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| | ISSUE #197 - AUGUST 15, 2025 | | Live Racing starts at 7:30 p.m. | Certified Angus Prime Rib Buffet. Every live race night! | | |
Live Racing this Tuesday & Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
Live racing continues every Tuesday and Wednesday evening, along with select Mondays: August 25, and September 15. Post time is 7:30 p.m.—and as always, admission and parking are free!
Free Family Fun activities every Tuesday in August. Free kids activities include face painting, bouncy castles and live entertainment. The fun starts at 6:30 p.m.
Get ready to indulge in the ultimate dining experience at the track with our Certified Angus Prime Rib Buffet. Savour melt-in-your-mouth Certified Angus Prime Rib carved to perfection, plus a delicious variety of chicken and seafood dishes, rotating entrée selections, and so much more! Adults: $59.95, Seniors (65+): $54.95, Kids (6–12): $34.95, Kids (5 & under): $22.95.
Reservations are filling up for the season so call 204-885-3330 today to reserve your table!
CLICK HERE for schedule
| | | Designated Hitter (inside) and Javaniel Patterson hold off Totalizer and Rachaad Knights in the third race on Wednesday. (Jason Halstead / Assiniboia Photo) | | |
What a Week for Favourites! Ride of the Week Goes to Javaniel Patterson.
The public was especially sharp this week at ASD, as the first or second choices on the tote board won 11 of 14 races. It was a field day for chalk players, not so much for longshot hunters, although there were a few gems, like Brinson ($18.70) in the fifth race on Wednesday.
And the Ride of the Week goes to Javaniel Patterson for his poetry in motion aboard Designated Hitter in the third race on Wednesday.
CLICK HERE to read more.
| | | August ASD Handicapping Challenge winner James Werry. | | |
Post Parade Decision Delivers First Contest Win for James Werry
A decision made on post parade proved to be the winning move for veteran handicapper James Werry on Tuesday night, who won the ASD Handicapping Challenge by $8.70 with a bankroll of $60.10.
Werry was originally going to play first-time starter Milamaria in the fifth race on Tuesday, but changed his play to favoured Cyber Storm after watching the post parade, and the $9.70 that horse returned across the board was the edge he needed to take home his first tournament win, $3,500 cash, and the trophy.
CLICK HERE to read more.
| | | Girls Night Out - Wednesdays in August. | | |
Girls Night Out! Wednesdays in August
Grab your girlfriends and join us at the Downs for an evening of fun, food, and fabulous prizes—just for the girls!
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Fancy Hat Draw - Wear your best Derby hat and enter to win $150 cash! Draw after Race 6.
- Girls-Only Special $100 Draws - Enter to win - draws after Races 4, 5 & 6.
- $5 Food & Drink Specials (available on the main and 3rd floor) – Fireball Shot, Peach Tart Shot, 6 oz House Wine, Razderby Lemonade, Chicken Fingers Snack, Popcorn, Double Scoop of Ice Cream.
- $5 Espresso Martini Shooter – Includes a ballot to win a $300 Thermea Spa Gift Card. Sponsored by Corby Spirit & Wine.
| | | Battling for position early in the 5th race on Tuesday. (Jason Halstead / Assiniboia Photo). Click photo to enlarge. | | |
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
Jerry Gourneau is seen here in a post–Gold Cup interview with Kirt Contois. On September 10, 2011, Jerry’s Big Blue Caboose, with Jocelyne Kenny in the irons, won the Cup. Jerry would go on to win five Downs leading trainer titles (2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023), missing out in 2019 to Tom Gardipy, Jr. (Bob Gates photo).
| | The 166th running of the King’s Plate, the first jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, will be held on Saturday at Woodbine. (Woodbine / Michael Burns Photo) | | |
2025 King's Plate Cheat Sheet
The racing spotlight in North America will point north to Woodbine at 5:34 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 16 for the $1 million King’s Plate, the first jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown as well as our country’s oldest Thoroughbred horse race.
Founded in 1860, the King’s Plate is actually the oldest continuously run race in North America, and this year's field is as competitive as it gets, with big name jockeys and trainers from across the USA and Canada chasing their piece of Canadian history.
-- America's Best Racing
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King's Plate Day - Saturday, August 16
First race post time from Woodbine is 11:00 a.m.
Below is the full list of featured wagers for King’s Plate Day:
- $200,000 Guaranteed Early Pick 5
- $400,000 Guaranteed Middle Pick 5
- Power Pick 6 – Mandatory Payout
- Kings & Queens Pick 3
- $400,000 Guaranteed Late Pick 5
- Jackpot Hi-5 – Mandatory Payout
For more information click here.
| | Fraser Aebly guides Notorious Gangster to victory in the 120th Running of the $250,000 Coronation Futurity. Notorious Gangster is owned by Mark Dodson and trained by Josie Carroll. (Woodbine / Michael Burns Photo) | | |
King’s Plate: Can the Gangster Buck 50-Year Coronation Trend?
It has been 50 years since Norcliffe, trained by Roger Attfield, won the Coronation Futurity and then the Plate the following year.
Last year's Coronation Futurity winner Notorious Gangster has a very good chance to break the losing streak and win the 166th King’s Plate on Saturday at Woodbine. "He's a confident horse," says Hall of Fame trainer Josie Carroll, a three-time Plate winner.
-- Canadian Thoroughbred
| | The 166th King's Plate headlines a stellar card at Woodbine on Saturday. (Michael Burns Photo) | | |
‘Elbows Up’: Canada Girds For Its Biggest Day Of Racing
Canada offers its biggest and best day of racing on Saturday, when Woodbine Racetrack, in Toronto, hosts six stakes, including its marquee event of the year: the 166th running of the $1 million King’s Plate, contested at 1 ¼-miles on Woodbine’s Tapeta all-weather track.
The King's Plate and E.P. Taylor Stakes make for a blockbuster Saturday card.
-- Paulick Report
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Bob's Blog
1975 – It Was a Good Year
Part I – May 16 to July 9
According to Bob, 1975 was a very good year. Jim Wright had taken over as owner of the Downs, and the horse racing community and ASD patrons eagerly awaited the new 70-day season. All were curious to see the improvements Wright had made to the 17-year-old facilities at the Downs. Click here for the first half of historian Bob’s trip back to 1975.
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Feedback & Inside Track Archives
We would love to hear from you! Email your comments and/or suggestions to theinsidetrack@ASDowns.com.
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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