[caption id="attachment_744" align="alignright" width="252" caption="A. E. "Bert" Blake - June 29, 1919 - June 19, 2012"][/caption] by Bob I guess deep down I knew that one day it would happen, but honestly, the news hit me harder than I expected – Albert Edward “Bert” Blake passed away today, 10 days short of his 93rd birthday.…
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Frank Arnason Sire Stakes — Listen
by Bob [caption id="attachment_776" align="alignright" width="250" caption="Going For A Few wins 2011 Frank Arnason Sire Stakes"][/caption] This Saturday’s feature race is the 25th running of the Frank Arnason Sire Stakes. The race is for Manitoba bred 3-year-olds over a distance of 6 furlongs for a purse of $25,000. The winner of the inaugural running of…
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Remembering “Woody” in the Free Press
by Bob [caption id="attachment_659" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Iwouldificould wins 2005 Free Press Stakes"][/caption] This Sunday’s running of the Free Press Stakes will be the 52nd edition of the race. The Winnipeg Free Press trophy has a long and storied association with the Downs, beginning with Fremarcton winning the inaugural running of the race in 1960. From…
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1982 Golden Boy Stakes Winner De Cat was a “Great Horse”
by Bob [caption id="attachment_571" align="alignright" width="300" caption="De Cat wins 1982 Golden Boy Stakes"][/caption] This week’s featured stakes race is the 36th running of the $30,000 Golden Boy, which pits the undefeated Balooga Bull against four rival 3-year-olds going six furlongs. Should Balooga Bull win the Golden Boy, which goes as the third race on Friday,…
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Hazel Wright Sire Stakes was named after industry icon
by Bob Assiniboia Downs kicks off its stakes schedule this weekend with the 5th running of the Hazel Wright Sire Stakes for Manitoba-bred 3-year-old fillies on Saturday, June 2. At this point there isn’t a lot of “history” to the race itself. The winner of the inaugural running of the race in 2008 was Blueberry…
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Polo Park, “America’s finest racing plant”
[caption id="attachment_424" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Victory Gift in the Polo Park Winner's Circle"][/caption] by Bob Polo Park, the “father” in our family tree analogy, was a 6 furlong oval that opened on June 12, 1925. R. James Speers was given credit for building Polo Park, but he was not the driving force behind the idea to…
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Memories of Whittier Park, Grandfather of Assiniboia Downs
[caption id="attachment_331" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Whittier Park Program"][/caption] by Bob If horse racing were going to flourish in Winnipeg it was clear that River Park would not be the answer. A new track had to be built. The idea for Whittier Park was hatched in 1923 by R. James Speers, construction began the same year, and…
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River Park – The Great Grandfather of Assiniboia Downs
[caption id="attachment_251" align="alignright" width="300" caption="River Park 1923. Note the Admission Price!"][/caption] by Bob In family tree terms, the “father” of Assiniboia Downs was Polo Park race track. The “grandfather” in this imaginary ancestry, with apologies for the lack of female references, was Whittier Park. The “great-grandfather” and we will go back no further, was River…
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Fond Memories of Opening Day at Assiniboia Downs
by Bob Fond Memories of Opening Day at Assiniboia Downs Sunday May 6, 2012 will be the 55th opening day in the illustrious history of Assiniboia Downs. To mark the event, let’s take a trip back in time and see what kind of memories we can find in the Downs’ memory vault. You may be…
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