Tag Archives: Irwin Driedger

The Levesque Family – Friends of Assiniboia Downs

[caption id="attachment_20453" align="alignright" width="1000"] 1975 Manitoba Derby. L to R: Yonnie Starr, Derby Belle and Jean-Louis Levesque.[/caption]   by Bob Gates How do you pay tribute to the father/son duo of Jean-Louis and Pierre-Louis, who were important contributors to the history of Assiniboia Downs? It isn’t an easy task, but let’s give it a go.…
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Memories of Hall of Famer Irwin Driedger

[caption id="attachment_18620" align="alignright" width="1000"] Irwin in the winner's circle at Assiniboia Downs with Astral Moon in 1979.[/caption] by Bob Gates One of the many rewards of writing the history blog is meeting a lot of good people from the sport we all love. Getting to know Irwin Driedger easily sits near the top of that…
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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…
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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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The Rivalry. Northern Spike and Mr. Macho

[caption id="attachment_7208" align="alignnone" width="780"] Derby Trial stretch drive 1980. Northern Spike inside. Mr. Macho outside.[/caption] by Bob Gates Mr. Macho and Northern Spike's two-year rivalry at Assiniboia Downs was a classic. Why just 1979 and 80? Well, after 1980 "Spike" raced at the Downs until May 1984. "Macho" move to Woodbine and Fort Erie in…
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Irwin Driedger, the Jock with the Golden Locks

[caption id="attachment_3839" align="alignright" width="270"] Irwin Driedger aboard Sovereign Award winner Liz's Pride. Gerry Hart photo.[/caption] by Bob Clifford "Shorty" Gray hired 11-year-old Irwin Driedger as an exercise rider. The young blonde schoolboy from Russell, Manitoba tipped the scales at 78 pounds and got his first win on a race track at the Neepawa Fair Grounds…
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The Winner’s Circle at Assiniboia Downs, a history of hallowed ground

[caption id="attachment_3538" align="alignright" width="270"] Dick Armstrong. Original Winner's Circle. Chain link fence. June 10, 1958[/caption] by Bob Arguably the most hallowed piece of real estate at any race track is the Winner's Circle, also sometimes referred to as the winner's enclosure and the charmed circle. Oddly enough, ours is not, and never has been, a…
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Naigo: A rare and special horse, he was

[caption id="attachment_3502" align="alignright" width="270"] Patti Ross, Irwin Driedger and Naigo find the ASD Winner's Circle. June 16, 1979.[/caption] by Bob Naigo had the kind of class that most other horses can only dream about. After all, he was a son of the great Northern Dancer, and his owner, Bud Willmot's Kinghaven Farms, expected a lot…
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Was Liz’s Pride the best filly or mare ever to race at Assiniboia Downs?

  [caption id="attachment_2693" align="alignright" width="270" caption="Liz's Pride - Champion 2-Year-Old Filly in Canada 1978. Irwin Driedger up."][/caption] The "Pride" of Stoneacres Farm was one flashy filly! by Bob Who was the greatest filly or mare to ever race at the Downs? Questions like this are fun. They inspire debate and good-natured banter, and let’s face…
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