  It will have to happen on a dirt track, though, as Rachel Alexandra's owner, Jess Jackson, wants nothing to do with what he calls "plastic" tracks.  But the good news is, even Zenyatta's owner, Jerry Moss, feels his filly--who excelled on Santa Anita's synthetic surface--may really have run her best race on the dirt--in the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn before her synthetic successes.  Cross your fingers that this race will take place--it could well be the race of the year.

QUICK BITS:  Lasix DOES work; more cash from WO

Lasix works:  Tests on 167 horses racing in South Africa has proven conclusively that the drug Lasix, which is commonly injected into horses before races throughout North America, is "very effective" in reducing bleeding in a horse's lungs.  The study was funded by Colorado State University, the University of Melbourne in Australia and the University of Pretoria in South Africa.

Woodbine shovels more money into pool:  Mighty Woodbine is adding $150,000 to this Sunday's Turbo-charged Pick 6, the third week in a row it is doing so.  The pool was won both times with a single ticket.  Bettors only added $51,000 of their own money to the pool last Sunday.
Wins after six-year "layoff:"  In his first start after a six-year "rest," Military Mandate won an $8,000 claiming race at Stockton, California as an 8-year-old.  His previous win was as a 2-year-old at Hollywood. No word on why it took that long to bring him back to the races.

New substitute for Bay Meadows?  There's talk that Pleasanton, California--a racetrack on the county fair circuit--may become northern Cal's replacement for Bay Meadows.  It would have to spend $4 to $5-million to install a turf track first and get permission to race on dirt which is a possibility because the California Horse Racing Board became less insistent on synthetics following Santa Anita's and Hollywood's troubling experiences with artificial surfaces.

How much weight does a horse lose during a race?  Average loss:  11.9 pounds; on Lasix: 27.9 pounds.

Night racing at Churchill crazy-big:  28,000 people paid a premium $10 apiece to crowd into Churchill Downs for the first-ever Friday night of racing two weeks ago, then almost the same number were in attendance that following Friday despite having to pay double the usual $3 admission.  The third and final test of night racing is tonight.

Remembering a fallen friend   Jockeys gather to remember Andy Neufeld (inset) Only 42, jockey valet Andy Neufeld collapsed and died of a heart attack returning to the jock's room after saddling for the 7th race was complete last Friday, evoking a huge outpouring of emotion and the 7th and 8th races were cancelled.   Before the races Saturday, jockeys and other staff gathered in the paddock to hear Andy described as a man with a great sense of humour who tried to be as good as he could be.  He had served five jockeys and his loss was deeply felt. A memorial service will be held at The Bridge Church just west of the Perimeter Highway south of Portage Avenue Friday at 1 p.m. A reception will follow in the Finish Line at the track.

CONTEST CORNER

Harold makes up for last year

Viva Las Vegas horseplayer tourney:  Last year, the smiles of retired farmer Harold Wiens turned to a disappointing shrug when he discovered that his first-place finish for a trip to Las Vegas in a monthly horseplayer tournament was really a dead-heat--which he lost because another player had more overall wins than he did.  But he made up for it last Saturday:  he steamrolled to a victory that was clear cut.  His $28 bankroll on the seven-race Saturday night live card increased to a healthy $70.20, $5 more than his closest rival, Brittany Jonatanson.  So he'll be playing in the $1 million Horseplayer World Series in Las Vegas next February.  Daryl Ellis with a bankroll of $63.20 was third.  There were 64 entrants, 21 more than May's contest.  Your next chance:  The next trip will be awarded the last Saturday in July. Qualify for a reduced entry fee by predicting three winners on any Saturday leading up to the July tourney.

Friday free poker:  Prop pool has grown to $400!  Steel worker Scott McRitchie won $100 and assumed the title of poker king Friday when he paired the ace in his hand, defeating his final rivals in a game that started with 30 players.  He and the runners-up, accounts manager Candy Stark ($50) and retired machinist Dennis Lee ($25), all win seats in the September finale to send someone to the World Series of Poker.  PROP POOL GROWS!  Winning a hand with a king and queen of diamonds will get you a cool $400!

Memory Game:  Airline maintenance manager Al Ilott showed he may have a hint of x-ray vision when he scored the maximum $100 prize in last week's Memory Game on Wednesday, matching the two hidden hundreds on the memory board.  A new game where fans will be matched with horses in a race begins next Wednesday!

Pigskin 'n' Ponies Pick 4:  No winner so $150 is carried over to July 10 which is a football Friday.

Triple Q Challenge:  Nine correct!   Tuesday night's card appeared to be easy pickin's for quinella players.  Nine Triple Q Challenge players correctly predicted the top two horses in races 3 to 5 at ASD and each collected $35 as his share of the pool which reverted back to $100 for yesterday's play.
 

VLT Super-Spin Saturday:  The midnight super-spinner, plumber Ben Fridmen, was only two spots shy of the $1,000 grand prize but his $10 was multiplied by 10 so he still received $100.  Become a super-spinner by entering the Triple Q Challenge (20 top players get to spin) or by sitting at a VLT machine after the races on Saturdays.

READERS WRITE:  Reader reminded of Blood, S & T 

Ivan:  Your article in last week's Insider on the horse Ellusive Spell and the new Super-Spin Saturday promotion caused me to think of a song.  Can you think of the song I was thinking of?  Blood, Sweat and Tears'  "Spinning Wheel!" These lyrics in particular:  “Drop all your troubles by the river side .... Ride a painted pony ... Let the spinning wheel fly”  I believe the song was about a merry-go-round but gee, ASD, Ellusive Spell and Super-Spin Saturday do seem to fit. -- Allen Lasko.

Hi Allen:  Brilliant.  Looks like you have the stuff to write your own column!.

DELICIOUS BUFFET NEWS

Special price on weekdays; extras on weekends

"Can we make race day buffets even better?" food and beverages manager Manley Chan asked rhetorically.  Then answered his own question:  "Yes, we can."

Baby Back Ribs New weekend extra

So here's the deal--and it is a deal.  The all-you-can-eat Prime Rib buffets you've being enjoying have a new low price during week nights (Tuesday and Wednesday) of  $24.95.  And the weekend all-you-can-eat Prime Rib buffets (Friday and Saturday) are still $29.95 but have bonus extras, Manley said.  Extras include barbeque baby back ribs, peel 'n' eat shrimp (added to the salad bar) and additional in-season vegetables.  At both buffets, the dessert table is decadently irresistable with an eye-popping panoply of taste sensations freshly-baked in the Downs own bakery. See full menus:  Tuesday & Wednesday menu, Friday & Saturday menu.

Stop drooling over your keyboard like I'm doing and phone 885-3330 to reserve a table.  Never dined before?  The Terrace Dining Room overlooking the race track has a great ambiance.  And ticket sellers come right to your table so you can bet while you're digging into your fifth helping of dessert!

WILD WEEKEND ACTION:  ASD stakes; July 4 in U.S.

It's a dream weekend of superior racing action, both live and simulcast because Saturday is the July 4 holiday in the U.S.

Live stakes action:  The Frank Arnason Sire Stakes for 3-year-olds goes tomorrow and the North Dakota Derby on Saturday.

July 4 sizzling simulcast:  No fewer than 30 stakes races with purses of $50,000 and more will be featured at tracks throughout North America on July 4.  The biggest one is at Monmouth: the $750,000 Grade 1 United Nations 1 3/8th miles on the turf.  Belmont features two grade 1's as well:  the $400,000 Suburban for older horses and the $250,000 Prioress, a sprint race for 3-year-old fillies.

Barn tour Saturday:  There's still time to sign up at Guest Services for the 9:30 a.m. Backstretch Breakfast Tour Saturday.  $5 gets you a tour of restricted places, meeting horses and their trainer and wolfing down a hearty breakfast in the horsemen's kitchen.

Happy Independence Day to our U.S. friends!