Assiniboia Downs caps off sensational season

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/09/2023 (746 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The writing was on the stall walls from day one. There was class and quality everywhere when the Assiniboia Downs live race meeting kicked off on May 22, and it oozed through the horses, into the crowd, and on to the wagering.

Fans from around the world and on-track wagered an amazing $60,962,674 on the live races at our shining star of a track, which continues to thrive like the little engine that could. Average wagering per race was $174,179, an increase of 9.87% over last year. Casual fans and big bettors alike could bet with both hands without changing the odds, and they did.

The second highest wagering total in Downs’ history was a product of a decade of hard work at every level and this year it was bolstered even further by a higher class of horses, a slew of trainers who knew exactly how to prepare their horses, and an excellent jockey colony.

“Assiniboia Downs extends its heartfelt gratitude to the fans, horsepeople, and all the stakeholders who have made this season a resounding success,” said Darren Dunn, CEO. “The incredible support on site, from our international wagering partners and the racing community at large has been truly inspiring. We are delighted to conclude the season on such a high note and look forward to continuing to provide exceptional racing experiences in the seasons to come.”

Trainer Jerry Gourneau won his record fourth straight training title and fifth overall with 41 wins and $456,270 in purse earnings, and put the icing on the cake early with his first Manitoba Derby win, which was also the first leg of the new Western Canadian Triple Crown, on August 7 with Mano Dura for owner Henry S. Witt, Jr. The First Nations trainer from Turtle Mountain Chippewa Nation in Belcourt, N.D. also helped Witt lead the owner’s standings for the fifth consecutive year with 31 wins and $370,295 in purse earnings.

And it was tough to win races at Assiniboia Downs this year. You had to know what you were doing or you weren’t eating. That was evidenced by the log jam of trainers behind Gourneau in the standings. Wendy Anderson had a career year to finish second in the standings with 35 wins and $419,529 in purse earnings. Jared Brown finished third with 27 wins followed by Devon Gittens, Mike Nault and Shelley Brown with 25 wins apiece. Six-time leading trainer Tom Gardipy, Jr. was next with 19 wins and there were seven more trainers with nine or more wins.

The wealth was spread like we’ve never seen before, and it was a combination of owners investing in better quality horses, trainers who knew how to win, and jockeys like Antonio Whitehall, who worked their tails off this spring to squeeze every mount they could out of a classier horse population.

The 29-year-old Whitehall won his third riding title at the Downs with 56 wins and $687,757 in purse earnings. He had previously tied for the leading rider title in 2018 with Prayven Badrie, and won the title outright in 2020. Whitehall finished 15 wins ahead of talented newcomer Damario Bynoe (41 wins), followed by Chavion Chow (30), Jorge Carreno (29) and Prayven Badrie (28).

“Third time’s a charm,” said Whitehall, who will now be heading to Alberta to ride. “It feels really good to redeem myself and get back my title. From the beginning of the meet, I had my mindset, I had a game plan.”

Whitehall arrived early in the spring and worked a ton of horses before the meet started, allowing him to get the jump on 2021-2022 champ Jorge Carreno. He got off to a hot start and never looked back.

“I want to thank all the owners and trainers for their support,” said Whitehall. “For having the trust and faith in me to get the job done. I’m truly thankful and grateful for everyone who helped me, all the grooms, the gate crew, owners, trainers, everyone counts. And a special thanks to God for keeping me safe and guiding me and protecting me.”

Fans bet a whopping $2,233,624 on the final card of racing on Wednesday, which was highlighted by a Jackpot Pick 5 carryover pool of $142,232. Horseplayers swelled the Pick 5 pool to $978,069 before the third race left the gate, and a huge percentage of that money was riding on favourite Warrior’s Map in the last race of the season. He won it in a nailbiter.

Antonio Whitehall up.