UNIQUE XMAS GIFTS: What a surprise at Christmas if you give that special person or couple a race presentation package that will honour them with a horse race named for them. Call Abbi at 885-3330 ext. 277 to make it happen. It includes race presentation trophy, a framed picture of the special occasion and more--sure to be a memorable gift. Also, you might consider a gift certificate for the Terrace Dining Room.

THE "RIBBING" CONTINUES: Tonight's Prime Rib Thursday in the Terrace Dining Room is SOLD OUT! --all you can eat for $14.95 from 5 to 8 p.m. And next Thursday, a full festive feast (turkey and all the trimmings) will be added to the buffet as well. Don't wait! Call Samantha at 885-3330 to book for next week.

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JUST THE MOST LUXURIOUS RACE TRACK IN THE WORLD: Meydan in Dubai opens soon and will feature the $10 million Dubai World Cup in March. But there's one little problem (see below).

What will unlimited oil wealth buy? Go here and see. You'll see just the most stunningly ornate race track in the world, soon to be opened in Dubai

Curlin wins 2008 Dubai World Cup but
new track isn't Curlin-friendly
in the United Arab Emirates. The vast sweeping grandstand is designed for 60,000 spectators--or you can watch the races from your yacht! Water features are everywhere. It will be the site of the richest race on the planet--the $10 million World Cup at the end of March. The track is called Meydan (which means "meeting place") and it's the product of an oil-rich society where streets are paved in gold.

Just one niggling problem: THE RACE TRACK . Curlin, you may recall, won the World Cup at the old Dubai race track, Nad Al Sheba, in 2008. But his owners would likely not be interested in the new bazillion-dollar track next door. In fact, most North American horses wouldn't be. Whaaaaa? Why not? Read on ....

RICHEST RACE RAISES TROUBLING QUESTIONS

New Dubai track has Tapeta surface

The new Meydan race track in Dubai is indisputably awesome. But will North American horses like it? The track has a Tapeta synthetic surface instead of dirt which the old track next door, Nad Al Sheba, had. This will pose troubling questions for owners of top-class North American horses who will be invited to participate in the mega-rich Dubai World Cup races in the spring.

Horse owner Jess Jackson:
Bye-bye, Dubai?

Tapeta track material
Will it be worth the expense of shipping a horse all the way over to the United Arab Emirates only to discover the horse performs poorly over that particular synthetic mix?

The problem with synthetic courses is that each one is different and horses respond differently over all of them. Polytrack at Woodbine is different from Polytrack at Keeneland which is different from Polytrack at Arlington, etc., etc. So even horses that perform well over the Tapeta surface at Golden Gate, for example, can't be counted on liking the Tapeta at the desert track.

Recall that California wine-producing magnate Jess Jackson didn't send one of the best fillies of all time, Rachel Alexandra, to the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita because, the previous year, his Curlin spun his wheels on Pro-Ride and finished fourth in the Classic. We also saw the best New York dirt horses finishing up the track in the Breeders' Cup held on Pro-Ride.

So it's going to be very, very interesting to see what happens in the spring as Meydan's owners try to woo the best North American horses. They want the prestige of showcasing the best thoroughbred talent in the world; that's why they're offering the biggest purse in the world--$10 million. But all the money in the world can't alter a horse's disdain for certain racing surfaces. The World Cup now will likely become dominated by European horses because European horses already race on grass, which is similar to synthetic tracks.

Michael Dickinson, a former horse trainer who developed the Tapeta Footings company in Maryland, praised Meydan for installing his product: "We are sure Meydan will set the standard for racecourses and racing surfaces that the rest of the world will endeavor to match.” For current dirt tracks in North America, that's highly unlikely.

Delta's biggest race of the year, the $750,000 Delta Jackpot featuring 2-year-olds, goes tomorrow (Friday) at the Louisiana track.

BIGGEST NIGHT AT DELTA TOMORROW

Will Rule rule in Delta Jackpot?

Rule, the record-setting 2-year-old colt trained by Todd Pletcher, was scheduled to enter tomorrow's $750,000 Delta Jackpot Stakes at Delta Downs. The Roman Rule colt established a track record a month ago in the $175,000 Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta, going the mile in 1:37.45. Rule had broken his maiden at Belmont. The $500,000 Delta Princess Stakes for 2-year-old fillies is also set for tomorrow at the Louisiana track.

WINNERS' CORNER

Saskatchewan's pain is Jeff's gain

Amazingly, for the second year in a row veteran horseplayer Jeff Pirt predicted the correct total number of field goals in Sunday's Grey Cup Game, winning $50 which was doubled to $100 because he was present at the conclusion of the heart-breaking game (for Sask fans, that is). The correct total was five. Saskatchewan, of course, wished the total had been four. Last year, Jeff had correctly picked seven field goals in the Montreal-Calgary match-up. Jeff was among 10 to win the opportunity to predict field goals based on their performance in a pre-game show contest. Retired highways worker William Latta won the $100 prize in that contest. He handicapped his five best show horses at Aqueduct Saturday night in preparation for Sunday's play. His pre-prep obviously paid off!

FINAL 5-ALIVE: Nice going to John Ganas, Roy Hunchak, Manny Medeiros, Ray Pearson and Jim Roberts who split the jackpot of $100 winning $20 each. In the first 35 second betting spree, Dave Boehmer wagered $48 and won $112.80. This was Dave’s second time being drawn as a contestant and he admits he was more prepared this time. His strategy was to bet $2 win tickets on #2 in Race 8 from Charles Town. His horse won by a whisker. Dave Brockhill wagered $40 in the next betting spree but came up empty.

FREEROLL POKER FRIDAY: Teacher Rick Zaretsky won the first game. Rick loves horse racing and is the second best player in his family--second to his son. Retiree George Bartlett won the second game.

FREEROLL POKER SATURDAY: Business owner Rick Dow won the first game and Great West Life administrator Colleen Gellar won the second. See current poker standings here.

LADIES' NIGHT FRIDAY SPA DRAW: MPI Claims Processor, Linda Anderson won a $300 spa package courtesy of Finger & Toes Day Spa and Fabutan Sun Tan Studios and Assiniboia Downs. Enter every Friday in the VLT lounge!

READERS WRITE: Legendary thank you

Ivan: Excellent article on Bert Blake. It would be nice to see more of these kind of articles in future Insiders. It would be nice to hear "where are they now" about the jocks that were in the 1958 program. I remember them all. keep up the good work. -- Ray Senebald

Ivan: Great article on Bert Blake! Jared my son races there and I, too, grew up in Winnipeg! I did go to the races as well in 1958 but my memory is not quite as clear as Bert’s! Congrats to ASD for a great story! -- Ross Brown

THEY NAMED ME WHAT? Chi ter. That's the cutesy name of a quarter horse racing at Lone Star.

QUICK BITS: Toronto awards banquet more relaxed

A jacket and tie is sufficient to get you into the previously formal Sovereign Awards banquet in Toronto in late January. But the cost of a ticket, $125, should still keep the riff-raff at bay. Top Canadian horses and horsemen will be honoured at the dinner. Some tables will be situated on Woodbine Polytrack and others will be on Fort Erie dirt. IT'S A JOKE! The Manitoba edition of the horsemen's banquet usually happens in the spring.

TOPS AT RIDING AND TRAINING: Congrats to Hastings' Frank Barroby who is being inducted into the B.C. Horse Racing Hall of Fame on Dec. 12. He is the first person ever in B.C. to have been leading jockey and, later, leading trainer. And, quick trivia teaser, can you name the leading jockey at Assiniboia Downs in 1963? . . . you guessed it . . . Frank Barroby.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Dec. 12 is Triple Fun Saturday

What a day Saturday, Dec. 12 is going to be! I call it Triple Fun Saturday because look at this:

Whose key will open
Treasure Chest?
1. FINAL HORSEPLAYER TOURNEY: The final horseplayer tournament of the year and the one that will crown the Handicapper of the Year is a week away, Saturday, Dec. 12. The two contest tracks will be Aqueduct and Fair Grounds. The current standings for Handicapper of the Year are here. But there are two bonus extras:

(a) BONUS #1: The winner's prize is expected to be about $750. BUT, ALSO, ANYONE ATTENDING THE HORSEPLAYER SEMINAR AT 11 A.M. will get an EXTRA $100 if that person finishes anywhere in the top three.

(b) BONUS #2: What's more, everyone who enters the tournament will get to guess which key will open a Treasure Chest with $500 in it. The person who guesses correctly wins $100. And even the three closest guessers (without going over) get $25 apiece.

2. GOOSE CONTEST AWARDS FEST: This is the day the winner of my "When will the geese leave?" contest is crowned. But, also, the top 50 entrants will choose a goose key ring to see if the key on the ring opens a Treasure Chest containing $500. The first person who opens the chest gets the money. Also, all 50 initially will receive $10 to play the horses. Find out more here.

3. AH, COMFORT FOOD: Everyone's favourite comfort food, shepard's pie, will be served all day. Everyone entering the horseplayer contest (entry fee $25) will receive this luncheon free.