by Bob Gates "And Now for Something Completely Different" was a catchphrase from the British television comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus, and it just happens to be perfect for this week's blog. This isn't your typical history story, at least it's not what you've grown accustomed to. What we have this week is an…
Read more
Downs Honors Contributions of Manitoba Duo with Hall of Fame Nominations
[caption id="attachment_15541" align="alignright" width="1000"] Late MJC Chairman Harvey Warner in one of his favourite places at Assiniboia Downs. (Winnipeg Free Press photo)[/caption] by Bob Gates R. James Speers and "Bobby" Summers are getting awful lonely over at 145 Pacific Avenue, home of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame (MSHOF). This past March, Assiniboia Downs took…
Read more
M&M’s: Sweet Treats for the Soul
[caption id="attachment_15472" align="alignright" width="1000"] Coherence. August 29, 1959. Trainer Gary Danelson's first win.[/caption] by Bob Gates Well, now that we have a couple of days of racing under our belt, let's celebrate with some M&M's. Nope, not the multi-coloured, button-shaped chocolates which are the flagship product of Mars, Incorporated. We're talking about milestones and memories…
Read more
A Toast: To the Dearly Departed and Season #65!
[caption id="attachment_15213" align="alignright" width="1000"] Season #65 at ASD kicks off on May 31 at 7:30 p.m.[/caption] by Bob Gates How about a game of "Jeopardy," Assiniboia Downs style? Answer: September 16, 2021, to May 30, 2022. Question: What is the "off season" for the 2021 - 2022 Downs race meets? In case you're wondering that's…
Read more
A Salute to Assiniboia Downs
[caption id="attachment_14112" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] The 2021 season at ASD is nearing the finish line.[/caption] by Bob Gates "The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things: Of shoes - and ships - and sealing-wax - Of cabbages and kings - And why the sea is boiling hot -…
Read more
Celebrating 64 Years of the Gold Cup
[caption id="attachment_14051" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Pool to Market sets new track record in 1967 Gold Cup at Assiniboia Downs[/caption] by Bob Gates One of the many challenges facing Jack Hardy when he opened Assiniboia Downs in 1958 was to establish races that would grow into annual contests steeped in tradition. In the first year of…
Read more
Tommy & Wayne Elias, the father and son team behind Question Mark Farm
[caption id="attachment_13988" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Never A Question wins at ASD on August 14, 1967.[/caption] by Bob Gates For those of us who go back far enough, few would debate that Question Mark Farm was one of the more iconic stable names to have ever graced a barn at Assiniboia Downs. Owner, trainer, breeder and Master…
Read more
Clarence Marzolf: Let’s hear it for the “Little Guy” who ran his horses with the big boys!
[caption id="attachment_13929" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Clarence Marzolf paddocking Astral Moon. 1982 Inaugural Handicap at ASD.[/caption] by Bob Gates Clarence and Sue Marzolf were a husband-and-wife duo that made the backside of Assiniboia Downs their home for 40 years. Theirs was one of those partnerships that was envied by many and admired by all. We lost Clarence…
Read more
Lawrence Greenberg: Master of Big Boy Stable
[caption id="attachment_13854" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Beausejour Boy and Lawrence Greenberg in 1978.[/caption] by Bob Gates "Lawrence was bigger than life. He was what I pictured a big owner to look like, just the way he carried himself. The stable name suited him to a tee." -- Irwin Driedger on Lawrence Greenberg You hear phrases like "bigger…
Read more
Carl Norman Anderson. Old School Professional Horseman.
[caption id="attachment_13802" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] One of Carl Anderson's four Gold Cup wins at ASD. Secret Cipher. August 28, 1983.[/caption] by Bob Gates Carl Anderson was only 13 years old when Assiniboia Downs opened in 1958, but it didn't take him long to find his way to the Portage Avenue track. Right from the "get-go" young…
Read more