Tag Archives: River Park

The Early History of the R. J. Speers Stakes. 1926-1956

[caption id="attachment_10277" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Fort Garry wins the 1948 R. J. Speers at Polo Park.[/caption] by Bob Gates On Saturday, June 29 "The Speers" celebrates its 60th running, but what most don’t realize is that there is more than 90 years of history behind the race that honours Robert James Speers, the "Father of Thoroughbred…
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The Mighty Seabiscuit Raced in Winnipeg?

[caption id="attachment_1391" align="alignright" width="270" caption="Joey - "The People's Horse""][/caption] by Bob Sorry, Seabiscuit didn’t race here, but now that I have your attention let me tell you the story of a horse much like the “Biscuit” who raced in our fair city in the “dirty ‘30s” and early ‘40s. Joey was a champion racehorse whose…
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River Park – The Great Grandfather of Assiniboia Downs

[caption id="attachment_251" align="alignright" width="300" caption="River Park 1923. Note the Admission Price!"][/caption] by Bob In family tree terms, the “father” of Assiniboia Downs was Polo Park race track. The “grandfather” in this imaginary ancestry, with apologies for the lack of female references, was Whittier Park. The “great-grandfather” and we will go back no further, was River…
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