Category Archives: ASD History

Captain Stanley Harrison – Pioneer of Racing in Winnipeg

[caption id="attachment_8671" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Captain Stanley Harrison winning with Miko Siah.[/caption] by Bob Gates Imagine yourself exploring central Africa much like Henry Morton Stanley in search of missionary and explorer David Livingston and stepping into a clearing from the jungle stands your quarry. Only in this case the phrased uttered is Captain Harrison, I presume?…
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Nathan “Nick” Block — Owner, Trainer, Philanthropist

[caption id="attachment_8622" align="alignright" width="1024"] Nick Block's Scarlet Rich wins the River Park Handicap at ASD in 1979.[/caption] by Bob Gates Owner, trainer, philanthropist. Now there are three words you don't usually see together, at least not in the world of horseracing in this part of the country. Owner, trainer – sure. But philanthropist? And then…
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Cowboy Jack Kaenel. A Preakness Memory.

by Bob Gates With this year's Preakness in the books, Justify and jockey Mike Smith are busy preparing their bid for racing's Triple Crown. For reasons unknown to me the recent Preakness stirred-up a 36 year-old memory of the second leg of the Triple Crown. In 1982 a young Jack Kaenel and his mount Aloma's…
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Robert J. “Boo Boo” Watt – A Racetracker for Seven Decades

[caption id="attachment_8521" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Light Dust wins Tweeworth Plate on June 15, 1957. Trainer Bob Watt accepts trophy platter for his favourite horse.[/caption] by Bob Gates On the evening of Friday August 30, 1946, old Polo Park looked more like Satan's Hell than it did a racetrack. The scene was chaotic. Flames leveled "B" barn…
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Opening day 2018 beckons at ASD. A little history!

by Bob Gates Everyone's talking about the Kentucky Derby and Mothers' Day is just around the corner. You know what that means! Live racing is set to return to Assiniboia Downs! After a seven-month hiatus the Downs launches its 2018 season of thoroughbred horse racing this Mothers' Day, Sunday, May 13, and Darren Dunn and…
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A little Magic and a lot of Bull

[caption id="attachment_7804" align="alignnone" width="780"] Balooga Bull defeats archrival Magic D 'Oro in the 2014 Gold Cup at ASD.[/caption] by Bob Gates with George Williams photos The Downs' historic 60th Season of thoroughbred racing winds up this Sunday, September 10 and what a year! I've been doing these blog stories for the past six seasons of…
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My Game, the big grey gelding from North Dakota

[caption id="attachment_7727" align="alignnone" width="780"] My Game. Ray Correa up. August 2, 1972,[/caption] by Bob Gates This week we look back at the unlikely beginnings of one of the most consistent and capable platers to ever run at Assiniboia Downs - brothers, Elery and Marlow Scherbenske's grey gelding, My Game. What attributes make a horse, great?…
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Strawberry Shortcake, a Leather Coat and the Flying Filly

[caption id="attachment_7676" align="alignnone" width="780"] Ruling Lark breaks her maiden at ASD. Bobbie Dimma up. May 22, 1968.[/caption] by Bob Gates There is nothing sweeter than the memories evoked by one of God's majestic creations - the thoroughbred racehorse.  Almost 50 years have passed since the talented bay filly, Ruling Lark ruled the roost at Assiniboia…
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Horses made jockey Jimmy Anderson whole

[caption id="attachment_7623" align="alignnone" width="780"] Jimmy Anderson wins the River Park Handicap aboard Island Fling. Sept. 4, 1978.[/caption] by Bob Gates When Sir Winston Churchill said that "there's something about the outside of a horse that's good for the inside of a man" it was like he knew Jimmy Anderson. James E. Anderson was the son…
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