ORANGE TERIYAKI RIBS & ROASTED TURKEY are the add-ons to tonight's $14.95 all-you-can-eat mouthwateringly tender Prime Rib buffet in the Terrace Dining Room from 5 to 8 p.m. Full menu. Book your table at 885-3330 ext. 0. Easter Brunch.

TONIGHT'S DELTA CONTEST POOL NOW $100!  No one predicted the pick-3 on races 7 to 9 at Delta Downs last Thursday so $80 is at stake for your pick on tonight's races 7 to 9.  Plus $20 for predicting the winner of race 7 (Ivan Weir won last week's prize.  Congrats!)   Please put your picks in your subject line and email by 8 p.m. to theinsider@assiniboiadowns.com.  One pick per person and only one pick per email address please.  Every correct answer gets 1,000 player rewards points.  Ties for the cash prize(s) will be broken in a draw at 9 p.m. Friday in the Clubhouse.  If the winner is present, he (she) will receive a $20 bonus.

GOOD NEWS!  This column contains no fats, is sodium-free and leaves no carbon footprint.  In other words, digest this column, guilt-free, as often as you like. To burn more calories, bounce on your chair while reading.

Three reasons to care about Saturday Saturday will be the biggest day of racing since the Breeders' Cup with superstars Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta making their 2010 debuts and last year's 2-year-old champion Lookin At Lucky attempting to show he can handle dirt in the run-up to the Kentucky Derby.

Saturday, you could wash your car or . . . you could come out for just the biggest day in racing since the Breeders' Cup.  Superstars Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta will be making their 2010 debut, Rachel in the $200,000 New Orleans Ladies at the Fair Grounds and Zenyatta in the $250,000 San Margarita at Santa Anita.   And last year's champion 2-year-old colt, Lookin at Lucky, a prime contender to win the Kentucky Derby, is making his first start on dirt in the $300,000 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn. Will dirt muddy his Derby bid? 

And down in Florida, the $300,000 Tampa Bay Derby is on tap as well as the female counterpart of that race, the $150,000 Florida Oaks.  On the other side of the state Gulfstream will be featuring the best horses on the grounds in the $300,000 Gulfstream Park Handicap.
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Help him climb out of the bathtub

LOSE AN HOUR, SAVE A SPIDER:  Still not thrilled?  Well, you can look forward to an extra hour of daylight because daylight saving time begins Sunday and--hold your hat--Sunday is national Save a Spider Day!  Okay, now I've got your attention, eh?  To mark that important day, you can make a spider "ladder" to allow spiders to climb out of the bathtub.  (How in heck do they get in there, anyway?)

Whatever. My breath is shortening just THINKING about this weekend's great line-up.  And, of course, the Downs will do its best to ramp up the fun by cranking up the volume on the big races and holding a $1,000 Superstar Quiz on Saturday. Be sure to enter!

ARE RACHEL AND ZENYATTA SHOO-INS?

Can I say it?  Big Brown.

I hate to play the role of spoilsport but can you imagine 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra or the unbeaten Zenyatta not winning their respective races this Saturday?  But this is racing.  And, even though they are racing against mere females after beating up on males last year, who knows how fit they are after having not raced since last year?

But they do have something in their favour.  They're females.  And what I've noticed is that females, especially those who show speed, perform well even after lengthy layoffs.  That would make Rachel more of a likely winner than Zenyatta because Zenyatta is a come-from-behind type.  Using that knowledge, if there is an upset on Saturday (and it would be a HUGE one), it would likely come in Zenyatta's race at Santa Anita.

Watching both races on pins and needles, of course, will be the owners of Oaklawn Park.  They want wins by both horses to set up the race on Friday, April 9 when both horses are scheduled to meet in the $5 million Apple Blossom Invitational at Oaklawn.  BBB (Before Big Brown) I would have readily predicted Zen and Rach to win their races this Saturday in a cakewalk. But ABB (After Big Brown), I'm taking the extra measure of crossing my fingers hoping that both horses do what's expected of them. 

POKER FINALS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

Three trips to Vegas at stake; prizes for 45 runners-up

Well, there are only two sleeps until the tournament many of you have been waiting for:  The Texas hold 'em finals that will send three people to Las Vegas to participate in the World Series of Poker.  But there are prizes for the 45 runners up as well.  Each player's

THREE TO WATCH: Fred Bruenger (at table) second in the rankings with 170 points; Blair Miller (inset) won last year's ASD tourney; Irene Hofmann (inset) on a recent roll.

starting stack will depend on how many points the player accumulated during the games held Friday and Saturday since November. Here are the rankings. Each point is worth an extra $1,000 chip.  Your final chance to earn points comes tomorrow night at the usual games at 7:30 and 10:30 p.m.  

There will be three games, two on Saturday and one on Sunday, all starting at 2 p.m. sharp.  Sign-up starts at 1 p.m.  Saturday:  Two games will run simultaneously: one for the top 100 men and one for women (about 52 participating).  Sunday will feature a co-ed game of the top 200 players.  The top 16 players in each game will receive prizes. Even if you're not in the tournament, you may wish to drop by to enjoy watching the action at the final table.

SALUTING WINNERS

Remarkable prediction much closer than pros

How did local motor salesman Tim Baylis outdo the professional prognosticators and come so amazingly close to predicting the correct number of gold, silver and bronze medals Canada would win? (He predicted gold and silver dead-on and  was just three shy of the

Tim Baylis Better predictor than pros

correct bronze count.  He had predicted 14 - 7 - 8.  The actual count was 14 - 7 - 5.)  When he came to the Downs last Friday to pick up his consolation prizes ($50, buffet dinner for two and Olympic mittens) Tim explained he researched the topic.  He said he Googled "medal predictions" and read a story that predicted Canada would win 30 medals.  He reduced that by one and toyed with the breakdown, tilting for more gold than the pros thought Canada could win--and getting it just right. (Canadian Press predicted 11-12-14, Canwest News: 12-8-21, Sports Illustrated 10-11-9,  Olympic "guru" Luciano Barro: 6-10-13).   Amazing analysis,  Tim.   And worth bragging about for a long, long time.  To see all contestant's predictions, go here.