by Rob When beginners come out to the races one of the first things they do is go down to the paddock, pick out the prettiest horse in the race and bet them. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but is there validity to a method of handicapping that centers...
Year: 2012
The Gold Strike Mile and Assiniboia Downs – A True Harlequin Romance
by Bob Okay, now there’s a title in need of an explanation! Over the next two weeks the Gold Strike Mile will be the featured stakes race and it will be run in two divisions. On July 20 Manitoba-bred 3-year-old colts and geldings will run one mile for a $15,000 purse...
Trip Handicapping, The Way, The Truth and the Light Version 2.0 of Course
by Rob In the ‘70s a thought process came about that revolutionized handicapping. A long-haired Harvard dropout developed a set of numerical ratings to evaluate horses that ran on different days at different distances on different tracks around the country. That man...
Lucky Number 3 Pays Off in Pick-4
by George If you’re a numbers player AND your lucky number is 3, you probably did alright on the Pick-4 Wednesday night. If not, you can always take another shot at the pool on Friday. It’s usually in the $5,000 range. Just use a different set of lucky numbers....
R. C. “Bob” Anderson – Master of Hillside Farm
by Bob The 37th running of the $50,000 R. C. Anderson Stakes for 3-year-old Manitoba-bred fillies goes Friday night and it is named in honour of Robert Carr Anderson. R. C. “Bob” Anderson was a well known and respected cattleman with a fondness for horses and the...
Reid wows crowd again, Wins 4/8 races, Boots home Wheat City longshot, Forces Pick-4 carryover of $4,425
by George If you thought Jennifer Reid got lucky on Friday night at the Downs you’d be wrong. Following up on her 4-for-8 performance on Friday, the 107-pounder from Saskatchewan gave an encore performance on Saturday night, winning four of the eight races including...
Apprentice Reid Wins 4/8 Races on Friday Night, $2 Pick-4 Pays $8,033
by George It was Girls' Night Out at the races on Friday for at least one lady. She just happened be a jock. Apprentice Jennifer Reid won four of the eight races on Friday night at the Downs, including the middle legs of a $2 Pick-4 that paid a whopping $8,033 for the...
Nearing the Midway Point in the Season at ASD, A Look Forward and a Look Back
by Rob The live racing season is almost at the halfway point! Time flies when you’re having fun. Leading trainers so far are Blair Miller, Ardell Sayler and Chad Torevell. Leading riders are Paul Nolan, Rohan Singh and Tyrone Nelson. Leading owners are K 5 Stables,...
Nifty Dominated the Wheat City Stakes at ASD
by Bob Who knew? The Downs has honoured the City of Brandon with a race carrying the name “Wheat City” since it first opened in 1958. According to old media guides and newspaper accounts this year’s Wheat City Stakes should be the 42nd running, but it’s actually the...
Brown Unleashes Golden Stripe Tiger to Win CANSTAR Canada Day Stakes
by George Never underestimate the power of good horsemanship, especially on racing’s biggest days. Just a few weeks ago trainer Shelley Brown had only a few wins to show for her efforts this year. The rumor mill in the backstretch said that she had taken on too many...