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 santizied between play. Click here for a full list of games available at ASD.

Entry fee: $25. Bankroll: $60. Place 10 ($2 WPS) wagers on any North American race that takes place on the contest day. You must have a Manitoba HPI account to participate. Deadline to enter is 4 p.m. the Friday before the tournament. For complete list of 2023 handicapping tournaments click here.

HAPPY HOUR - Daily from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close

The Club West Dining Room and Lounge is open daily at 10 a.m. until 1 a.m. for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and beverages. Our menu includes favourites such as chicken wings, pizza, chipotle mozza burger (pictured), steak sandwich or bacon and eggs plus much more! See the full menu here.

You just never know who the The Inside Track might reach!

“I was just reading my email of The Inside Track from December 30, 2022," wrote White. “A couple of memories came up for me. My ex-husband, Ken Murray, was the trainer for Merry's Hi Note when she won the John Sifton Memorial in 1970.

Trained by Clayton Gray for Hugh Jackson, Merry’s Jay was the first Manitoba-bred of the modern era to win the Manitoba Derby, 38 years after breeder R.J. Speers won it with the filly Gowerlace in 1938. Merry’s Hi Note was also the dam of multiple stakes winner Picatune, who in turn foaled stakes winners Major Pick, Picabit and Pick Sure.

“There were others to be sure, but these names give you a glimpse into the quality of some of Jackson's charges,” wrote track historian Bob Gates on the ASD blog here. 

The story about Karen Chysyk winning the Powder Puff Derby in 1971 also stirred memories for White. “I wasn't close to winning,” she said. “But in 1961, I rode in the Powder Puff Derby. I will send a newspaper picture. There are a number of names you will likely recognize. 

“I very much enjoy reading The Inside Track," continued White. "I left Winnipeg in 1980. Some of the stories and people are quite familiar to me, especially from my time at Assiniboia Downs. My first job was with Tommy Patton in 1960, walking hots. Later I also galloped a few for him. I then trained with my ex-husband Ken Murray for a few years.

Assiniboia Downs offers some of the best shipping incentives in North America, and an excellent purse and stakes schedule to match. If you're looking for a great place to race this summer, you won't find a more friendly and inviting track anywhere. We've also got one of the kindest racing surfaces in North America, complemented by numerous additional amenities.

The 50-day 2023 live race meeting begins on Monday, May 22, and runs through to Tuesday, September 19. We race Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings at ASD, which means you can take the weekends off and enjoy our fabulous Manitoba summer weather with family and friends! Links to the 2023 shipping incentives, racing and graded purse schedules here.

ASD 2023 Condition Book #1

The first ASD Condition Book for 2023 is here! Time to get excited! Click here to download.

Condolences to the family and friends of longtime ASD trainer, Laurie Elsom, who passed away at the age of 81 on December 28, 2022. Laurie loved his horses, and had many friends in the Assiniboia Downs backstretch, where he trained horses from 1978 to 2007, winning 110 races. Read Laurie's full obituary here.

Voting for the 48th Annual Sovereign Awards begins Monday, January 9, 2023. Ballots and statistical information have been sent out by the Jockey Club of Canada to voters across Canada. The completed online ballots are due no later than 11:59 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, January 22, 2023. More from the Canadian Thoroughbred here.

U.S. graded stakes winner Air Support was one of two stallions who died in India last week after "thousands of bees" attacked them at India's Kunigal Stud Farm, the Times of India reported. Air Support was 15. More from Byron King at the BloodHorse here.