ASSINIBOIA DOWNS
The Inside Track | Issue #26 | May 5, 2022
  • Open daily from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
  • VLTs, Race Carrels and Tables are sanitized between customer use.
  • Our fully immunized staff will continue to wear masks for the safety of all customers.
In this edition . . .
  • What's happening at the Downs?
  • Derby Specials / ASD Live Show
  • Delta 9 CMO wins Handicapping Tourney
  • 8 More Spots Open in Groom School
  • Snapshot in Time
  • Kentucky Derby Blitz Comments
  • Photo of the Week: Plentiful
  • Derby Favourite Draws Post 10
  • Derby / Oaks Players in Photos
  • The Best of Bob
  • Upcoming Events
Do the Downs!
SPIN TO WIN THURSDAYS AND FRIDAYS IN THE CLUBWEST GAMING LOUNGE - Enter at the VLT cage every Thursday and Friday for a chance to spin the wheel for up to $100 cash! Draws will be made every 30 minutes starting at noon.
MONDAY MADNESS EVERY MONDAY IN MAY - 4% cash back on all eligible wagering Mondays in May. Minimum wagered $100 (each Monday). Maximum deposit $25 (each Monday). Wagers must be placed on HPI account to qualify. ($2.10 payoffs not included.
Kentucky Derby - Saturday, May 7
  • First race post time at Churchill Downs is 9:30 a.m. Please note that Assiniboia Downs will open at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, May 6 & Saturday, May 7.
  • 3% cash back on all eligible wagering on Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 7. Minimum wagered $100. Maximum deposit $25. Wagers must be made on your HPI account. ($2.10 payoffs not included).
  • Free Churchill programs and DRF on-track and at off-track locations (Quest Inn, Canad Inns Windsor Park, Green Brier and Rookies). The free Churchill programs and DRF will be available the afternoon of Thursday, May 5.
  • Draws for Kentucky Derby glasses on-track and at the above off-track locations.
  • Buy a Raz Derby lemonade at Assiniboia Downs on Saturday, May 7 for $9.95 and receive a complimentary Kentucky Derby glass (while supplies last).
Special ASD Live Kentucky Derby Show
Kirt and Stretch are back for a special Kentucky Derby ASD Live Handicapping Show on Friday, May 6. Watch on our Youtube channel here.
Spring Showcase Market
Join us Saturday, May 14 & Sunday, May 15 at Assiniboia Downs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Spring Showcase Market will feature:
  • 70+ amazing local Artisans!
  • Mini donuts & lemonade
  • Free henna tattoos
  • A beautiful three tier photo wall from @event.zy
  • Grand Prize draw for shoppers!
  • Garden zone (weather dependant)
  • Vendor list and booth locations - click here
  • Admission $10. Get your tickets here
At The Post with G.S. Thompson
Delta 9 CMO Marshall Posner (right) won last Saturday's Player's Choice Handicapping Tournament with a total bankroll of $122.50. Shown here at the Breeders' Cup with ASD Live Show handicapper Glen Sirkis. Congratulations Marshall!
Delta 9 CMO Wins Player's Choice Tourney
Podcast tip produces biggest winner of the day
Marshall Posner said he “just got lucky” to win last Saturday’s Player’s Choice Handicapping Tournament after turning his $60 bankroll into $122.50, but of course that’s not the whole story.

His biggest winner on the day came from a podcast.

Posner won $1,000, a trophy, and bragging rights for last Saturday’s win, defeating an always tough group of 52 local handicappers including Roger Jones (2nd place, $101.10 bankroll, $400 prize money), Jeff Rozmus (3rd, $96.00, $250), Nicole Baker (4th, $91.50, $100) and Darcy Penner (5th, $80.90, $50).

The real secret?

“You have to do the work,” said the 51-year-old Chief Marketing Officer at Delta 9, who just recently started playing in the local handicapping contests again.

A former Fan Education Specialist and former handicapper on the ASD Live Show, Posner has been playing the horses since he was a teenager and is now a comprehensive handicapper.

He understands how to select contenders based on speed, pace, class and form, but also believes trip handicapping still provides the best edge in the game today. That, along with listening to podcasts and learning something new from every race he plays.

“You have to be constantly learning new things about handicapping,” said Posner, whose first ever bet was a winning one at the age of 16. “The father of a girl in our class at school had a horse in to race at the Downs, so we all went to the track and bet on it,” said Posner. “It won, and we had a great time.”

Posner was hooked. This was an easy game, he thought. And you just know how that turned out. But after some early losses and his parents telling him to stay away from playing the horses, Posner hit again.

“I came home, and they asked me if I was at the track,” said Posner. “I said ’Yes’ and pulled a huge wad of cash from my pocket.”

“Oh, no,” thought his parents, but it was too late. Posner had already decided to learn everything he could about handicapping and horse racing.

His first big score had come from wheeling a horse in the trifecta and taking down the entire pool. He knew you could make money at the races -- if you did your homework.

“I asked questions and learned from veteran handicappers on the third floor at Assiniboia Downs,” said Posner. “You have to be constantly learning in this game or you’ll get left behind.”

Posner says his best plays come from watching races and replays, looking for horses that have less than ideal trips and adding them to his HPIBet.com Stable Mail.

“Trip handicapping is worth doing,” said Posner. “I don't mean like on a Saturday in a major stakes race where everybody sees a horse get into trouble on the rail. I mean on Wednesday or Thursday when fewer people are watching the races.

“Finding hidden trouble, where there is no trouble line in the DRF, is the best angle, especially if it’s at the beginning or in the middle of a race. Most people can see which horses get into trouble when making a move at the end of a race, but less pay attention to the start and the middle parts of a race.”

And when it comes to “doing the work” there’s more to it than an analysis of speed, pace, form, class and trips. Posner also likes to use Clocker Reports, review any new information products on the market, and most importantly, listen to podcasts and handicap the public handicappers.

“Some of these handicappers are really good,” said Posner. “You have to figure out which ones know what they’re talking about and factor that into your handicapping.”

Posner’s favourite podcasts right now include the DRF Players’ Podcast, the Sport of Kings Podcast and the Magic Mike Show from RacingDudes.com.

On the day before the Player’s Choice tourney, the Sport of Kings Podcast welcomed guest handicapper Paul Weizer to analyze the Cross Country Pick 5 at Belmont and Oaklawn Park. They also talked about the track bias and race shape handicapping product offered by RacingFlow.com.

Racing Flow not only helped Sport of Kings nail the Cross Country Pick 5, which paid $3,027.99 for 60 cents, it also gave Posner his biggest winner of the day, Scuttlebuzz (14-1) in the ninth race at Belmont, the Elusive Quality Stakes.

It pays to listen.
Groom School Opens Up 8 More Spots
Paid-training and horses a perfect combination
The smile says it all. Ciera Pruitt, shown above with Anchor Up, didn't have to attend the HBPA Groom School to get a job with horses, but she might have done so if her mom Lise Pruitt wasn't already an accomplished stakes-winning trainer. Ciera, 19, is obviously enjoying her work in the barn, but her ultimate goal is to become a jockey like her father, former ASD rider Jerry Pruitt, who won 2,557 races. Good luck Ciera!
The Groom School at Assiniboia Downs has opened up eight more spots in its paid training program. The next group of classes will be starting next week.

Operated by the Manitoba HBPA and sponsored by the Province of Manitoba First Jobs Fund, the Groom School offers paid on-the-job training for students between the ages of 16 and 29. The main requirement for participation in the program is a love of horses. Recent graduates are already working in the barns of trainers Wendy Anderson, Mike Nault, Tiffany Husbands, Devon Gittens and Steve Gaskin.
 
For more information on the program please contact HBPA Office Manager Shannon Dawley at (204) 226-8486 or email hbpamanitoba@mymts.net.
Now that's a fan! It was only a matter of time before Gene Simmons and his KISS Army got more involved in racing. By the looks of it, this guy has a winner. Or maybe he just is one. Watch Simmons (and this true fan) in the TABTouch commercial here.
A Snapshot in Time
by ASD Historian Bob Gates
For me, this photo epitomizes what our “Snapshot in Time” is all about. I doubt that anyone will recall the horse in this win photo but how about the people in this shot! Wow, S. Owen was a June Sifton horse. June isn’t in the picture, but husband John is at the head of S. Owen. We lost John in 1969 and June in 2016. 
 
Trainer, Bert Blake is on the far left and we lost him in 2012. Just to Blake’s left is a young man we should all know – yes that’s Ardell Sayler! Ardell passed in 2019, and you’ll note the jock is another “Sayler.” Vernon was Ardell’s older brother who rode here for a couple of years in the late 1960s. 17-year-old Vernon was taken from us in a plane crash in 1971. 
 
Sorry for the rather gloomy tone to this week’s “Snapshot,” and I’m not entirely sure why I was drawn to the photo, but looking back more than 50 years ago, it truly is a snapshot in time! (Bob Barnes photo.)
Handicapper's Corner
2022 Kentucky Derby Blitz
Quick thoughts on the 20 horses entered in the 2022 Kentucky Derby
Epicenter has been made the second choice at 7/2 in the 148th Kentucky Derby this Saturday. (Coady Photography / Churchill Downs photo.)
2022 Kentucky Derby Field -- Post, Horse, Morning-Line Odds and Thoughts

1. Mo Donegal (10-1) Showed great character winning Wood Memorial. Overlay.
2. Happy Jack (30-1) Well beaten in Santa Anita Derby. Needs major improvement.
3. Epicenter (7-2) Should make first run at the pacesetters. Logical contender.
4. Summer Is Tomorrow (30-1) UAE Derby runner-up takes massive step up in class.
5. Smile Happy (20-1) Second best Blue Grass Stakes. Just a touch below the best here.
6. Messier (8-1) No match for Taiba in Santa Anita Derby, but best puts him close.
7. Crown Pride (20-1) Japanese runner has been working lights out. Overlay chance.
8. Charge It (20-1) Trouble at start of Florida Derby. Could improve, but...
9. Tiz the Bomb (30-1) Jeff Ruby Steaks winner could be a longshot for Superfectas.
10. Zandon (3-1) Showed good determination to win Blue Grass Stakes. Contender.
11. Pioneer of Medina (30-1) Seems a notch below the best in here, but will try.
12. Taiba (12-1) Does this talented Santa Anita Derby winner have enough seasoning?
13. Simplification (20-1) Should be close early, but these are too tough late.
14. Barber Road (30-1) A solid grinder who definitely needs to be included in Superfectas.
15. White Abarrio (10-1) Florida Derby winner should get a decent trip at a nice price.
16. Cyberknife (20-1) May be even better than he looked winning Arkansas Derby.
17. Classic Causeway (30-1) What happened in Florida Derby? Can't play him off that.
18. Tawny Port (30-1) Moves in with the big boys now. Guessing game on class raise.
19. Zozos (20-1) Second best to Epicenter in Louisiana Derby. Pace presser at a price.
20. Ethereal Road (30-1) Hall of Fame trainer. Longshot for Superfectas.
AE - Rich Strike (30-1) These are much better than what he has been facing.
AE - Rattle N Roll (30-1) Hasn't shown much lately. Would need a total pace meltdown.

Good Luck!
CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE TRACK TO WAGER?
Watch and wager at one of our partner locations:

  • Canad Inns Windsor Park - 1034 Elizabeth Road
  • Green Brier Inn - 1611 Main Street
  • Rookies at Central Hotel - 201 Melrose Avenue East
  • Quest Inn - 367 Ellice Avenue
  • McPhillips Station Casino - 484 McPhillips Street
  • Club Regent Casino - 1425 Regent Ave W
  • Wager 24/7 at HPIbet.com

OPENING SOON!
  • Club 3D - 3317 Portage Avenue
  • Nor-Villa Motor Hotel - 1763 Henderson Hwy
Photo of the Week
Former ASD trainer John Mulligan (left) gets a lesson from veteran ASD trainer Murray Duncan and 2021 Gold Cup winner Plentiful at Oaklawn Park on Tuesday. They'll all soon be on their way back to ASD! (Brian Farol photo and thanks to Audrey Farol for sending!)
Do you have an interesting photo you would like showcased in an upcoming newsletter? Email your photos to theinsidetrack@ASDowns.com.
In The News
Kentucky Derby: Favourite Zandon draws post 10
2022 Kentucky Derby favourite Zandon (3-1) drew post 10 in a full field of 20 for the 148th Derby this Saturday, May 7. (Barbara Livingston / DRF photo)
Zandon drew post 10 and was made the 3-1 morning-line favourite, and Epicenter landed post 3 and was installed as the second choice at 7-2, as a full field of 20, plus two also-eligibles, had posts assigned Monday afternoon at Churchill Downs for the 148th Kentucky Derby on Saturday. More from the Daily Racing Form here.
Kentucky Derby and Oaks Top Players in Photos
A look at some of the best 3-year-olds in America in the Derby and Oaks

Taiba, unbeaten in two races, is a looker. (Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs photo)
A look at some of the top contenders for the 148th Kentucky Derby (G1) on May 7 and Kentucky Oaks edition 148, May 6, from the lens of Coady Photography, courtesy of KentuckyDerby.com. More from the Canadian Thoroughbred here.
Carryover Watch & Programs
  • Parx (May 7) - Jackpot Pick 5 - $449,369
  • Santa Anita (May 6) - Jackpot Pick 6 - $151,390
  • Charles Town (May 5) - Jackpot Pick 6 - $125,482
  • See all carryovers here.
"I Won Bigg" Betting Group
Kentucky Derby Edition 10 a.m. Saturday
This week the group will be concentrating on the later races at Churchill Downs and maybe Woodbine or Santa Anita. Please note that this week the group will meet at 10 a.m. Everyone welcome. Can't make it to the track? Email Larry for a share.
The Best of Bob
by ASD Historian Bob Gates

This week we remember a young man who won his first race at a recognized racetrack right here on July 4, 1984. He raced at the Downs for five full seasons and won the leading rider title three times, before moving east in search of fame and fortune. He won a Manitoba Derby, two Queen’s Plates and was twice named Manitoba’s Male Athlete of the Year. Click here to learn more about this week’s history blog honoree. (From May 2021)
Upcoming events at ASD

  • The Great Benjamins Circus - May 5 through 8 - more info
  • Spring Showcase Market - Saturday, May 14 & Sunday, May 15 - more info
  • Indian Horse Relay Races - Monday, May 23 - more info
  • MB Food Truck Battles - Saturday, May 28 & Sunday, May 29 - more info
  • Summer of Sound - Friday, June 10 - more info
  • Manitoba Night Markets - Sundays, June 12, July 24 & August 28 - more info
  • Canada Day Fireworks & Festival - Friday, July 1 - more info
Feedback
We would love to hear from you! Email your comments and/or suggestions to theinsidetrack@ASDowns.com.
The Inside Track Archives
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