Monthly Archives: May 2014

Playing the 15% takeout Pick-4 at ASD

by Rob Nine race days at ASD are complete and an alarming trend has begun to occur in the highly lucrative 15% takeout Pick-4. Six of the race days have had medium sized Pick-4 payoffs between $302 and $624 for a $2 wager. The other three race days have ended with carryovers in the Pick-4…
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Chalky Pick-4 results in many winners, but losers impress

[caption id="attachment_3406" align="alignright" width="270"] Desert Lightning (5) gets up to defeat a gutsy Media Contact (4) in the 7th race on Friday night.[/caption] by George Three favourites and a second choice made for slim pickings in the Pick-4 on Friday night at the Downs, but there were some excellent horse and jockey performances to take…
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New jockey, new horse, win debuts at Downs, Ladies saddle longshots

[caption id="attachment_3397" align="alignright" width="270"] Aware wins 8th race at ASD on Wednesday. Renaldo Cumberbatch up.[/caption] by George New jockey Jalon Samuel won with his first mount ever here, trainers Lorna Gray and Sherri Laing owned the longshots of the night, and a new 3-year-old filly named Aware definitely made us that with a powerful stretch…
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June 6, 1976 – The day the mighty Thor ravaged the Downs

[caption id="attachment_3368" align="alignright" width="270"] Thor was angry on June 6, 1976 at Assiniboia Downs.[/caption] by Bob In the world of Norse mythology, Thor is recognized as the God of Thunder, but he is also closely associated with lightning and storms. On Sunday, June 6, 1976 Assiniboia Downs was the victim of his wrath! The day…
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Betting on Breeding Part 1: Manitoba Stallions

[caption id="attachment_3383" align="alignright" width="270"] Double 2014 winner Jet Again, by Manitoba sire Going Commando.[/caption] by Rob To kick off the 2014 blog series for myself, I thought it would be great to discuss one of those topics in racing that is much talked about yet foreign to many people: the actual breeding of a race…
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Jet Again impresses again on Saturday night, Deanna says YES!

[caption id="attachment_3354" align="alignright" width="270"] Jet Again takes the measure of Storm Chance in the 5th race on Saturday night.[/caption] by George Top 3-year-old Jet Again came storming home to win his second in a row, trainer Shelley Brown won her first race of the season, and the $2 Pick-4 paid $412.70 on a rainy Saturday…
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Balooga Bull wins 2014 debut impressively, Pick-4 pool swells to over 23k

[caption id="attachment_3340" align="alignright" width="270"] Balooga Bull wins his 2014 debut at the Downs. Paul Nolan up.[/caption] by George Reigning Champion Older Horse Balooga Bull made his 2014 debut a winning one, jockey Paul Nolan and trainer Ardell Sayler each scored a hat trick, and the Pick-4 pool swelled to over $23,000 with the help of…
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Remembering Turn to Rule, the little blazed-faced chestnut, that could

[caption id="attachment_3333" align="alignright" width="270"] Turn To Rule in the Winner's Circle at ASD with Linda Wedge. July 20, 1980. Larry Bird up.[/caption] by Bob Turn to Rule's Jockey Club registration papers described his distinctive blaze as "a large irregular star and connected stripe," but what really differentiated the multiple stakes winner from so many of…
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Pick-4 carryover of $3,580 tonight! Preakness simulcast a must watch.

[caption id="attachment_3320" align="alignright" width="270"] Paul Nolan wins aboard Desert Lightning to create Saturday Pick-4 carryover of $3,580.[/caption] Desert Lightning and Paul Nolan came rolling home in the stretch to win the sixth race on Friday night to ensure a Pick-4 carryover of $3,580 into Saturday's live racing card, and there were also a few first-time…
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Robert Joseph Franklin, the quiet man from Iowa

[caption id="attachment_3305" align="alignright" width="270"] Bob Franklin. Good for horse racing.[/caption] by Bob Bob Franklin was only 72 when he was called to heaven's backstretch on May 1, 1990, but he crammed a lot of living into his time on this earth. Much of it at Assiniboia Downs. Bob was a simple, quiet, black man from…
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