Gittens Takes His Talent to the Big Apple

Following up with trainer Devon Gittens after his successful 2025 seasons at Assiniboia Downs and Woodbine, he is now racing at Aqueduct.

The 41-year-old trainer from Barbados started training horses at Assiniboia Downs in 2019 and immediately showed the talent that has now taken him to Woodbine and most recently to Aqueduct in New York, where he has a 20-horse stable competing against some of the best trainers in North America.

Full story here.

Opportunities for Aspiring Racehorse Grooms!

For anyone who has ever dreamed of working with racehorses, the HBPA of Manitoba Inc. is again offering a unique chance to gain hands-on experience through a 4-week paid training program!

Further details are available at hbpamanitoba.ca, and applications are NOW BEING ACCEPTED! Interested applicants should submit their materials to hbpamanitoba@mymts.net.

Learn more.

The fun never stops at Assiniboia Downs

Winnipeg’s place to play and win!

Did you know that Assiniboia Downs is Winnipeg's #1 Spot for VLT Jackpots? Play any of our 140 VLTs in the Club West Gaming Lounge for your chance to win!

🎡 Free Spin to Win draws — Friday, Saturday and Sunday starting at 6 p.m.

💸 Free $200 cash draws — Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 9 p.m.

Click here to see our recent jackpots.

NFL Picks by TravyFootball

Divisional Round

Last week was a 1–2 grind, but that’s playoff football. This weekend has everything—the league’s most unstoppable quarterback trying to carry a banged-up roster into a hornet’s nest, a team everyone left for dead suddenly feeling like it’s playing with house money, and yes… the Bears doing Bears things again and somehow refusing to go away. Injuries, revenge spots, trick plays, and momentum swings are all in play, and I’ve got strong feelings about where this is headed. Divisional round football is where the edges matter most—see my picks here.

Road to the Kentucky Derby

• Jan. 16, 17, 18 - Kentucky Derby Future Wager
• Jan. 17 - Lecomte (FG) - 20 points
• Jan. 31 - Withers (Aqu) - 20 points
• Jan. 31 - Holy Bull (GP) - 20 points
• Jan. 31 - Southwest (OP) - 20 points

Looking for a Special Photo?

Track Photographer Jason Halstead may have just what you're looking for

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 😊

A Snapshot in Time by Bob Gates

The Yuletide season had Gary Danelson checking in for some holiday cheer. Gary is pictured here with Sal's Imp, who won 7 of his 10 races in 1964, with 5 of those wins coming at the Downs. The 88-year-old all-time-leading trainer at ASD hinted that he just might be looking for a stablemate for his Winnipeg Futurity winner Omaha Warrior for the 2026 season. Stay tuned! (Bob Barnes Photo)

Picking an 8-1 Shot in the 2026 Lecomte Stakes

The vast majority of early Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifiers award points on a 10-5-3-2-1 basis to the top five finishers. On Saturday at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, the stakes will double to 20-10-6-4-2 points for the $250,000 Lecomte (G3).

The Lecomte has understandably drawn a deep field. Proven stakes winners are few and far between, but a bevy of promising maiden winners add depth to the 11-horse lineup. J. Keeler Johnson handicaps the race and picks an 8-1 shot to win.



-- BloodHorse

Kentucky Derby Futures: A Worthy Fave But Much Intrigue as Prep Season Picks Up

One of the most intellectually stimulating and potentially rewarding aspects of following up-and-coming Derby contenders is backing your opinion with a future wager, and there are two ways to do it: betting into Churchill Downs’ pari-mutuel pools held during key prep weekends and making a fixed-odds bet via Caesars Sportsbook in Las Vegas.

Churchill’s third of six pari-mutuel pools starts Friday, Jan. 16 at noon ET and ends Sunday, Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. ET. Thirty-nine individual horses are offered, plus an “all other 3-year-olds” bet that opens at 4-1 odds.

-- America's Best Racing

On the Derby Trail: A Test, a Risk and a Tactic

With the first Derby Rankings and the third Future Wager coming up, Hall of Fame writer Steve Haskin takes a look at two proven stakes winners -- Litmus Test and Strategic Risk -- and talks about how they got to where they are on the Derby trail.

Unlike many of the exciting, but inexperienced colts, about to move up in class, these two have already proven to be tough, battle-tested competitors with a strong racing foundation, and one of them has a strong classic pedigree.

-- Secretariat.com

The Best of Bob

A newspaper article written 75 years ago was Bob’s inspiration for this week’s blog. Have you heard of Slim Keith or Contributor? 

Probably not, but it’s such a good story and Bob has it here (From June 13, 2019).