John Whitehill Wins Player's Choice Tournament on Big Day for Locals at Woodbine

Retired bricklayer John Whitehill outdistanced the field to win the November Player's Choice Handicapping Tournament at ASD last Saturday with a big winner at Woodbine, and he wasn't the only local to do some good at the Ontario track on contest day.

Full story here.

The top five Manitoba-bred earners will be featured in next week's edition.

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

Week 13

Happy Thanksgiving to any Americans reading! This week features some big storylines—from Houston trying to stay hot, to Minnesota’s continued struggles at quarterback, to a Monday night matchup where one elite pass-rusher is chasing history. I break down what to watch in all three games as the playoff race tightens.

Click here to see my week 13 picks.

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

1991 marked the last time the thoroughbreds raced in November at ASD. Here, In the Air, was one of few horses that could boast of winning on November 10th – the latest date ever for thoroughbred racing at Assiniboia Downs. The Mike Smith-trained filly was ridden by Jeff Linton. (Gerry Hart photo)

Rookies in the Spotlight in Princess Elizabeth, Coronation Futurity

Graded stakes-winning filly Dixie Law takes on the boys in the $250,000 Coronation Futurity at Woodbine on Saturday, part of an 11-race card that also features the $250,000 Princess Elizabeth Stakes.

The Coronation Futurity is a significant race on the road to the King’s Plate, while the Princess Elizabeth is a key event on the path to the Woodbine Oaks Presented by Stella Artois.

-- Canadian Thoroughbred

Noel’s Weekend Winners: Focus on Fillies Saturday at Churchill Downs

The Churchill Downs fall meet comes to a climax on Thanksgiving weekend with a blowout of the season’s remaining stakes races before the end of the meet. Saturday’s 12-race Churchill Downs card contains four stakes races headlined by the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2), but that race isn’t the only game in town.

Handicapper Noel Michael's delves deeper into a pair of supporting stakes races on the card, the $225,000 Fern Creek Stakes and the $400,000 Golden Rod Stakes.

-- America's Best Racing

Ag Bullet Tries Stretching Out Vs. Eastern Invaders In Closing-Day Matriarch at Del Mar

Locals Ag Bullet and Medoro are set to take on Eastern-based rivals In Our Time and Ozara in Sunday’s $300,000 Matriarch Stakes (G1) for fillies and mares going a mile on the turf at Del Mar on Sunday.

The Matriarch is part of the FanDuel Racing Turf Festival on closing day on a card that also features the $100,000 Cecil B. Demille Stakes and the $100,000 Bayakoa Stakes.

-- Paulick Report

The Best of Bob

It’s not that the story of the Downs CEO is tough to tell, says Bob, but rather the challenge centers on the fact that there’s just so much to tell. From those early days on the backside to the ongoing struggle that horse racing faces in these sometimes-turbulent times. Click here to learn just a little bit more about the “corner office” man who calls the shots at the Downs (From July 7, 2022).