[caption id="attachment_16604" align="alignright" width="1000"] 1972 Manitoba Derby winner Nice Dancer and jockey Bobby Stewart.[/caption] 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…
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The Great Cull of ’62
[caption id="attachment_13427" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Royal Ghost. Three wins as a 10-year-old at the Downs in 1960. Double-digit payoffs every time. Bobby Stewart up.[/caption] by Bob Gates "Cull - to remove an inferior animal from a herd." The definition sounds sad, doesn't it? However, following Assiniboia Downs' 1962 race meet that is exactly what took place…
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The Golden Age of Horse Racing
[caption id="attachment_13328" align="alignleft" width="986"] 1971 Powder Puff Derby winner Karen (Chysyk) Hendricks (center). Runner-up Joan Phipps to the right of Jack Hardy.[/caption] by Bob Gates The 1970s were a special time for the Sport of Kings. The decade bragged of its three Triple Crown winners Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977) and Affirmed (1978). Secretariat's sweep…
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The Greatest Race That Never Was
[caption id="attachment_11846" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Man O' War. How good was he?[/caption] by Bob Gates For as long as most of us can remember, the first Saturday in May is reserved for the Kentucky Derby, but not this year. The "Run for the Roses" was rescheduled to the fall because of COVID-19. You just knew NBC…
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A Tale of Two Bobbys: May 3, 1969 – The Best of Times. May 3, 1985 – The Worst of Times.
[caption id="attachment_10002" align="alignright" width="1024"] Bobby Stewart on Ocean Roar at the 1969 Kentucky Derby.[/caption] by Bob Gates The 2019 racing season is loaded with special anniversaries. Last week it was Barbara Jo Rubin and this week belongs to another jockey, Robert Roy "Bobby" Stewart. In 1969 the American Triple Crown races turned into a duel…
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Plentiful’s 2017 Manitoba Derby triumph provides storybook ending
[caption id="attachment_8976" align="alignright" width="400"] 2017 Manitoba Derby winner Plentiful[/caption] by Bob Gates Imagine, a blog dedicated to all things historical, and this week we travel all the way back in time to last year's Derby. Murray Duncan and the Estate of Garylle Bruce Stewart's Plentiful won the 69th running of the Manitoba Derby in 2017,…
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That’s a wrap! Season #59 at ASD draws to a close

[caption id="attachment_6304" align="alignright" width="780"] Mustard family celebrates a win on the latest date for the Downs ever to race on November 11, 1991.[/caption] by Bob Gates This week we put the finishing touches on Season #59 at Assiniboia Downs with a weekend featuring five stake races. The Winnipeg Futurity and Matron kick things off on…
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Good-bye Garylle Stewart. April 21, 1940 – August 1, 2016
by Bob Gates The August 1, 2016 Manitoba Derby will be one I never forget, and forever remember, as bittersweet. The inclement weather created a dream track if you were a mudder, but it was a less than ideal day for the Manitoba Jockey Club, which was hoping to draw a record crowd. In the…
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Wondrous Wednesday – Oh What a Night!
[caption id="attachment_5494" align="alignleft" width="780"] Jim Sorenson on Simons Sword. His 3rd of 7 winners on June 23, 1976.[/caption] by Bob Gates Isn't it sweet when everything clicks and you can do no wrong? Well, Assiniboia Downs can boast of at least five jockeys who experienced a rare combination of skill, luck and whatever else…
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American Pharoah’s Halter, Mission (Almost) Impossible
[caption id="attachment_5463" align="alignleft" width="780"] The Stewart clan. L to R, daughter Audrey, Garylle, son-in-law Brian, granddaughter Alissa.[/caption] by Bob Gates By now we all know the background story that resulted in the acquisition of the prized American Pharoah halter which in addition to other racing memorabilia, was sold at auction last August in aid of…
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