by Bob Gates Ron Turcotte was 14 when he left school to work as a lumberjack with his father. He saw his career go from cutting lumber in the bush to construction work and eventually he found his way to E. P. Taylor's Windfields Farm in 1960. In those early years his...
by Bob Gates There's a common thread that links books written to honour champions of the past and our humble blog stories. Both remember special equines from the early days of the Winnipeg racing scene who have long since passed. Not this time around! This multiple...
by Bob Gates Well another Manitoba Derby is on the books and congratulations go out to the winner Red Knobs and his connections, owner Rob Nokes, trainer Robertino Diodoro and jockey Jorge Carreno. It's fun to look back at the list of previous winners of our Derby....
by Bob Gates A few weeks ago we tried something different. The traditional blog story was replaced by an array of photos complete with captions and it turns out, you liked it! With our Manitoba Derby going to post Monday, August 1 let's give the photo story idea...
by Bob Gates Who's kidding who, you're being short-changed this time around. Our weekly history blog isn't about a historical horse racing figure or event. That's right, no person, horse or anything else was researched for today's tale. However, in an effort to pacify...
by Bob Gates Last winter, during a covid-induced research binge, the name Light Dust jumped off the pages of the defunct Winnipeg Tribune. The headline read, "That's all for Light Dust." This old-time runner's name was a familiar one. He was a rare breed, a champion...
by Bob Gates In a 1989 interview Darren Dunn told Paul Turney of the Daily Racing Form (DRF) that he was 11 years old when he heard his first race. "It was an exciting confrontation between Northern Diamond and Picatune and when I heard the announcer I fantasized,...
by Bob Gates Who was Miko Siah? Equibase stats have the multiple stakes-placed stallion with $10,892 in career earnings from 74 starts. He compiled a record of 8 wins, 10 seconds and 13 thirds from 1948 to 1956. Respectable considering his level of competition, but...
by Bob Gates Let's celebrate a Diamond Jubilee, shall we? This year marks the 60th anniversary of jockey George Richard "Dickie" Armstrong's first leading-rider title (1962) at Assiniboia Downs. The Maple Creek, Saskatchewan native would go on to top the Downs...
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...