• Open daily from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
• VLTs, Race Carrels and Tables are sanitized between customer use.

In this edition . . .

• What's happening at the Downs?
• New Food & Drink Specials
• Cecelia Liebrecht wins Player's Choice
• Christmas Buffet
• TravyFootball Week 11
• Looking For a Special Photo?
• Snapshot in Time - Hasty Echo
• New Year's Eve Dinner & Dance
• Carryover Watch
• Dark Horse Bets Download
• Northern Dancer - Pocket Battleship
• Large Mystery Wagers Trigger Investigation
• Documentary: The Legacy of Black Horsemen
• The Best of Bob - Miko Siah
• Upcoming Events

2023 Player's Choice Online Tournaments

• Saturday, December 16

PRIZES: 1st place: $1,000 (plus a trophy), 2nd place: $400, 3rd place: $200, 4th place: $100, 5th place: $50

Entry fee is $25. $2 WPS on one horse in any 10 races (harness, thoroughbred or quarter horse) from any North American track on the contest day. Click here for full rules.

2023 TOURNAMENT WINNERS:

Player's Choice Tournaments

• Saturday, January 21 - Randy Premachuk
• Saturday, February 18 - Steve Holborn
• Saturday, March 18 - Nicole Baker
• Saturday, April 15 - Barry Mymko
• Saturday, May 13 - Brad Ostrove

Las Vegas Challenge Tournaments

• Monday, June 19 - Ron Zurba
• Monday, July 10 - Murray Chaban
• Monday, July 31 - Tanis Atras
• Monday, August 21 - Brian McKellar
• Monday, September 18 - David Blake

Player's Choice Tournaments

• Saturday, October 14 - George Williams
• Saturday, November 11 - Cecelia Liebrecht

Club West Gaming Lounge

140 VLTs available daily in our spacious Club West Gaming Lounge from 10 a.m. through 1 a.m. Please note that our VLTs are sanitized between play. Click here for a full list of games available at ASD.



• Draws to win 20 break-open tickets! Monday through Friday from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.

• Draws for $20 in FREE VLT Spins Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. One lucky draw winner turned their $20 into $1,604!

$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

Daily Drink Features All Day Long

• Monday - Margarita $6 (lime, peach or strawberry)
• Tuesday - Corona $5
• Wednesday - Wine $4.50 (6 oz. glass of house white or house red)
• Thursday - Beer $4.75 (house pint of beer)
• Friday - Trifecta Tea $6 (Absolut peach vodka, lemonade, sweet tea)
• Saturday - RazDerby Lemonade $6 (Absolut raspberry vodka, lemonade)
• Sunday - Caesar $6

Daily Evening Chef's Specials

Monday - BBQ Ribs $19.95: Smoky char-broiled ribs with our signature BBQ sauce. Served with french fries and coleslaw.

Tuesday - Tacos $9.95: Two flour tortillas stuffed with taco beef, chicken or fish, lettuce, green onions, cheese and diced tomato. Served with a drizzle of avocado cilantro lime sauce and taco chips.

Wednesday - Two Topping Pizza $14.95: Thin crust pizza with mozzarella and tomato sauce. Choose from pepperoni, bacon, ham, spicy beef, chicken, tomato, mushroom, peppers, black olives or onions.

Thursday - Chipotle Mozza Burger $14.95: Our signature sirloin patty and crispy bacon smothered in melted mozzarella. Topped with fresh sliced tomato, fried onion rings, chipolte mayo and sweet bold barbeque sauce.

Friday - Steak & Suds $24.95: 8 oz. Sirloin steak charbroiled and seasoned with our smoky dry rub. Served with fresh vegetables and a choice of mashed potatoes or french fries. Plus a complimentary pint of ASD Lucky Lager.

Saturday - Prime & Wine $29.95: Certified Angus Prime Rib (8 oz. cut.) Served with fresh vegetables and a choice of mashed potatoes or french fries, horseradish, and Yorkshire pudding au jus. Plus a complimentary 6 oz. glass of house wine.

Sunday - Fish & Chips $14.95: Two pieces of beer battered cod with tartar sauce and lemon. Served with french fries and coleslaw.

Reservations are not required. The above specials are available from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Everyone who purchases one of the above specials will receive a coupon to play our free "Pick to Win" game in the VLT lounge for a chance to spin our lucky cash wheel where you can win up to $100 cash!

Cecelia Liebrecht Wins Again!

Hits $98.20 cap horse at Remington Park to win Player's Choice tourney

Mor Lana Spirit ($98.20) gets a well deserved pat after winning the fifth race at Remington Park on Saturday, effectively winning the November Player's Choice Tournament for Cecelia Liebrecht.

Cecilia Liebrecht won her second Player's Choice Tournament in November, 

and once again she did it with a whopping bankroll.

Liebrecht last won the Player's Choice tourney in February 2022 with a bankroll of 

$149.50. This time she did it with $149.70.

Normally you have to double your money from $60 to $120 to have a chance at winning.

Once you get into the $130 range you have a big shot at taking home the $1,000

first prize. Not only did Liebrecht beat that number, she had to outfinish four other

handicappers who also blew away the $120 marker.

Liebrecht finished $11.80 ahead of Tanis Atras ($137.90), followed by Scott Anderson ($134.00), Darcy Penner ($129.40) and Greg Earl ($88.10). All four of the top bankrolls were good enough to win in an average contest, but of course, our local handicappers aren't average :)

Liebrecht's big winner on the day came in the fifth race at Remington Park, when 49-1 Mor Lana Spirit came barreling down the stretch to win a photo by a nose, returning $98.20, $28.40 $6.70 across the board. Although payoffs are capped at $42, $22 and $12, they were still enough to get the job done for Liebrecht, who also nailed 11-1 Mastermind in the ninth race at Del Mar.

Runner-up Tanis Atras hit a number of winners topped by 14-1 Flatterwithjewels in the fourth race at Del Mar, Scott Anderson hit 19-1 Scotch No Rocks in the first race at Churchill Downs, and Darcy Penner scored with two longshots including 12-1 Lena's Shadow in the third race at Remington Park and 10-1 Master Piece in the ninth at Aqueduct, the Red Smith Stakes.

Any of these longshots might have been enough to separate a handicapper from the pack in a normal tournament, but our local 'cappers came out firing. Only one of the top four finishers was in the top 10 in the standings for the Handicapper of the Year title, which will be decided next month, but they prevented any of the leaders from opening up on the pack, setting the stage for a great battle in the final tournament of the year.

Numerous players have a shot at the Handicapper of the Year title this year, which offers a $3,500 cash prize to the winner. Glen Gray currently leads the standings with 258 points, but he's followed closely by Nicole Baker (251 points), Randy Premachuk (250), Steve Holborn (248) and Keith MacLennan (245), any of whom could take the title with a strong December performance. 2020 Handicapper of the Year Trevor Tilston-Jones is also right there in sixth place with 236 points.

Could he be the sleeper? 

Mastermind ($22.70) wins the finale at Del Mar on Saturday, giving November Player's Choice winner Cecelia Liebrecht her second big winner of the day.

Christmas Buffet

Join us for a fabulous Christmas Buffet on Saturday, December 23.

• Roast Turkey
• Ham with Dijon Cream Sauce
• Sweet & Sour Meatballs
• Apple, Onion & Tarragon Stuffing
• Turkey Gravy & Cranberry Sauce
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Green Beans Almondine
• Caesar Salad
• Greek Vegetable Salad
• Broccoli Bacon Salad
• Kolbassa & Cheddar
• Pickles, Sweet Mix and Beets
• Breads, Dinner Rolls with Butter
• Pumpkin Pie, Dainties, Cakes & Cookies
• $34.95 per person, Kids 12 & under $29.95, Kids 5 & under $16.95

Reservations are available from 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Call 204-885-3330 today!

Top NFL Picks by TravyFootball: Week 11

Bills over Jets (Sunday afternoon): The Bills suddenly find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture after a disappointing loss to the Denver Broncos on Monday night. I don't know what's going on with Josh Allen, but he was reverting back to the guy who can't help but turn the ball over. The first interception he threw wasn't his fault, because it went off a receiver's hand, but the second one he threw was just a bad decision. He also had another interception that was actually called back due to a penalty. His poor play cost the offensive coordinator, Ken Dorsey, his job as he was fired earlier this week. I'm not sure why he's being used as the scapegoat here, it's not like he's the one out there turning the ball over, but someone had to take the fall for it and it wasn't going to be Josh Allen. Luckily for the Bills, a team playing even worse than they are is next on the schedule. The Jets played one of the worst games of the year last Sunday night against the Raiders. Even I couldn't subject myself to watching it for very long. The biggest headline out of the Jets camp this week was Aaron Rodgers proclaiming that he is looking to get back to playing in mid-December after tearing his Achilles in September. I don't believe that to be a realistic option, because nobody in the history of the NFL, or any other sport for that matter, has ever come back from a torn Achilles in only four months. 

Broncos over Vikings (Sunday night): I know Ivan Bigg will be watching this one with a keen eye given his love for the Vikings and his disdain for the Broncos ever since they signed Russell Wilson. A month ago, the Vikings were 1-4 and at the bottom of the conference, but since then, they have won five games in a row, three of them with Kirk Cousins, and two with their NEW starter, Josh Dobbs. Dobbs has filled in nicely and the Vikings haven’t really skipped a beat since he took over. With Justin Jefferson on his way back from an injury any week now, Minnesota will be looking to make some noise in the second half of the season. The Broncos pulled the upset last Monday night, beating the all of a sudden struggling Buffalo Bills 24-22. It was a slow start, but it looks like Sean Payton may finally be turning things around in Denver. Russell Wilson is having a MUCH better season and has already surpassed his touchdown tally from last year. 

Chiefs over Eagles (Monday Night): I’m sure the Eagles have had this game circled on the calendar ever since the schedule was announced. In a rematch of the Super Bowl from last year, the Eagles will travel to Kansas City for a rematch against the Chiefs. Both teams are coming off their bye week so they should be rested and well prepared for each other. I would figure that Taylor Swift will definitely be in attendance for this one, most likely sitting beside Momma Kelce in one of the private suites. I’ve mentioned a few times this year already about the Eagles not looking quite the same as last year despite being 8-1, but the same could also be said about the Chiefs. The Chiefs will have to find a way to slow down AJ Brown, who has been on a tear lately, and the Eagles will have to find a way to slow down Kelce and Mahomes, I give the edge to the Chiefs because I think their pass rush will be able to get to Jalen Hurts and force him into a few turnovers. 

Last week: 2-1

Overall: 17-13

"I Won Bigg" Wagering Group

The "I Won Bigg" wagering group will meet every Saturday at 10:30 a.m. on the second floor plaza. This week they will be playing Woodbine and Del Mar. $20 a share. Email Larry at [email protected] for more information.

1987 featured a 119-day race meet that finished up on Sunday, November 1st. Thanks to Joan Edwards, we were fortunate enough to unearth the photo of her Hasty Echo winning the Ivan Dowler Memorial. Hasty Echo was ridden by apprentice Brian Bochinski, who closed out the 1987 season in grand style. Including Hasty Echo, Brian won five races on the Sunday card. He also won five races on Saturday and four more on Friday to finish the meet with 100 wins, which was good enough for third place in the jockey standings. (Gerry Hart photo)

New Year's Eve Dinner & Dance

Sunday, December 31

• Prime Rib buffet served from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
• Late lunch served
• Dancing until 1:00 a.m.
• Door prizes
• Free coat check
• Huge dance floor
• Party favours 
• Free VLT Game for a chance to win a share of $2,024!
• DJ Music & Lights
• Hosted by Kathy Kennedy
• $79.95 plus taxes & gratuities

This event sells out every year so order your tickets today! Call 204-885-3330.

Northern Dancer

A ‘Pocket Battleship’ Who Became a Worldwide Influence

Northern Dancer at age 22 in 1983. (Milt Toby/BloodHorse photo)

Small and stocky, the bonny bay colt named Northern Dancer was built more like an old-style Quarter Horse than a sleek Thoroughbred. In 1962, he was offered for $25,000 at his yearling sale. There were no takers. Two years later, in the lead-up to the Kentucky Derby the press poked fun at the colt’s pint-size (15.1 hands) stature. Then Northern Dancer uncorked a jaw-dropping two-minute flat run breaking the 89-year-old track record and become the first Canadian born and bred horse to win the world’s most famous race. He would then go on to become the most influential sire the world has ever seen. More from Terry Conway at America's Best Racing here.

Technical Issues, Potential Fraud In Large Mystery Wagers

Strange Superfecta and Hi-5 Wagers attract attention from regulators

Pools for Superfecta and Hi-5 wagers were larger than ever seen before at some tracks.

A series of massive wagers into exotic pari-mutuel betting pools at several Thoroughbred and Standardbred racetracks on Wednesday have officials scratching their heads over how the bets were placed and why. The wagers – which created pool sizes never before seen at some of the tracks in question – focused on superfecta and super high five wagers that require a gambler to pick the first four and first five finishers, respectively, in a race. More from the Paulick Report here.

KET Documentary Spotlights Legacy of Black Horsemen

'The Legacy of Black Horsemen' tells the story of 19th century jockeys and trainers

Back-to-back Kentucky Derby winning jockey Jimmy Winkfield. (Cook/Keeneland Library photo)

The Legacy of Black Horsemen, an hour-long historical documentary from KET, highlights the often-untold story of black jockeys, trainers, grooms, and exercise riders in the 1800s, whose contributions helped lay the foundation for the thoroughbred industry. Using contemporary interviews, reenactments, and historical photographs and paintings, the documentary brings important stories to light, showing how African Americans played an indispensable role in establishing Thoroughbred racing as America's first national pastime. More from the Blood Horse here.