Indigenous contributions in spotlight on opening day at Downs

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/05/2024 (495 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Gorgeous thoroughbred horses, extreme sports, and hundreds of years of Indigenous history will merge on Monday, May 20, when Assiniboia Downs kicks off its 67^th season of live horse racing.

The 50-night live-race meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. with the first of six thoroughbred races featuring some of the best horses on the grounds, followed by a strong eight-race card on Tuesday. Live racing takes place Monday and Tuesday evenings in May, followed by Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday evening racing in June, July, August, and September.

The highlight of the 2024 season will be the 76th running of the $125,000 Manitoba Derby presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries on Monday, Aug. 5. The Manitoba Derby is also the first leg of the new Western Canadian Derby Series that includes the $200,000 Canadian Derby (G3) at Century Mile in Edmonton Aug. 24, and the $125,000 BC Derby (G3) at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver on Sept. 14. The series offers a $100,000 bonus to any horse that wins all three races.

For the first time in history, the opening-night card will include Indian Horse Relay Racing between the thoroughbred races, in partnership with the Manito Ahbee Festival, which also features cultural dance and music. If you’ve never seen Indian Horse Relay Racing, you’re in for a rush, as highly skilled Indigenous riders fly around the track bareback, jump off, and relay to the rider and horse for the next lap around the track. Think you could do it? Maybe watch it first. Get tied on.

It seems only fitting that Assiniboia Downs would partner with the Manito Ahbee Festival for Indian Horse Relay Racing, considering the history, the land and the fact Indigenous people have had a major impact on the Downs.

Two Indigenous trainers have won the trainer title at the Downs for an incredible nine years in a row, and 11 of the past 15 years – Jerry Gourneau and Tom Gardipy, Jr. Gourneau, who hails from the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation in Belcourt, N.D., will attempt to win his record fifth consecutive title in a row and sixth overall with his 50-horse stable. Gardipy, who is from Beardy’s and Okemasis’ Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, has won six training titles at the Downs. Both trainers were inducted into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame (NAIAHF) last year.

On the jockey front, three-time ASD riding champion Antonio Whitehall is back to defend his 2023 title, and he’ll have to protect it from previous title holders Prayven Badrie, Chavion Chow, and 18 other talented riders, all of whom have been exercising horses for the past 60 days in search of mounts.

Also on tap at ASD in 2024 are a new nightly 50/50 contest, monthly handicapping contests, a new Twitter contest, a new timing system that handicappers will love (no run-up), and enhancements to the graphics presentation package, which is already considered the best in the business for live racing.

Assiniboia Downs has grown its audience immensely over the past four years to the point where you can now wager on our races around the world, from the United States to the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, South America, to numerous countries in Europe — all of which will also now be seeing two commercials from Travel Manitoba that share Manitoba’s story and promote Manitoba tourism to the world.

The annual ASD Press Conference at the Downs on Friday was attended by dignitaries that included Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs —Grand Chief Cathy Merrick; Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham; MLA for Assiniboia Nellie Kennedy; Executive Director of the Manitou Ahbee Festival and Order of Canada recipient Lisa Meeches; and Winnipeg City Councillor for Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood Evan Duncan; each of whom spoke about various topics including partnerships, collaborations, reconciliation and the value of Assiniboia Downs to Manitoba.

The history of horse racing in Manitoba goes back hundreds of years. Indigenous people were racing horses here long before the regulated racing of the past century. And in the past three years, two horses with Manitoba blood coursing through their veins have won the Kentucky Derby.

Rich Strike won the Derby at 80-1 in 2022, and Mystik Dan did it two weeks ago at 18-1. Mystik Dan will try to win the second jewel of the American Triple Crown in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course today. There’s a thread of history here, and everyone in Manitoba can be proud of these horses. All contributed. Everything counts.

In unison with the Treaty One First Nation Chiefs, Councils, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers, on opening night, in a collaborative cultural ceremony before the races, Assiniboia Downs will be proudly raising a Treaty One Flag that will be placed permanently in the infield at the track.

A special ceremony with song, prayer and drumming will take place in the winner’s circle to mark this important historic milestone, and most notably another action item towards… Reconciliation.