The Inside Track | Issue #52 | November 4, 2022 |
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Open daily from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
- VLTs, Race Carrels and Tables are sanitized between customer use.
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In this edition . . .
- What's happening at the Downs?
- Friday & Saturday Dining Specials
- New Year's Eve Dinner & Dance hosted by CJOB's Kathy Kennedy
- Breeders' Cup Pick 6 Play
- Off-Track Betting Locations
- Breeders Cup Euro Profiles
- Canadian Horses at Keeneland
- Breeders' Cup Betting Guide
- "I Won Bigg" Betting Group
- Carryover Watch
- TravyFootball Week 9 Predictions
- Snapshot in Time - 1968 Grandstand
- The Best of Bob - Ardell Sayler
- Upcoming Events
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SPIN TO WIN THURSDAYS AND FRIDAYS IN THE CLUB WEST GAMING LOUNGE - Enter at the VLT cage every Thursday and Friday for a chance to spin the wheel to win up to $100 cash! Draws will be made every 30 minutes starting at noon.
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PLAYER'S CHOICE ONLINE HANDICAPPING TOURNAMENTS:
- Next Saturday, November 12
- Saturday, December 10
Entry fee: $25. Bankroll: $60. Place 10 ($2 WPS) wagers on any North American harness or thoroughbred race that takes place on the contest day. You must have a Manitoba HPI account to participate. Deadline to enter is the Friday prior to each of the tournament dates by 4 p.m. Entry form. Rules. Current Handicapper of the Year standings.
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BREEDERS' CUP 2022
Friday, Nov. 4 at 10:55 a.m. & Saturday, Nov. 5 at 9:30 a.m.
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ASD Live Breeders' Cup Handicapping Show with Kirt and Stretch. Watch Friday's preview here. Watch Saturday's preview here.
- 3% cash back on all eligible wagering on all tracks Friday, Nov. 4 and Saturday, Nov. 5. Minimum wagered $1,000 and maximum deposit $100. ($2.10 payouts are not eligibile). Wagers must be placed on your HPI account.
- Free programs & DRF for both Friday and Saturday's Keeneland cards are available at all locations (except McPhillips and Club Regent).
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Breeders' Cup Brunch at Assiniboia Downs. $24.95. See menu here. Served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For reservations call 204-885-3330.
- Draws for a Breeders' Cup merchandise package at all locations (except McPhllips and Club Regent).
- Please note that Assiniboia Downs will open at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5
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Dining at Assiniboia Downs |
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HAPPY HOUR - Daily from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close
- 6 oz. House Wine - $4.50
- House Spirits - $4.50
- Domestic Beer - $4.50
- Fireball - $4.50
- Downs Caesar - $5.50
- Pint Longshot Lager - $5.50
- Poutine - $8.00
- Onion Rings - $8.00
- Chicken Fingers - $9.00
- Cheese Nachos - $9.00
- All Day NFL Sunday Special - Regular Wings $10 (all day Sunday only)
All of the above specials are dine-in only.
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BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER & SNACKS
The Club West Dining Room and Lounge is open daily at 10 a.m. until 1 a.m. for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and beverages. Our menu includes favourites such as chicken wings, pizza, chipotle mozza burger (pictured), steak sandwich or bacon and eggs plus much more! See the full menu here.
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FRIDAY STEAK SPECIAL - $24.95 - 8 oz. top Sirloin charbroiled and seasoned with our smoky dry rub. Served with vegetables and choice of mashed potatoes or french fries. Served from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
PRIME RIB SATURDAY SPECIAL - $29.95 - Our signature Certified Angus Prime Rib (8 oz.) served with vegetables and choice of mashed potatoes or french fries, horseradish and Yorkshire pudding au jus. Served from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Reservations are not required.
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New Year's Eve Dinner & Dance
Saturday, December 31 - Main Floor Ballroom
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A fabulous buffet from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. featuring our renowned Certified Angus Prime Rib. See menu here.
- Late lunch served
- Dancing until 2:00 a.m.
- Door prizes
- Party favours
- DJ music & lights
- Free coat check
- Free parking
- Hosted by CJOB's Kathy Kennedy
- Tickets $79.95 plus taxes & gratuities. Call 204-885-3330
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At The Post with G.S. Thompson |
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Rich Strike, the 2022 Kentucky Derby winner out of the Manitoba-bred mare Gold Strike, has been listed at 20-1 for Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic. (AP Photo / Mark Humphrey) |
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We get to dive into the biggest wagering pools of the year at the Breeders’ Cup this Friday and Saturday, and a single longshot could trigger massive payoffs! The Pick 6 could pay hundreds of thousands if not millions, as it has more than once in the past, and every other exotic wager almost always pays more than it should.
For sentimental reasons we’ll be playing a $1 exactor wheel up and down with Law Professor in the fifth race on Saturday, The Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Why? Because Law Professor is trained by former top young ASD trainer Rob Atras, who has become a star trainer in New York since leaving Assiniboia Downs. Well done, Rob!
Listed at 20-1 on the morning line, Law Professor could very easily be higher than that despite the presence of top jock Jose Ortiz. In his most recent start he finished second to last year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Life Is Good in the Woodward Stakes (G1) at Aqueduct. Life Is Good is in the Breeders’ Cup Classic this year, and some think he has a chance to upset budding superhorse Flightline, so the company line certainly works, as does the price. Go get ‘em Rob!
There are five Breeders’ Cup races slated to run on “Future Stars Friday” and nine Breeders’ Cup races scheduled for Saturday. The Pick 6 on both Friday and Saturday is a $2 wager on HPIBet.com, which can make it expensive, but you simply have to play some kind of ticket due to the possibility of a lottery-sized windfall -- with better odds of cashing.
Just about everyone in the world will be keying Flightline in the final leg of the Pick 6 on Saturday, and if he loses there will be money flying everywhere. Hopefully into your pockets!
We’ll take a small shot at Saturday’s Pick 6 with a $128 ticket that includes one logical horse and one longshot in each race and hope we get lucky!
The first leg of the Pick 6 on Saturday is the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, which goes as the sixth race. #3 Nashwa (5/2) is the logical choice on class and probably should have won her last start in the Prix de l'Opera Longines (G1) in France for trainer John Gosden, who has won five Breeders’ Cup races. For our longshot we’ll take #9 Rougir (12-1), who looked solid overcoming trouble to defeating fellow entrant Moira in the E.P. Taylor Stakes (G1) at Woodbine in her last start.
The second leg of the Pick 6 is the Qatar Racing Breeders’ Cup Sprint and we’ll be trying to beat heavy favourite Jackie’s Warrior, who was favoured to win last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint only to finish sixth. We’ll take #6 Elite Power (6-1), who has won four in a row for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and who now gets the services of the best North American jockey in Irad Ortiz, Jr. We’ll use #9 Jackie’s Warrior (4/5) as our second horse, but only because there doesn’t appear to be much pace in the race this year and he might have an easier time of it up front.
The third leg of the Pick 6 is the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile and we love #4 Modern Games (7/2), who looked dynamite winning the Woodbine Mile (G1) two starts ago and came back to finish second in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1) at Ascot. The horses he faced in his last start were better than these and his trainer Charles Appleby is 6-for-11 at the Breeders’ Cup. We’ll take the medium-priced (#3) Dreamloper (6-1) as our second horse based on her quick acceleration to win the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (Gr. 1) in France in her last outing and she looks like she’s rounding into form beautifully.
The fourth leg of the Pick 6 is the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff and #6 Nest (9/5) looks like she might even be a single with top jock Irad Ortiz, Jr. up for trainer Todd Pletcher. Nest has been dominant in her last three races and a repeat of any of them is good enough to win this. Our longshot in this race will be #2 Blue Stripe (20-1), who will likely be overlooked by everyone and could go off at huge odds despite the fact that she looks like another who is rounding into form nicely since arriving from Argentina, where she was undefeated.
The fifth leg of the Pick 6 is the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf and we’ll go out on a limb with both of our picks here with #11 Mishriff (6-1) and #4 Broome (12-1). Mishriff appears to be off form, but actually lost his last two races over bogs in France. On his best day, he’s better than these. Another Breeders’ Cup entrant trained by John Gosden, he also gets the services of top European jockey Frankie Dettori, who has won 14 Breeders’ Cup races.
Broome (12-1) exits the same boggy Arc de Triomphe (G1) that Mishriff comes out of, but he finished eighth and Mishriff finished thirteenth. As an added bonus, top jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. is in the saddle for 13-time Breeders’ Cup winning trainer Aiden O’Brien.
The final leg of Saturday’s Pick 6 is the race everyone has been waiting for, the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) and the Secretariat crowning of undefeated #4 Flightline (3-5), whose last race was fast enough to win every Breeders’ Cup Classic ever run. But Flightline is facing better horses than he’s ever faced before in here and this bunch won’t stop in their tracks like the rivals he’s been romping away from so far. He’s going to have to get by #2 Life Is Good (6-1) and then hold off the closers, and that won't be easy, unless he really is another Secretariat.
Life is Good sizzled on the front end to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile last year and he’s likely going to be in front again here. He doesn’t really look like he wants to go the 1 ¼-miles of the Classic, but you never know. If he does take a round out of Flightline before tiring, any of the closers could win, including Rich Strike, the Kentucky Derby winner out of the Manitoba-bred mare Gold Strike. And if he happens to win...
Gold Strike!
Saturday Breeders’ Cup $2 Pick 6 Selections - $128 Ticket
Race 6 – 3,9
Race 7 – 6,9
Race 8 – 3,4
Race 9 – 2,6
Race 10 – 4, 11
Race 11 – 2,4
Good Luck!
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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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Canad Inns Windsor Park - 1034 Elizabeth Road
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Green Brier Inn - 1611 Main Street
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Rookies at Central Hotel - 201 Melrose Avenue East
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Quest Inn - 367 Ellice Avenue
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McPhillips Station Casino - 484 McPhillips Street
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Club Regent Casino - 1425 Regent Ave W
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Nor-Villa Motor Hotel - 1763 Henderson Hwy
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Club 3D - 3317 Portage Avenue
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Wager 24/7 at HPIbet.com
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Insights Into Euro Stars Kinross, Highfield Princess, Nashwa and Mishriff and more
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Ben Linfoot of Sporting Life guides you through the European challengers for the Breeders' Cup with profiles on 20 of the runners at Keeneland this weekend. Also make sure to read and watch their full coverage including video interviews with trainers. The European horses have traditionally done well in the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland and you might just find a gold nugget or two that can help you make score. More from Sporting Life here.
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Exciting weekend ahead, several Canadian hopefuls vying for the rich purses
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Lady Speightspeare, trained by Roger L. Attfield, exercises in preparation for the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Keeneland. (Carolyn Simancik / Eclipse Sportswire / Breeders' Cup) |
Charles Fipke and Roger Attfield won the 2011 Filly & Mare Turf with Perfect Shirl and are hoping to strike again in 2022 with her son Shirl's Speight, a Kentucky-bred Grade 1 winner who loves Keeneland and is in the Mile, and Lady Speightspeare, a relative of Perfect Shirl, who tries the Filly & Mare Turf. More from Jennifer Morrison at the Canadian Thoroughbred here.
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Contenders, Analysis, Expert Picks and more from TwinSpires.com
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"I Won Bigg" Betting Group |
Breeders' Cup Saturday: The special Breeders' Cup workshop will take place Saturday, November 5 at 9:30 a.m. on the plaza. As a special Breeders' Cup promotion, Assiniboia Downs will seed the Breeders' Cup "I Won Bigg" betting pool with $500.
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- Santa Anita (November 4) - Jackpot Pick 6 carryover $306,023
- Parx (November 7) - Jackpot Pick 5 carryover $239,490
- Gulfstream (November 4) - Jackpot Pick 6 carryover $67,702
MANDATORY PAYOUT ALERT: The Jackpot Pick 6 at Santa Anita will be paid out on Sunday, November 6 (the last day of their meet).
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Top NFL Picks by TravyFootball: Week 9 |
Patriots over Colts (Sunday afternoon): Even though he didn’t play very well last week against the Jets, the Pats seem to have settled back on Mac Jones as their starting QB. Whether it stays that way is yet to be determined, but for now, the job is his. The Colts having their own messy QB situation with Sam Ehlinger taking over for the benched/injured Matt Ryan. Ever since Andrew Luck retired in 2018, the Colts have gone through five different quarterbacks and none of them have been a permanent solution. Ehlinger was average at best in his debut last week against the Commanders, he didn’t throw a touchdown, but he also didn’t throw any interceptions. He’s in for a real test against Bill Belichick and the Patriots defense, and they will need to run the ball more effectively with Johnathan Taylor to have any chance of winning this game.
Bengals over Panthers (Sunday noon): The Bengals laid the biggest goose egg on Monday Night Football against the Browns last week. I thought they would be able to overcome the fact that Ja’Marr Chase was not going to be at their disposal for the next four to six weeks, but clearly I was wrong. Joe Burrow struggled to complete any passes downfield until the 4th quarter, when the game was basically over. When you’re down 25-0 midway through the 3rd quarter, you pretty much have to abandon the run game, and they only ran the ball 10 times. Carolina is coming off an overtime loss where they shot themselves in the foot multiple times by missing an extra point AND a field goal that would have sealed the victory. Running back D’onta Foreman has filled in nicely, tallying 236 yards and three touchdowns in two games since the Panthers traded away Christian McCaffrey a few weeks ago.
Chiefs over Titans (Sunday night): The Chiefs will be well rested coming off a bye week and will welcome the visiting Tennessee Titans to Arrowhead Stadium. At the time of this writing, it looks like Rookie QB Malik Willis will make his second career start. His first start last week against the Texans was abysmal, as he only threw the ball 10 times for 55 yards which is unheard of in a professional football game. I suppose if you have Derek Henry lined up in the backfield, who ran for 219 yards and three touchdowns, you really don’t have to throw the ball a lot, but 10 pass attempts is not going to get it done against Patrick Mahomes. Heck, Mahomes will probably have 10 pass attempts on his first drive of the game. Both of these teams are 5-2 and are trying to keep pace with the Buffalo Bills for tops in the AFC.
Last week (1-2)
Overall (15-9)
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A Snapshot in Time
By Track Historian Bob Gates
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The Assiniboia Downs grandstand as it existed in 1968. Note that the second floor clubhouse is glassed in, as is the main floor. The closed-in portions of the grandstand renovations were done in May of 1967. The main purpose of this work was to add a certain level of comfort for the fans of harness racing, which had started at the Downs in 1966. Rest assured that in the fall of 1968 fans certainly benefited from this improvement during the cool September and October evenings! (Gerry Hart photo) |
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The Best of Bob
by ASD Historian Bob Gates
This week Bob dusts off the Downs’ record book and reviews Ardell Sayler’s crowning achievements. Most of us are aware of his 12 leading trainer titles, and that he sits in second place behind Gary Danelson in terms of career wins at the Downs, but he also figures prominently in two other categories. Can you guess what they are? Click here for more. (From June 2019)
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Upcoming events at ASD
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Breeders' Cup from Keeneland - Friday, Nov. 4 - more info
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Breeders' Cup from Keeneland - Saturday, Nov. 5 - more info
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Inspiration Craft Market - Friday Nov. 4 & Saturday, Nov. 5 - more info
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Inspiration Craft Market - Friday, Nov. 11 & Saturday, Nov. 12 - more info
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Player's Choice Handicapping Tournament - Saturday, Nov.12 - more info
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Player's Choice Handicapping Tournament - Saturday, Dec. 10 - more info
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New Year's Eve Gala - Saturday, December 31 - more info
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We would love to hear from you! Email your comments and/or suggestions to [email protected].
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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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