1. Free breakfast sandwich to the first 50 at the track
2. Special “I won big” workshop at 10:30 a.m. to play Gulfstream’s Rainbow 6 with an estimated jackpot of more than $1 million.
3. Great racing from major tracks since it’s also Presidents’ Day in the U.S. Schedule.
4. 5x the usual Player Rewards points on all bets
5. Spin to win draws. Win up to $50 in betting vouchers
6. The Southwest Stakes—a Kentucky Derby prep race—will be held at Oaklawn Park
7. New $200 contest begins: Who will win the Southwest Stakes?

“WIN BIG” AT THE PLAYMAKERS GAMING LOUNGE AT CANAD INNS WINDSOR PARK: “Learn a little, laugh a little, enjoy pizza by the slice and win big playing the horses!”  says OTB supervisor Shannon Davis about the Playmakers Gaming Lounge at Canad Inns Windsor Park at 1034 Elizabeth Road. Enter the lounge from either inside the hotel or from the parking lot. This is another full-service OTB where you can print a program, get HPI service, buy racing forms and sign up for the monthly handicapping tournament. Opens daily at 11 a.m.

THE “PEMBY” IS A FAVOURITE: Located at 1011 Pembina Highway the OTB at the Pembina Hotel has lots of TVs, VLTs, a highly-rated restaurant and plenty of parking and offers the same full service to horseplayers as noted above. “Come by and say ‘hi’ and meet the great people at the Pemby!” says Davis. Opens daily at 11 a.m. 

Equi-ciser opens March 1

The backstretch will soon see its first equine residents, says assistant director of racing Derek Corbel. Here’s the schedule:

• First horses expected to start moving in between Monday, Feb. 26 and Wednesday, Feb. 28.
• Backstretch diner will open Tuesday, Feb 27
• Equi-ciser will open two weeks from today, March 1.
• Training track is scheduled to open Tuesday, March 13
• Rental of a backstretch trailer spot including utilities and WiFi remains at $200 a month

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2018 ASD stakes schedule announced

Purse adjustments make it easier than ever to figure out what the stakes are about

Look at how easy ASD stakes will be to figure out when the live season begins on Mother’s Day:

• $30,000 stakes will be the most important stakes after the $75,000 Manitoba Derby. They will include the Gold Cup (best horse on the grounds), the Manitoba Oaks (best 3-year-old filly), the Matron (top older female) and the Winnipeg Futurity (best 2-year-old). There’s only one exception: a $30,000 purse for the CTHS Sales Stakes for 2-year-olds.
• $25,000 stakes will be those featuring Manitoba-bred horses only
• $18,000 stakes will be events for celebrated horses from the past (e.g. Balooga Bull stakes)
• $27,500 stakes will be all the others

Neat, eh? The total value of all stakes purses is $865,500. Adjustments to the stakes purses should help build bigger fields, too, notes CEO Darren Dunn. And U.S. trainers should like the fact that purse levels help make up for the lower value of the Canadian dollar compared to its U.S. counterpart. With the attractive stakes schedule in hand (and adjustments to other purse levels as well), race secretary Ray Miller and assistant director of racing Derek Corbel will hit the road at the end of the month on a horse and jockey recruitment drive. They will head west and south.

See 2018 purse schedule here.
See 2018 stakes schedule here.

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Celebrating past champions

Overnight stakes will honour Balooga Bull, Miss Missile, Monsoon Rain and three others

Miss Missile (Rohan Singh aboard) will be honoured with a race

Six champion horses from the past four decades of ASD racing that were also fan favourites will be celebrated in overnight stakes races when the 2018 live season opens on Mother’s Day. They will be (in chronological order):

• Astral Moon (31-19-3-3), Saskatchewan-bred mare born in 1973, the year Secretariat won the Triple Crown.
• Intercontinent (92-28-16-12), Virginia-bred horse born in 1974
• Electric Fever (42-17-10-5), Manitoba-bred mare born in 1979
• Monsoon Rain (32-11-5-3), Kentucky-bred gelding born in 2002
• Miss Missile (36-16-3-4), Kentucky-bred mare born in 2005
• Balooga Bull (27-16-3-1), Kentucky-bred gelding born in 2009

The committee that selected those race names included track historian Bob Gates, assistant director of racing and race starter Derek Corbel, assistant race secretary Dustin Davis and paddock host Rob MacLennan, all overseen by CEO Darren Dunn. Who’s your favourite from among those champions?

Flameaway holds off Catholic Boy in Sam F. Davis (SV Photography)

If Catholic Boy wins the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 5, I’ll collect $996.80. That’s because the colt went off at 16/1 in the Kentucky Derby Futures Pool on the weekend and I had bet $56 on him. The horses with the lowest odds were “the field” at 5/2 and Bolt d’Oro and Good Magic at 8/1. Who did you take a flyer on? See all horses and final odds here.

I also played a $1 exactor wheel with Catholic Boy first or second. My highest payoff will be $2,060 if Catholic Boy wins and Tiz Mischief is second and $2,575 if the result is reversed. See exactor payoffs for all horses in that futures pool here.

The fact that Catholic Boy finished second in his prep race Saturday, the Sam F. Davis at Tampa, wasn’t a concern at all because the horse who beat him, Flameaway at 10/1, who is much more experienced, simply got brave on the lead and Catholic Boy wasn’t quite able to catch him. In fact, I was glad because it kept the future odds high and I cashed a sizeable superfecta on the race because I had predicted the pace set-up. A similar scenario is unlikely to happen in the Derby itself. I’m thinking Catholic Boy will be racing in mid-field, then run down the early leaders. Of course, it’s a bit of a pipe dream but, hey, it’s fun!

NEXT FUTURE POOLS: The next Future Pools are March 9-11. Besides the Derby, you’ll be able to play the filly race, the Kentucky Oaks and— here’s something new--you will also be able to future wager a Derby/Oaks double!

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50-point prep races begin Saturday

Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds kicks off championship prep races

The countdown continues to the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May – with three prep races this long weekend, including the first of the 50-point championship preps on Saturday.

• Saturday: El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate. Winning horse gets 10 qualifying points for Kentucky Derby. Enter the free $2,500 online prep race contest in Fun & Games.
• Saturday: Risen Star at Fair Grounds. Winning horse gets 50 qualifying points for Derby
• Holiday Monday: Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Winning horse gets 10 qualifying points for Derby. (This is the last of the 10-pointers.) $200 DERBY PREP CONTEST BEGINS AT THE TRACK. Be sure to pick up an entry form.

WHO’S HOT? Trainer Todd Pletcher’s Noble Indy has been the talk of the track at Fair Grounds. And trainer D. Wayne Lucas’ Sporting Chance, who hasn’t raced since winning the grade 1 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga in the summer, will be a horse to watch going two turns for the first time in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn.