Mano Dura gallops to Derby victory

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This article was published 08/08/2023 (1134 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Longshot Mano Dura came powering down the stretch on a record-setting Monday night at Assiniboia Downs to win the 75th running of the $125,000 Manitoba Derby and give the leading owner-trainer-jockey team of Henry S. Witt, Jr., Jerry Gourneau and Antonio Whitehall the biggest win of their lives.

Witt has been the leading owner at Assiniboia Downs for five consecutive years, Gourneau has led the trainer standings here four times, and Whitehall has won the riding title twice, but a Manitoba Derby win had escaped them all. Until now.

Mano Dura received a dream trip under Whitehall, avoiding trouble on the first turn and tracking favourite 1/5 favourite Heroic Move from the inside to the stretch. He challenged the favourite from the outside in early stretch and duelled that one into submission, drawing out from the sixteenth pole to win by 4 ¼- lengths over Heroic Move, who easily held second over Tshiebwe. Local runner Green Amazon rallied to finish fourth at 77-1, topping a 20-cent Superfecta that paid a handsome $825.93.

Mano Dura paid $32.80 $5.50 $3.30 across the board and boosted the mandatory payout on the Jackpot Pick 5 payoff, which came in at $5,689 for a $1 ticket after fans wagered an additional whopping $1.86 million into a Pick 5 pool that was already at $597,000 going into the evening. Fans also wagered a record $190,000 on the Pick 4, which paid $795.65 for a $1 ticket, but that wasn’t the only wagering record set on Monday.

Fans bet $434,109 on the Manitoba Derby itself and a total of $3,708,804 on the entire race card, setting an all-time track record for both.

“Each year, the Manitoba Derby program brings great energy to the track both locally and abroad, and this year was no exception,” said Assiniboia Downs CEO Darren Dunn. “There were some big fields again this year making for some great racing. We are truly grateful to our dedicated horsepeople, our incredible staff, and the unwavering support of our loyal horseplayers.”

Winning owner Henry S. Witt Jr. contributed to the record Derby-day handle with a $100 across on his winner, and his horse is now the only horse with a chance to win the $100,000 bonus available to the winner of the Western Canadian Triple Crown, which includes the Manitoba Derby, the Canadian Derby at Century Mile and the B.C. Derby at Hastings Racecourse.

Witt, a 64-year-old retired champion race car driver and owner of Affiliated Auto Glass in Waco, Texas was excited about his Derby win. “Thanks to Jerry, a good trainer, a good horse and the good people that work for him.”

The win was also the biggest of trainer Jerry Gourneau’s career. The 61-year-old from Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reserve in North Dakota is on his way to win his record fourth consecutive training title at the Downs and fifth title overall. He’s also slated to be inducted to the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame (NAIAHF) on September 9.

Gourneau and Witt just missed winning the Manitoba Derby in 2015 when Witt Six lost by a heartbreaking neck after a stretch-long duel. Not this time.

“This was sweet,” said Witt. “It felt good.”