[caption id="attachment_11973" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] Island Fling wins 1979 Labatt's Gold Cup at Assiniboia Downs.[/caption] by Bob Gates More than 40 years ago, the late Philip Kives built his K5 racing empire on the back of Island Fling. Phil couldn't recall how he met up with Don Gray, but Gray was the man he approached about…
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Philip Kives, Master of K5 Stables – A Tribute
[caption id="attachment_5380" align="alignright" width="390"] Phil Kives with Island Fling in 1978.[/caption] by Bob Gates Much has been written about the president and founder of K-tel International since his unexpected death on April 27, 2016. Today we leave the world of the Miracle Brush, Veg-O-Matic, Teflon Fry Pan, Patty Stacker and records like "Hooked on Classics"…
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A Tale of Two Wolves for 2016 Opening Day at ASD
[caption id="attachment_5124" align="aligncenter" width="780"] One of three winners for Bernie "Longshot" Howland on Opening Day 1971.[/caption] by Bob Gates The 2016 live racing season kicks off on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 8, as has become our custom at Assiniboia Downs, and have I got a story for you. It goes like this: An old Cherokee…
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Master Lightning – 2014 Manitoba Derby Contenders
[caption id="attachment_3768" align="alignright" width="270"] Master Lightning has that look in his eyes.[/caption] by George If winning the Manitoba Derby was based solely on the company you kept, Master Lightning would be tough to beat. The royally-bred stakes-placed son of Bluegrass Stakes-G1 winner Pulpit had been running competitively against the best 3-year-olds in North America until…
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