The Inside Track | Issue #131 | May 10, 2024 | |
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Live Horse Racing at ASD Begins in Only 10 Days!
2024 Racing Season begins Monday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m.
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Live racing on opening night will feature Indian Horse Relay Racing in conjunction with the Manito Ahbee Festival! (Winnipeg Free Press) | |
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There are only 10 days left until the opening night of live horse racing at ASD on Monday, May 20!
The first two weeks of the Season will feature live racing on Monday and Tuesday with post time for the first race at 7:30 p.m. after which we will resume our regular Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday schedule with the same post time throughout the Season.
Live racing on opening night will feature Indian Horse Relay Racing in conjunction with the Manito Ahbee Festival. The Indian Horse Relay Races will take place during the races. As well, there will be FREE family fun activities including bouncy castles, face painting, and live entertainment for the kids.
Wagering highlights this season include a Guaranteed $25,000 $1 Pick 4 on the last four races, a .20 cent Jackpot Pick 5 on the last five races, and the $1 Classic Hi-5 which, will carry over to the next pool if not won.
We'll have a nightly drawing for the VIP Fan of the Night, which rewards one lucky fan with a $25 wagering voucher, a Kirt & Stretch autographed ASD ball cap, the opportunity to watch Kirt call the fourth race from the Press Box, and to watch the fifth race from the Winner’s Circle. To top it all off, the winner will receive a framed commemorative photo of the Winner’s Circle presentation!
There will also be a 50/50 draw each race night. The 50/50 tickets for opening night go on sale Friday, May 17, and the proceeds will benefit Final Furlong and the Winners Foundation.
And we’re just getting started!
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Delvecchio (inside) on the lead early in the 2023 Phil Kives Stakes. (Jason Halstead / Assiniboia Photo) | |
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ASD Hours
- Open daily from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
- VLT machines are sanitized between use
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2024 Live Race Dates
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Monday, May 20 to Tuesday, September 17 - click here for schedule
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New ASD Website
ASD is pleased to announce that our new website has launched.
Check it out at ASDowns.com!
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In this edition . . .
- What's happening at the Downs?
- There's always a Deal at ASD!
- Mustards Looking Forward to Fun Year
- Western Canadian Derby Series
- 2024 Condition Book #1
- 2024 Shipping Incentive Program
- Best Kentucky Derby Handicapping Ever?
- Looking For a Special Photo?
- Carryover Watch
- Off-Track Betting Locations
- "I Won Bigg" Wagering Group
- A Snapshot In Time: Spy Zone
- Hernandez, McPeek Complete Rare Derby/Oaks Double
- Mystik Dan Could Face Muth in Preakness
- Sire Goldencents Has Manitoba Connections
- Full NBC Kentucky Derby Replay
- The Best of Bob - Balooga Bull
- Upcoming Events
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Upcoming Handicapping Tournaments
Player's Choice Tournaments:
Tournament Winners:
- Player's Choice - Saturday, January 20 - Winner: Ron Phelps
- Player's Choice - Saturday, February 17 - Winner: Trevor Phelps
- Player's Choice - Saturday, March 16 - Winner: Don Allard
- Player's Choice - Saturday, April 13 - Winner: Myron Fedoruk
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Join us today in the Club West Gaming Lounge and discover why we're the ultimate destination for VLT entertainment in the area!
Premier Amenities:
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Spacious Area: Our gaming lounge provides ample room for you to relax and enjoy your gaming experience comfortably.
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Sanitization: VLT machines are sanitized between use.
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Great Customer Service: Our friendly staff is dedicated to providing top-notch service, ensuring your visit is enjoyable from start to finish.
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Licensed Lounge: Sip on your favourite drinks from our licensed lounge while you play.
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Food & Drink: Indulge in delicious food and drinks available right in the gaming lounge.
Daily Draws:
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Lucky Stars: Monday to Friday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Enter for a chance to pick a Lucky Star for up to $100 cash.
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Lucky Spins: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Enter for a chance to win $20 in free VLT spins. Keep what you win!
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There's Always a Deal at ASD! | |
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$11.95 Daily Lunch Specials
Enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks from our Club West Dining Room menu or try our ever changing $11.95 lunch special.
- Club West Dining Room & Lounge menu
- Daily Happy Hour specials
- All Day Daily Drink features
- Daily Evening Chef's specials.
- Mother's Day Brunch - SOLD OUT
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Special Offer!
$10 off Live Racing Certified Angus Prime Rib Buffet |  | |
To celebrate live racing, we are offering $10 off our Certified Angus Prime Rib buffet on Monday, May 20, Tuesday, May 21,
Monday, May 27 & Tuesday, May 28
Reserve your table today for our renowned Certified Angus Prime Rib buffet. Live racing and a prime rib buffet - it doesn't get much better than that!
Buffet highlights include signature Certified Angus prime rib of beef carvery, seafood table featuring jumbo shrimp and salmon, fresh salads and side dishes prepared with locally grown vegetables.
Rotating entree selections of tender grilled chicken, crispy fried fish, sticky BBQ ribs, roasted meats and artisan sausages.
Dessert table features warm fresh baked pies and your choice of ice cream plus cheesecakes, tortes and our famous bourbon bacon brownie.
The table is yours for the entire evening and includes complimentary racing programs and tip sheets.
Adults - $54.95, Seniors (65+) - $49.95, Children 6 to 12 - $32.95, Children 5 & under - $19.95
Reservations are required. Call 204-885-3330 and mention the promo code LIVE10 to receive this special offer!
Click here for our 2024 racing schedule.
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Offer is valid on the dates below only:
- Monday, May 20
- Tuesday, May 21
- Monday, May 27
- Tuesday, May 28
Cannot be combined with any other offer.
USE PROMO CODE LIVE10
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At The Post with G.S. Thompson | |
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Mustards Looking Forward to Fun Year
Three-horse stable could be their best ever
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Trainer Doug Mustard and his wife Judy in the barn Thursday morning. (George Williams) | |
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Trainer Doug Mustard and his wife Judy could be set for a fun year with their three-horse stable, which looked beautifully dappled and healthy at their barn on Thursday morning.
The 80-year-old trainer from Gladstone has been coming to Assiniboia Downs since the track opened in 1958, and this might be his best group of horses ever.
“I’ve been around horses all my life,” said the retired Manitoba Hydro worker, who has had a trainer’s license for 45 years. “I was born on the farm in Gladstone, and we always had horses. My dad trained horses before me. And we always had a horse to ride.”
Mustard still has horses to ride, but he doesn’t do that anymore. He prefers to stay on the ground now, but still immensely enjoys spending time in his barn, which has been the “cookie” hangout in the Downs backstretch for decades. Judy makes the cookies, and they come with coffee.
“The price is right,” said Mustard. “Free.” And everybody in the backstretch knows it. Need to hide out for a few minutes between exercising horses? The Mustard’s have just the place. And they love Manitoba.
“You can go to the racetrack, you can boat, you can play baseball in the summertime, and you can play anything in the wintertime,” said Mustard. “Maybe it's cold, but you can skidoo, you can skate, you can curl, go tobogganing. There's just so many things to do in Manitoba.”
Mustard prefers to spend his time in the barn with his horses. This year he’s got two claimers named Himelstein and Miss Z, and a 2-year-old by Speculating. All three will benefit from spending the winter in the snow on the Mustard farm in Gladstone.
Among the horses Mustard has owned and trained, Dorothy’s Delight was his favourite. “She won eight races for me and made over $35,000,” he said. “And that was a lot of money back then. She beat every good horse on the grounds, but she never could beat them all at once.”
Mustard also mentioned Farm Hand as a favourite horse he had bred, owned, and trained. Farm Hand finished second in both the J. W. Sifton Stakes and the Gold Strike Mile and earned over $45,000. But it was never about the money, and you can tell.
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Sunny morning gallop. (George Williams) | |
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Mustard reminisced about the old days when there were more small stables. “We walked hots,” he said. “Everybody had to walk. All the horses walked by hand. We had more trainers back then, and everybody helped each other out. Everyone has a lot of horses now, there are not many small stables like ours anymore.
"I still enjoy it. What else am I going to do? I like it here. And the horses give you a reason to get up in the morning. They're just good to be around.”
Mustard has seen a lot at Assiniboia Downs -- almost everything. His favourite memory is Manitoba-bred Merry’s Jay coming down the stretch in the 1976 Manitoba Derby to defeat eastern shippers.
“The grandstand went crazy,” said Mustard. “It was probably the biggest crowd ever. When they turned for home and he was in front it was the loudest cheer we’d ever heard. And I’m a homer, so it was a big deal for me.”
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Three-time leading ASD rider Antonio Whitehall on an enthusiastic steed. (George Williams) | |
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Married for 57 years, the Mustards have spent much of that time at the track. They’ve made numerous lifelong friends including Steve Thompson, Dr. Norm Elder and the late Ardell Sayler.
“We lived beside Ardell in the trailer court for 30 years,” said Mustard. “We’d beat each other. He begged me one time to enter a horse in a race I didn't belong in. As it turned out, I ended up winning the race. That was around the time they started giving out videos of the races to the winners, so I'd knock on the door of his trailer and ask him if he wanted to come over and watch the video. He'd come over once in a while, and he'd say, ‘Let's go for coffee Judy.'
“'We'll leave that little bugger at home.’”
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Joining forces once again, Assiniboia Downs, Century Mile Racetrack and Casino, and Hastings Racecourse and Casino are set to deliver another powerhouse racing program with their combined Derby series during the 2024 racing season.
The second year of the newly named Western Canadian Derby Series comprises the prestigious $125,000 Manitoba Derby, scheduled for August 5 at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, Manitoba; the renowned $200,000 G3 Canadian Derby at Century Mile in Edmonton, Alberta on August 24; and the highly anticipated $125,000 G3 BC Derby at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver, British Columbia on September 14.
The series will offer a $100,000 bonus for the horse that is able to win all three races. While this would be a remarkable feat, it is quite possible with the timing of the scheduled events, making it a great opportunity for those who have a talented 3-year-old. In addition, this year there will be a points system introduced to the program that will provide $25,000 in bonuses. Read more here.
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Download a copy of Condition Book #1 here or click on the image above. | |
Kaitlin Free, a reporter and analyst based in the Bluegrass, picked the triactor in the 150th Kentucky Derby, and she had excellent reasons for all of her picks! Watch her analysis on Twitter here, or by clicking the image above. Well done Kaitlin! | |
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Looking for a Special Photo of Your Big Horse or...?
Track Photographer Jason Halstead may have just what you're looking for
| Burrow Down and jockey Stanley Chadee, Jr. won the Miss Sandy Dee Overnight Stakes on Aug. 28, 2023, and then decided to smile into the finish-line mirror. (Jason Halstead / Assiniboia Photo) | Looking for that extra-special photo of your big horse, one you might not find in your win pictures? Track photographer Jason Halstead takes numerous photos during the races, and not all of them can make it into the win photos. If you’re looking for something frameable from your big race, or of your special horse, email Jason at jjhphoto@gmail.com. Prices are excellent! Almost as good as his photos 😊 | Watch and wager on world class racing from the comfort of your private carrel in our race book located on the 2nd level of the grandstand. The race book is open daily at 10 a.m. Can't make it to the track? Visit one of our partner locations listed below or wager at HPIbet.com. Click here for a list of tracks to wager on during the month of May. | Spring is in the air! (George Williams) |
- Santa Anita (Friday, May 10) - Pick 6 carryover $104,581
See all carryovers here.
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Can't make it to the track to wager?
Watch and wager at one of our off-track betting locations:
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Trainer Courtney Ross enjoying a beautiful morning at ASD. (George Williams) | |
"I Won Bigg" Wagering Group | |
Join the "I Won Bigg" wagering group on the Clubhouse plaza this Saturday at 10:30 a.m. The wagering group is open to everyone. The group will play Woodbine and Santa Anita this week. $20 per share. If you would like more information please email Larry. | |
A Snapshot in Time
by Track Historian Bob Gates
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50 years ago, Wendell Mustard (yes sir, Doug Mustard’s dad) saddled Spy Zone for his son Doug. The above photo is from opening day at ASD back in 1974 and features D. D. Smith on the far left, Wendell Mustard, and a youthful Keith Trenholm at the head of Spy Zone with Ken “Hank” Hendricks in the irons. (Gerry Hart photo) | |
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Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan has prominent Manitoba breeding in pedigree
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Mystic Dan (inside) holds on to win the 150th Kentucky Derby. (Nellie Carlson / Paulick Report) | |
After teaming up with Kentucky Oaks winner Thorpedo Anna on Friday, jockey Brian Hernandez and trainer Ken McPeek returned to win the 150th Kentucky Derby with Mystik Dan on Saturday. The Derby winner is by Goldencents, who is out of the Manitoba-bred mare Golden Works, who was bred by K-5 Stables. Well done! Pedigree here. More from the Paulick Report here. | |
Mystik Dan, the Derby winner, returned to the track on Wednesday. (Preakness Stakes photo) | |
Mystik Dan returned to the track at Churchill Downs on Wednesday morning for the first time since registering an upset victory in the May 4 Kentucky Derby (G1). Trainer Kenneth McPeek said that things are going in the right direction to run the Derby winner back in in the Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course, reiterating that a decision on his trainee’s status for the May 18 Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown is still pending. Entries will be taken Monday. More from the Canadian Thoroughbred here. | |
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The List: An Update and Review of the Top 25 General Sires List Rankings
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Goldencents at Spendthrift Farm (Anne M. Eberhardt) | |
Goldencents, who is out of the Manitoba-bred mare Golden Works, has been a successful sire since his first crop debuted in 2018, but following his son Mystik Dan's win in the Kentucky Derby (G1), he could be in store for his best year yet as a sire. More from the Blood Horse here. | |
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Full race replay from NBC
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Best of Bob
by ASD Historian Bob Gates
Ever wonder what happened to Balooga Bull? The talented son of Flashy Bull had an incredible career at Assiniboia Downs. Bob calls him “Simply the Best” and he’s here to remind us just how good this Sayler School graduate really was. Click here to find out (from August 19, 2022).
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Upcoming events at ASD
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Lucky Stars - Monday to Friday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. - more info
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Lucky Spins - Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. - more info
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Player's Choice Handicapping Tournament - Saturday, May 11 - more info
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Mother's Day Brunch - Sunday, May 12 - SOLD OUT
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Live Racing begins Victoria Day - Monday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m. - more info
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MB Food Truck Battles - Saturday, May 25 & Sunday, May 26 - more info
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Western Canada Rib Fest - Friday, May 31 to Sunday, June 2 - more info
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Manitoba Night Market & Festival - Sunday, June 9 - more info
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The Inside Track Archives | Did you know that past issues of The Inside Track are available on our website? Click here to read them now. | |
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