[caption id="attachment_195" align="alignright" width="300" caption="And they're off!"][/caption] Best Bet, Longshot, for opening day at the Downs, horse-by-horse analysis of the 139th Kentucky Derby by Rob It’s opening day at Assiniboia Downs on Sunday, May 5 and what better way to precede it than with a Kentucky Derby the day before that features a horse…
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Labour Day long weekend looks favorable for longshots at ASD
[caption id="attachment_1532" align="alignright" width="270" caption="NCI Manitoba Derby Pre-Game Show with Scott Taylor and Chad Torevell"][/caption] by Rob Last weekend was filled with short-priced favourites, stakes races and impressive performances. Balooga Bull romped home in an allowance race, Red Rebellion won a Maiden Special Weight race and the five stakes races were won mostly by the…
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Slew of stakes at ASD this weekend feature the best horses on the grounds, Balooga Bull and betting opportunities
[caption id="attachment_947" align="alignright" width="270" caption="Golden Stripe will try to duplicate her Canada Day Stakes victory in Friday's Distaff at ASD"][/caption] by Rob There are five stakes races this weekend at ASD featuring the best horses on the grounds, including Manitoba Derby winner Balooga Bull, who will face seven rivals in a prep for the Gold…
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Don’t forget class in your handicapping
[caption id="attachment_1449" align="alignright" width="270" caption="Plus Ultra should be tough in the fourth race on Saturday"][/caption] by Rob Modern handicapping is so heavily focused on speed, how fast a horse ran and numbers, that people often forget about another important basic form of handicapping. Class handicapping puts heavy emphasis on what level a horse runs at…
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Handicapping Manitoba Lotteries Derby Weekend 2012
[caption id="attachment_1199" align="alignright" width="270" caption="Friday ASD Longshot: Sweet Margi"][/caption] by Rob Monday, August 6, is Manitoba Lotteries Derby Day. It’s our biggest day of live racing and it’s shaping up to be incredibly exciting! The four stakes races carded for Derby Day should all have large competitive fields with no clear cut favorites – which…
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Handicapping the Visual: Going Beyond the Past Performances
[caption id="attachment_599" align="alignright" width="270" caption="Danger Rules heads Gold Strike Mile"][/caption] by Rob When beginners come out to the races one of the first things they do is go down to the paddock, pick out the prettiest horse in the race and bet them. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but is there validity to a…
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Trip Handicapping, The Way, The Truth and the Light Version 2.0 of Course
by Rob [caption id="attachment_1054" align="alignright" width="270" caption="Trip handicappers always pay close attention to the break from the starting gate."][/caption] In the ‘70s a thought process came about that revolutionized handicapping. A long-haired Harvard dropout developed a set of numerical ratings to evaluate horses that ran on different days at different distances on different tracks around…
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Nearing the Midway Point in the Season at ASD, A Look Forward and a Look Back
[caption id="attachment_158" align="alignright" width="270" caption="Top ASD 3-Year-Old Balooga Bull"][/caption] by Rob The live racing season is almost at the halfway point! Time flies when you’re having fun. Leading trainers so far are Blair Miller, Ardell Sayler and Chad Torevell. Leading riders are Paul Nolan, Rohan Singh and Tyrone Nelson. Leading owners are K 5 Stables,…
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Pair of Carryovers Start Canada Day Weekend Off Right!
by Rob [caption id="attachment_867" align="alignright" width="257" caption="Lucky Lady Go live longshot in Canada Day"][/caption] I’m really not sure how Orville Got Even got up to win the seventh race on Wednesday night, but it was one of the happiest times I’ve had throwing away tickets. The Pick-4 carryover of $3,488 dollars makes Friday’s card that…
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Friday Pick-5 Looks Playable – And Winnable
[caption id="attachment_806" align="alignright" width="270" caption="Charlie Waffles - Frank Arnason Sire Stakes"][/caption] by Rob Bob’s weekly piece featured the $25,000 Frank Arnason Sire Stakes and the history of that race. I will leave the history to him and concentrate instead on this year’s rendition of the race for 3-year-old Manitoba-breds, which goes as the seventh race…
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