Quarter horses return Friday and Saturday

Call me lazy but this column pretty much writes itself.

--Just the richest day in Manitoba racing, Derby Day, takes place on holiday Monday with an exceptional field of ten horses. Ho-hum!

--Just the fastest horses in the world, quarter horses, make their 2009 debut tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday. Hmm.

Rachel Alexandra

Summer Bird
--Just one of the biggest showdowns of the year takes place in the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park Sunday afternoon: extraordinary filly Rachel Alexandra pits her prowess against Belmont Stakes champion Summer Bird and the rest of "the boys." Yawn!

So, there they are -- every good reason you should take to the links, drive to the beach or weed the garden on this long weekend and not get swept up in the hoopla surrounding Derby weekend. You can always catch it next year or read about it in the papers or eavesdrop on conversation around the water cooler Tuesday morning.

However, if you think that maybe, just maybe, you may want to peek in on breakneck action at the track or on the tube for a day or two or three or four, a bit of scuttlebutt follows below. Oh yes, before I set the scene, I'll wait until you grab a brew or cooler or iced tea or whatever is tickling your pallet on these coolish summer days. My personal preference is anything grapefruity but anyone who knows me will tell you I'm game for just about anything. Ice to the top of the glass and a straw and whatever you pour around it is fine by me! Lately the concoctions have been looking blue and tasting of gin. Whatever!

Let's go ....

Hats off to Derby Day Monday!
Derby Belles will strut their stuff Monday afternoon amid the pageantry that will include Bugler Bob, a Crazy Hat contest and award-winning singer Heather Kozak belting out Derby theme song "Red River Valley."

TOP SIX DERBY CONTENDERS

Colt with Breeders' Cup blood leads the line-up

The Manitoba Lotteries Derby should be a thriller. There are TEN entrants, more than anyone initially had expected and more than in recent years. The Derby pool should be huge as well, with 64 partners simulcasting the Derby for other players throughout North America. That includes such tracks as Calder, Oaklawn, Hawthorne, Turf Paradise, Woodbine, Northlands, Hastings, Sam Houston, Delta Downs and the California fair circuit. Here are the top six contenders:

Hilton's Cherokee: Owned by Phil "Mr. Vegomatic" Kives of the K-5 Stables, this colt--who won the 1 1/16th-mile Harry Jeffrey impressively--has Breeders' Cup blood. His father, Cherokee Run, was champion sprinter in the 1994 Breeders' Cup and also sired Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner War Pass. Kives, the king of TV-marketed gagetry, has won the Derby twice. Jockey: Alan Cuthbertson

Theglow: Has looked extremely impressive in his two ASD wins, one of which included the Golden Boy. Has improved in each race and shows a lot of heart. Despite what you may have heard or read, this colt's eligibility to enter the Derby had never been in question. The Manitoba Horse Racing Commission is just looking into the exact nature of the horse's ownership. Jockey: Rohan Singh

Smuggler's Hold: Has been doing a lot of route racing at Oaklawn Park and, more recently, Canterbury Park where he won a 1 1/16 mile allowance race on a muddy surface. Route experience could come in handy in the 1 1/8 mile Derby. Jockey: Adolfo Morales

Tease the Tiger: A third-place finisher in last year's Winnipeg Futurity, this gelding finished a good-closing third in the one-mile $50,000 Ky Alta Handicap at Northlands Park. Jockey: Jake Barton

Wooden Ya Know it: Waltzed away from the field by eight lengths in his recent start at ASD. His sire is European champion Woodman who fathered Hansel, the 1991 Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner. His mother was sired by Dynaformer who also sired 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro. Jockey: David Lopez

Muffin's Star: The lone filly, fast improving under the do-no-wrong tutelage of Rob Atras, the 24-year-old trainer who's been on a tear since getting his license in April. Jockey: Vicky Baze.

DERBY PROMOS

$300 hat contest, $500 Triple Q, $600 Sweepstakes

HAT CONTEST: $100 prize for the best horse theme, best Manitoba theme, most elegant plus prizes for kids' creations.

$500 TRIPLE Q CHALLENGE POT: That's right. Predict the quinellas in races 3 to 5 and $500 cash could be yours.

DERBY SWEEPSTAKES: Triple Q Challenge entrants will be matched with horses in the Derby. A top prize of $250 will be awarded to the entrant whose Derby horse wins and diminishing prize money to runners-up.

FAMILY FUN: Free pony rides, petting farm, giant inflatables and more.

QUICK BITS: Family of fallen valet gets $20,000

FAMILY GETS ALMOST $20,000: Thanks to the generosity of jockeys, other valets, horsemen and just plain fans who made donations and/or attended a social on behalf of fallen valet Andy Neufeld, 42, who died between races three weeks ago, almost $20,000 was raised for his family said a happy fund-raiser Dwayne Addison, supervisor of the valets and his boss at Belle Fosh signs where Andy also worked.

STEAMROLLIN' DELORME: He just keeps getting better. Nebraska rider Larren Delorme appears to have found the perfect niche in the 'Peg for his talented riding. He

Trainer Rob Atras keeps rollin'
now has 52 wins and appears to be handriding his way to top jockey honours. Three-time champ Alan Cuthbertson will be hard-pressed to hang on to second. He is now third with 29 wins, one behind Tyrone Nelson who is riding with increased confidence these days. Rohan Singh also has 29.

SINGH NEARS 1,000: Jockey Rohan Singh is 24 wins away from an important milestone: 1,000 lifetime wins.

IT'S NICE BEING RIGHT: In my last column, I told you to leave out Rob Atras-trained horses "at your peril" so I hope you didn't last Friday. Daryamar won the third leg of the pick-4. Keying him might have given you a chance of winning the entire pick-4 pool, which no one won. No, I didn't key him either. Atras has five wins for nine starts.

EXTRA DAY OF LIVE: Because Tuesday live racing was cancelled a couple weeks ago during a deluge of rain, one more day has been added to the 2009 ASD meet. The meet will now end with a matinee card on Sunday, Sept. 20--with all stops pulled out to make it one gigantic party.

PAUSE TO REFLECT

Colourful visionary built track, gambled away his house

He launched racing at Polo Park in 1925 and helped design the first mechanical starting gate that impressed Princess Elizabeth so much in her 1939 royal visit that she took the idea back to England. On his watch, the Daily Double was introduced and race-calling

R. James Speers
Father of Manitoba racing honoured in Saturday race
was launched on a public address system. He imported classy studs from England to help boost local breeding. Who was he? A colourful, generous, hard-gambling visionary by the name of R. James Speers who will be honoured with a race in his name Saturday at the Downs.

Take pause to reflect. Speers was truly the father of racing in Manitoba and, even though he died three years before Assiniboia Downs was opened in 1958, his spirit remains. He lived larger than life: When his wife was on vacation, he lost the family home at a poker game; "Sorry, dear, you'd better not think of coming home." The head of General Motors marvelled that while he spent millions buying race horses, Speers seemed to run his racing operation on a $50,000 overdraft at the bank. Such was his legend. Read more in the Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Monsoon Rain is the horse to beat in the $30,000 R. J. Speers Stakes Saturday night.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Every man who has acquired a bit of money should have a hobby and a worry--and he can have both if he owns a race horse.” -- favourite saying of Robert James Speers (1915-1955) whose contribution to racing is remembered each year in a stakes race named in his honour. As noted above, the race runs on Saturday.

Pete Colwill's tourney win has earned
him a trip to Vegas

Poker Queen
Juanita

SALUTING WINNERS

Bus driver is poker queen; mail carrier earns Vegas trip

Congrats to transit driver Juanita Cardno for running over the competition in Friday's regular free poker match, thereby winning $100, the title of Poker Queen and a seat in the finale that could send her to Las Vegas to participate in a World Series of Poker event. Her Ace-high prevailed in the final hand that gave Fraser Murzak the runner-up position and $50. Welder Felix Berthelette was third and received $25. Poker resumes this Friday after the races; 20 seats go to the best players of the Triple Q Challenge and 10 seats are drawn.

NIce going, too, to mail carrier Pete Colwill who delivered up a top bankroll of $65.90 in the monthly Viva Las Vegas Horseplayer Challenge on live races. He earned a trip to Sin City and entry into a $1 million horseplayer tourney in February Second with a bankroll of $60.60 was Tannis Buckoski and third place went to Tania Cantafino. The next trip will be awarded the last Saturday of August. Get a reduced entry fee by predicting three winners on any Saturday of live racing.

Triple Q Challenge consolation winners: Baker Arthur Leclerc, businessman and horseowner Perry Pellerin each won $50.

InstaFrame Fantastic Fan Sweepstakes winner Wednesday night: Tim Young

Saturday night VLT super spinner: Retired mining engineer Glenn Dutchak won $100 on his $1,000 super spin. Top 20 Triple Q players and 10 randomly drawn VLT players spin for $5 to $100 on the Wheel of Fortune after the races and one gets to spin for $1,000 in a midnight showdown.

DERBY WEEKEND RECAP: Fast, furious and classy

Friday night: Quarter Horse Derby is one of nine races at ASD. Post time: 7 p.m. Free poker follows.

Saturday morning: Backstretch Breakfast Tour at 9:30 a.m. Sign up at Guest Services. $5 includes visiting restricted areas, meeting horses, questioning a trainer and wolfing down a hearty breakfast in the horsemen's kitchen.

Saturday night: Live quarter horse and thoroughbred racing. R. J. Speers Stakes. $1,000 super spin on the Wheel of Fortune in the VLT lounge after the races.

Sunday simulcast: Rachel vs The Boys at Monmouth fro $1.25 million. Post time: 11 a.m. $500,000 Breeders' Stakes at Woodbine (third leg of Canadian Triple Crown). Post time: Noon.

Holiday Monday: Derby Day at ASD with $200,000 in purse money. Manitoba Lotteries Derby, the Graduation Stakes, the Assiniboia Oaks. Post time 1 p.m. At Hastings Park, it's BC Cup Day--more than $400,000 in purses, $25,000 guaranteed pick-4. Post time: 3:25 p.m.