Horse Racing

Horse Racing

Ross McKague photo Catawba joins 47 others that will be offered in the yearling sale at the sales pavilion in the Assiniboia Downs backstretch at 3:30 on Thursday.

All eyes on Brachetto ahead of Downs’ yearling sale

GEORGE WILLIAMS 5 minute read Friday, Aug. 14, 2026

While Brachetto is at Woodbine attempting to become the first Manitoba-bred horse to win the King’s Plate on Saturday, a yearling colt out of his winning half-sister Aramon will be busy preparing to strut his stuff in the annual Manitoba CTHS Yearling Sale on Thursday.

And whether his famous relative wins or loses the 167th running of the $1-million event, he is sure to attract much attention.

Owned and bred by Manitoba veterinarian Dr. Ross McKague and wife Brenda, Brachetto became one of three Manitoba-breds to win a graded stakes when he claimed the Marine Stakes (G3) at Woodbine on June 27. The others were million-dollar earner and 2018 Canadian Champion Older Mare Escape Clause, bred by Cam Ziprick and Arnason Farms, and Misty Drone, bred by Phil Kives, who won the 1986 Comely Stakes at Aqueduct in New York.

Named Catawba, Brachetto’s relative is Hip no.7 in the yearling sale, and joins 47 others that will be offered at 3:30 on Thursday at the sales pavilion in the Assiniboia Downs backstretch. There will be others attracting attention too, including Hip #12, a half-brother to Escape Clause by Speculating; Hip #18, who is out of multiple champion mare Hidden Grace, and also sired by Speculating; and Hip #34, a gelding named No Bro by top Manitoba sire Nonios out of local overnight stakes winner Purrsistent.

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Horse Racing

JASON HALSTEAD / ASSINIBOIA PHOTO Dane Nelson celebrates after winning the Manitoba Derby on Monday aboard Western Warrior.

Western Warrior’s win should have come as no surprise

George Williams 5 minute read Preview

Western Warrior’s win should have come as no surprise

George Williams 5 minute read Friday, Aug. 7, 2026

THERE were so many reasons for Western Warrior to win the 78th Manitoba Derby on Monday that the price made no sense.

The morning line favourite paid $18.10, $10.70 and $6.80 across the board. Quarry, who ran second at 27-1, had been turned back in his previous start and came again anyway. He was live to anybody who watched that replay. The $1 Exactor came back $211.35.

Look at what was in front of the bettors. A trainer with a long list of good horses behind him. Hall of Fame connections among the owners and the help. A jockey with six riding championships. A devoted groom. And a pedigree that belongs in the big races.

The signs were everywhere.

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Friday, Aug. 7, 2026

Horse Racing

FILE - Taj Mahal and other horses compete during the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes horse race, May 16, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

Preakness shifting back to three weeks and a day after the Kentucky Derby, to be run on a Sunday

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Preakness shifting back to three weeks and a day after the Kentucky Derby, to be run on a Sunday

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 5 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026

A big change is coming to horse racing's Triple Crown, with the Preakness Stakes moving to three weeks and a day after the Kentucky Derby and being run on Sunday for the first time.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and the Maryland Jockey Club announced the decision Wednesday. No Triple Crown race has ever taken place on a Sunday in the century-plus-old history of the series.

The shift marks a major change on the horse racing calendar, following significant debate and speculation. Except for 2020 during the pandemic, the Preakness has been on the third Saturday in May, two weeks after the Kentucky Derby, since 1950.

Maryland Jockey Club CEO Bill Knauf acknowledged the tradition while also calling this the time to move the Preakness back.

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Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026

Horse Racing

Jason Halstead / Assiniboia Photo Manitoba Derby winner Western Warrior holds the lead on the inside Monday night at Assiniboia Downs. Forty Twenty is the first horse to be euthanized at the racetrack this year after sustaining an injury to his front leg during the Derby race.

‘Catastrophic’ ending to eventful Manitoba Derby

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Preview

‘Catastrophic’ ending to eventful Manitoba Derby

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026

It had everything you could have wanted for the signature racing event of the season, including plenty of drama and excitement in front of a packed crowd at Assiniboia Downs.

Unfortunately, Monday night’s Manitoba Derby also served up another painful reminder of the potential perils of “The Sport of Kings” and what can occasionally happen when these magnificent animals are pushed to their limits.

Forty Twenty, a three-year-old bay colt who was one of the morning line favourites, looked to be in great shape as he approached the final turn and was near the lead in the nine-horse race.

But disaster struck as he approached the final turn and suddenly pulled up as the rest of the packed passed him.

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Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026

Horse Racing

JASON HALSTEAD / ASSINIBOIA PHOTO Manitoba Derby winner Western Warrior holds the lead on the inside Monday night at Assiniboia Downs.

Western Warrior finishes strong

Mike McIntyre 5 minute read Preview

Western Warrior finishes strong

Mike McIntyre 5 minute read Monday, Aug. 3, 2026

The smile — not to mention the relief — on Dane Nelson’s face said it all.

“A perfect race,” declared the veteran jockey, moments after riding Western Warrior to a dramatic victory in the 78th running of the Manitoba Derby on Monday night at Assiniboia Downs.

Indeed it was for the morning line favourite (2-1), who actually had slipped to 8-1 (fifth-best) by post time. He sat sixth in the nine-horse field at the midway point of the one-and-one-eighth mile marathon and really turned it on and found his stride down the stretch.

Nelson expertly manoeuvered the three-year-old colt through traffic as they approached the final turn, moving from fifth to first in the blink of an eye. Western Warrior then held on as longshot Quarry (20-1 on the morning line) — who he’d just overtaken for the lead — had a frantic, final push and nearly passed him at the wire.

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Monday, Aug. 3, 2026

Horse Racing

GEORGE WILLIAMS PHOTO Nellie Kennedy, Manitoba Minister of Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism, speaks to a packed crowd at Assiniboia Downs during the Press Conference for the 78th running of the $125,000 Manitoba Derby on Friday, as Downs CEO Darren Dunn watches from the background with the trophies. Manitoba’s signature race goes Monday evening.

Plenty of good money to be made at Manitoba Derby

GEORGE WILLIAMS 5 minute read Preview

Plenty of good money to be made at Manitoba Derby

GEORGE WILLIAMS 5 minute read Friday, Jul. 31, 2026

The 78th running of the $125,000 Manitoba Derby is nearly upon us, and the house will be packed on Monday evening at Assiniboia Downs for the biggest race of the year. And it’s not just the Derby people are coming for.

Monday’s racing card features a mandatory payout on the ASD 20-cent Jackpot Pick 5, which currently has a carryover of $476,656 that could swell to $2 million by post time.

Nine of the best three-year-olds in Canada have been entered for Manitoba’s signature race, and we have to agree with what track announcer Kirt Contois said at the Derby press conference on Friday: “This is one of the strongest fields ever assembled for our local Derby.”

Almost long gone are the days when you could buy or claim a potential Derby horse for $20,000 and win. It can happen, but a number of horses in this year’s Derby are coming out of races where you’d have to pay at least $100,000 to buy the winner. And even that wouldn’t guarantee success.

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Friday, Jul. 31, 2026

Horse Racing

Driver Jody Jamieson of Guelph, Ont., and Mels Legacy are shown in this handout photo, winning the opening leg of the 2026 National Driving Championship at Clinton Raceway in Clinton, Ont., on Sunday, July 26, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Lori Martin (Mandatory Credit)

Veteran driver Jody Jamieson punches his ticket to 2027 world championship

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Veteran driver Jody Jamieson punches his ticket to 2027 world championship

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Jul. 29, 2026

CLINTON, ONT. - Jody Jamieson will chase a third world driving championship in 2027.

Jamieson, of Guelph, Ont., qualified for the global event by winning the Canadian driving title Sunday at Clinton Raceway. Jamieson accumulated 60 points over eight races to finish just ahead of Stéphane Brosseau of L'Assomption, Que., who had 56 points.

Marc Campbell of Orwell, P.E.I., was third with 54 points. The top-three drivers each won two races, with Jamieson posting top-three finishes in three other legs.

The '27 world event will be held next summer in Canada. Jamieson, who captured global titles in 2001 and 2011, will be joined by Canada's James MacDonald, a two-time world champion who'll be the defending champion.

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Wednesday, Jul. 29, 2026

Horse Racing

Jason Halstead / Assiniboia Photo Jockey Ciera Pruitt and Bromeo (inside) hold off Silver Spiced to win the Frank Arnason Sire Stakes on Tuesday at ASD.

Sweet sendoff for apprentice jockey

5 minute read Preview

Sweet sendoff for apprentice jockey

5 minute read Friday, Jul. 24, 2026

Three outside smoothies and a crunchy ride up the rail in the $40,000 Frank Arnason Sire Stakes on Tuesday vaulted apprentice jockey Ciera Pruitt into the top 10 at Assiniboia Downs for the first time this year.

The crunch came first. And she won’t be here much longer.

Pruitt led all jockeys on the week with four victories, the first coming aboard Manitoba-bred Bromeo in the 39th running of the Frank Arnason, for her mother, trainer Lise Pruitt. Bromeo and Pruitt duelled from the inside throughout and prevailed after a long, tight drive up the rail to take home the $24,000 winner’s share of the purse for longtime owner/breeder Barry Arnason.

“I just got really lucky, honestly,” said Pruitt. “Everything kind of fell into my hands. God was looking after me this week and it all worked out in my favour.”

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Friday, Jul. 24, 2026

Horse Racing

GEORGE WILLIAMS Trainer Cindy Krasner with her recent Derby Trial winner Rally Ralis.

Overlooked Really Ralis now the local favourite for Manitoba Derby

George Williams 5 minute read Preview

Overlooked Really Ralis now the local favourite for Manitoba Derby

George Williams 5 minute read Friday, Jul. 17, 2026

Trainer Cindy Krasner now has the local favourite for the $125,000 Manitoba Derby on Aug. 3, with a horse nobody wanted.

The 69-year-old former Hastings Park trainer saddled Really Ralis to win the $50,000 Derby Trial on Monday, defeating previous Derby favourites Prime Suspect, who had romped through a pair of local allowance races earlier this year for trainer Steve Keplin Jr., and Elston Gunnn, who defeated Prime Suspect to win the Golden Boy Stakes for trainer Tina Birdwell.

Really Ralis went through the BC Yearling Sale with a $5,000 reserve and did not come close to meeting it. Buyers took one look at his size and passed. Krasner’s longtime client, Dennis Spence, stepped in with a number and the colt changed hands for $2,500.

“I thought, God, for $2,500 you could triple your money as a show horse if he couldn’t run,” said Krasner.

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Friday, Jul. 17, 2026

Horse Racing

Woodbine's first signature race day will be June 8 with both the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks and $125,000 Plate Trial headlining the card. Horses compete in a preliminary race before the Queen's Plate horse race at Woodbine Race Track, in Toronto, Sunday, July 2, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch

Thoroughbred horse-racing purse enhancements announced for rest of 2026 campaign

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Thoroughbred horse-racing purse enhancements announced for rest of 2026 campaign

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Monday, Jul. 13, 2026

TORONTO - Thoroughbred horse-racing purses will be increasing this season.

Woodbine Entertainment, the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association of Ontario and Ontario Racing announced Monday purse enhancements for the 2026 campaign. Last month, the Ontario government earmarked an additional $35 million annually to the racing industry over the next five years.

Last week, Ontario Racing announced standardbred racing would receive over $14 million in additional money. Thoroughbred racing would get over $10 million while the quarter-horse industry would get $780,000. 

The remainder will be earmarked for racetrack infrastructure, running programs, capital improvements and administration.

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Monday, Jul. 13, 2026

Horse Racing

Jason Halstead / Assiniboia Photo Jockey Sven Balroop wins the 7th race on Wednesday aboard You Vee Cee for trainer Steve Keplin Jr., to move into a tie with Antonio Whitehall for the lead in the Assiniboia Downs jockey standings.

Balroop, Whitehall neck and neck for 2026 Downs riding title

George Williams 5 minute read Preview

Balroop, Whitehall neck and neck for 2026 Downs riding title

George Williams 5 minute read Friday, Jul. 10, 2026

Jockeys Antonio Whitehall and Sven Balroop are waging a great battle for the 2026 riding title at Assiniboia Downs, and both will be aboard some very good horses in next week’s five stakes races. Neither jockey will have a mount in the wiener dog races.

Whitehall rode the longshot of the week to victory in Tuesday’s sixth race, giving Not True a dream trip along the rail behind a duel for trainer Marion Johnston, slipping through on the turn and scoring at 31-1. The Manitoba-bred filly by Nonios paid $64.80, $19.10 and $7.40 across the board, and made her backers jump for joy.

“I saw what was developing up front and adjusted pretty quick,” said Whitehall. “That’s why I dove to the rail and just waited. All the stars aligned.”

Whitehall added another victory Wednesday in the fourth race with Regal Rumor for trainer Mike Nault, putting him one win ahead of Balroop.

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Friday, Jul. 10, 2026

Horse Racing

Jockey Pietro Moran celebrates aboard Mansetti after winning the King's Plate horse race, in Toronto, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Ontario Racing grants more to standardbred, thoroughbred and quarter-horse racing

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Ontario Racing grants more to standardbred, thoroughbred and quarter-horse racing

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Thursday, Jul. 9, 2026

TORONTO - Ontario Racing is giving the province's standardbred industry a significant boost.

Standardbred racing will receive over $14 million in additional money as part of the Ontario government's boost in funding to horse racing in the province.

Last month, the province earmarked an additional $35 million annually to the industry over the next five years. However, it tasked Ontario Racing with deciding the breakdown between the three racing disciplines (thoroughbred, standardbred and quarter-horse), which it unveiled Thursday.

Ontario Racing governs the breeding, scheduling, and promotion of horse racing across Ontario. It is recognized by the provincial government as the industry's official authority.

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Thursday, Jul. 9, 2026

Horse Racing

Michael Burns / Woodbine Photo Brachetto ridden by Ryan Munger (left) takes the Grade 3 Marine Stakes at Woodbine last Saturday.

Manitoba-bred Brachetto stakes his claim as King’s Plate favourite

George Williams 5 minute read Preview

Manitoba-bred Brachetto stakes his claim as King’s Plate favourite

George Williams 5 minute read Friday, Jul. 3, 2026

For the first time in memory, a Manitoba-bred could be one of the favourites for Canada’s most prestigious horse race, the $1-million King’s Plate for three-year-olds, to be run Aug. 15 at Woodbine in Ontario.

Last Saturday, Brachetto, bred by longtime Manitoba owner-breeder Dr. Ross McKague, won the $150,000 Marine Stakes (G3) as the longest shot on the board, beating two heavily favoured rivals and vaulting himself into the Plate favourite conversation for the mile-and-a-quarter classic.

Brachetto is a son of multiple Grade 1 winner Vekoma, who stands for $100,000 at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky. He is out of McKague’s mare Colorino, who earned more than $200,000 on the track and has now produced nine winners from nine foals.

McKague has owned a racehorse for 52 years. He has bred them for 50. He has a barn’s worth of horses that could have been somebody, and a lifetime of reasons why they weren’t. Last Saturday afternoon at Woodbine, standing on a patch of grass under the trees in the winner’s enclosure of a graded stakes for the first time in his life, the 79-year-old finally got the one that was.

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Friday, Jul. 3, 2026

Horse Racing

Jason Halstead / Assiniboia Photo Elston Gunnn (inside) and jockey Shavon Townsend hold off Prime Suspect and Sven Balroop to win the 50th running of the $50,000 Golden Boy Stakes on Tuesday at Assiniboia Downs.

Elston Gunnn beats the odds as first stakes winner for trainer Birdwell

George Williams 5 minute read Preview

Elston Gunnn beats the odds as first stakes winner for trainer Birdwell

George Williams 5 minute read Friday, Jun. 26, 2026

The big guns won three of the four $50,000 stakes races at Assiniboia Downs this week, but a young trainer named Tena Birdwell shipped in from Canterbury and shook up the Manitoba Derby rankings with an impressive victory in the Golden Boy Stakes.

Birdwell saddled Elston Gunnn for the Golden Boy, and he didn’t get much respect from the punters, who sent him off at odds of 19-1. Owned by Joseph Schumer, the three-year-old gelding by Hollywood Derby (G1) winner Mo Town looked like a turf horse on paper, coming in off second- and third-place finishes going a mile on the turf at Canterbury.

He was also facing the leading Manitoba Derby candidates, including the locally undefeated Prime Suspect and recent Corporate Shuffle Overnight Stakes-winner Truly Unbelievable, conditioned by star trainers Steve Keplin, Jr., and Robertino Diodoro.

Birdwell, who turned 31 the day before she spoke to the Free Press, has been training only since 2019. A horsewoman from the start, she came up through barrel racing, 4-H and three-day eventing before horse racing took over her life. “Right out of high school I went to the racetrack and started galloping,” she said. “Kind of took off from there.” Elston Gunnn was the first stakes winner of her career.

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Friday, Jun. 26, 2026

Horse Racing

GEORGE WILLIAMS PHOTO Trainer Brian Phillips and his wife Janis with their recent longshot winner Nu Soup for Baby.

Longshot pays off for couple five decades into horse racing

George Williams 5 minute read Preview

Longshot pays off for couple five decades into horse racing

George Williams 5 minute read Friday, Jun. 19, 2026

How much do you get back if you bet $20 win-place on a 39-1 shot? Former Hastings Park trainer Brian Phillips knows.

The 78-year-old conditioner saddled his only horse, Nu Soup for Baby, to drill the field into submission in the third race on Wednesday at the Downs, and led all the wheelbarrow bettors straight to the cashing windows.

Making just his third start of the year under new jockey Kerron Khelawan, who also moved his tack here from Hastings Park, Nu Soup for Baby went right to the front from the start and despite heavy pressure from outside rivals, he had lots left when they turned for home, opening up into the stretch and coasting home to win by 1 1/4-lengths over yet another former Hastings Park horse, Pay My Way.

“I got back $1,100,” said Phillips. “I only had $47 in my HPIBet account, so I bet twenty-twenty on him.”

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Friday, Jun. 19, 2026

Horse Racing

FILE - A broadcast shows staff painting the new colors of Paco Lopez and Napoleon Solo on the Pimlico weather vane after they won the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes horse race, May 16, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

Maryland exercises its right to match an $85 million offer to keep Preakness branding rights

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Maryland exercises its right to match an $85 million offer to keep Preakness branding rights

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 3 minute read Thursday, Jun. 18, 2026

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Thursday the state will exercise its right of first refusal to match Churchill Downs Incorporated’s $85 million offer for the intellectual property of the Preakness Stakes and the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.

Churchill Downs Inc., which runs the Kentucky Derby to open the Triple Crown, announced in April it was buying the branding rights to the second leg, as well as the race for fillies the precedes it by a day, from 1/ST Racing with the intent of licensing it back to Maryland annually to stage the races.

"The Preakness Stakes is more than just a race: It is a cornerstone of Maryland’s history, culture, and economy," Moore said in a statement. "This decision secures a vital asset for our state, allows Maryland to shape its horse racing destiny, and by leveraging the Preakness’s iconic status and partnering with industry experts to enhance the fan experience, preserve Maryland’s position as a key power player in the Triple Crown for generations to come.”

Moore said no general fund tax dollars would be used, with the $85 million cost instead being funded by a tax-exempt revenue bond issuance, which would be paid back by money generated by the race through ticketing, wagering and sponsorships. The state expected the fee paid to Churchill Downs Inc. would escalate over time.

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Thursday, Jun. 18, 2026

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