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DID YOU HEAR THE LATEST?
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from Assiniboia Downs.
| | ISSUE #221 - JANUARY 30, 2026 | | 2025 ASD leading trainer Steve Keplin, Jr. (right) in the winner’s circle after his victory in the Chantilly Stakes with Gina’s Serenade for owner Arnason Farms. (Jason Halstead / Assiniboia photo) | | |
Leading Trainer Steve Keplin, Jr. Eager to Return to ASD for 2026 season
2025 Assiniboia Downs leading trainer Steve Keplin, Jr. is chomping at the bit to get back to the Downs for 2026, and his stable will have a slightly different makeup this year, but some of his 2025 stars are already in training.
The 32-year-old Turtle Mountain Chippewa from Belcourt, N.D., who won numerous stakes races last season, is taking a quality-over-quantity approach this year, shooting for a stable of around a dozen horses rather than the 25-30 he cycled through in 2025.
Triple stakes winner and fan favourite Judo will be back, and Keplin and his team are also on the lookout for a Manitoba Derby prospect.
Full story here
| | Groom School graduate and former Groom of the Year Skyla Blanchard loves her job. (George Williams) | | |
Explore a Career as a Racehorse Groom!
Looking for a hands-on way to get involved in the horse racing industry?
The HBPA of Manitoba Inc. is offering a 4-week paid Racehorse Groom Training Program, a chance to learn the ropes of daily barn life while working directly with racehorses.
Applications are open now! For details and to apply, visit hbpamanitoba.ca or email hbpamanitoba@mymts.net.
Full story here.
| | Open daily from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. | | |
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.
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NFL Picks by TravyFootball
Conference Recap
I went 1–1 last week, and both games went about as expected. Denver couldn’t move the ball without Bo Nix, and once the snow hit, the Patriots did just enough to punch another Super Bowl ticket. Drake Maye wasn’t flashy, but he was effective. Sunday night was a brutal watch, but Sam Darnold’s comeback story continues as Seattle heads to the Super Bowl behind him. See my full recap here.
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Road to the Kentucky Derby
- Jan. 31 - Withers (Aqu) - 20 points
- Jan. 31 - Holy Bull (GP) - 20 points
- Feb. 6 - Southwest (OP) - 20 points
- Feb. 7 - Sam F. Davis (Tam) - 20 points
- Feb. 7 - Robert B. Lewis (SA) - 20 points
| | Trainer Michael Nault (right) and co-owners Nolan Allard (left) and Phil Allard celebrate after Betterlucknexttime's victory in the 56th running of the J.W. Sifton Stakes on Sept. 10. Click image for full size. (Jason Halstead / Assiniboia Photo) | | |
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 😊
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A Snapshot in Time by Bob Gates
The Phil Kives (formerly run as the Agassiz Stakes) celebrated its 50-year history in 2025. Manitoba wonder horse, Langara won the Kives a record five times. Here Langara is seen winning the inaugural running of the race on August 19, 2016. Langara, we salute you! (Gerry Hart Photo)
| | Skippylongstocking has raced at 15 tracks and won numerous graded stakes, but his win in last Saturday's Pegasus World Cup Invitational was his first Grade 1 victory. (Gulfstream Park) | | |
‘Skippy’ Overhauls White Abarrio, Joseph Dominates Pegasus
You could call Skippylongstocking the everyday person’s racehorse, a blue collar guy who has traveled to all parts of the United States, testing his talent against the best horses in the world.
He tried Triple Crown races as a 3-year-old, and his first big win came in the rich West Virginia Derby. In 2023, he scooped up over $500,000 in the Charles Town Classic, a race he won again in 2024, and he also bagged $600,000 for his win in the Oaklawn Handicap. Last year, he won the Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita.
And now, the $37,000 purchase is a Grade 1 winner, after his victory in last Saturday's Pegasus World Cup Invitational.
-- Canadian Thoroughbred
| | Kentucky Derby Rankings by Steve Haskin are a regular feature at Secretariat.com | | |
2026 Kentucky Derby Rankings - Week 2
Hall of Fame scribe Steve Haskin is back to his Derby Dozen this week, with two horses in particular to watch closely in the Holy Bull Stakes.
Haskin has kept Nearly and Cannoneer in spots 11 and 12 this week, but they could move up quickly with strong performances in the Holy Bull.
He also notes that the Southwest Stakes, which would have showcased a few more Derby hopefuls, has been postponed for a week due to weather.
-- Secretariat.com
| | Track Historian Bob Gates | | |
The Best of Bob
How about a game of Who Am I? This history blog celebrates the life of a man who played eight seasons in the NHL and all of them for one team. He won the Stanley Cup, an AVCO Cup, the Little Brown Jug and
he's in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
Oops, almost forgot, he was also a member of the exalted 1972 Team Canada and he still found time to leave his footprints at Assiniboia Downs. Who's your best guess? Click here for the reveal. (From June 9, 2021)
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Feedback & Inside Track Archives
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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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