Horse Racing

Horse Racing

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Assiniboia Downs CEO Darren Dunn, with Ez Tree Ates, said the track has added exciting new promotions.

Assiniboia Downs racing season opens Tuesday, and follows in the hoofbeats of record-setting 68th season

George Williams 5 minute read Friday, May. 8, 2026

They’re at the post! They’re off!

Assiniboia Downs is set to kick off its 69th season of live racing on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., following a record-setting season last year. The horsemen are champing at the bit to send their charges out of the gate carrying your $2 punt all the way to the winner’s circle.

The race meet runs from May 12 through Oct. 7, with racing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and select Mondays through the summer and into September. Post time is 7:30 p.m. The pinnacle of the live meeting, the $125,000 Manitoba Derby, takes place on Aug. 3.

Over 500 horses are on the grounds, more than usual to start the season. Five-time leading trainer Jerry Gourneau heads a strong contingent of large stables ready to make it all happen. Gourneau has over 40 horses and more on the way for his major owner, former champion race car driver Henry S. Witt, Jr., of Texas. Last year’s leading trainer, Steve Keplin, Jr., is also back, and he’ll have about a dozen horses to start the 2026 meeting.

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Horse Racing

Golden Tempo (19) ridden by Jose L. Ortiz wins the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs, Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo is not running in the Preakness

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo is not running in the Preakness

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 3 minute read Wednesday, May. 6, 2026

Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo will not run in the Preakness Stakes next weekend, trainer Cherie DeVaux announced Wednesday.

DeVaux and owners decided to skip the Preakness and set their sights on the Belmont Stakes on June 6 at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York. DeVaux, who became the first woman to train a Derby winner, is from Saratoga Springs, which is hosting the Belmont for a third and final time this year.

“We are incredibly appreciative of the excitement and support surrounding the possibility of a Triple Crown run,” DeVaux said in a statement. “Golden gave us the race of a lifetime in the Kentucky Derby, and we believe the best decision for him moving forward is to give him a little more time following such a tremendous effort. His health, happiness and long-term future will always remain our top priority.”

Golden Tempo is the third Derby winner in the past five years not to be entered in the Preakness. For various reasons, it is the sixth time in eight years the Preakness will happen with no chance of a Triple Crown on the line. American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018 are the only horses to sweep all three races over the past four decades.

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Wednesday, May. 6, 2026

Horse Racing

Jason Halstead / Assiniboia Photo HBPA 2026 Racehorse Groom Training Program graduates (from left): Chanbin Lee, Kyunga Lee, Ediwa Mansour, Jocelyn Kotchon, Wren Dunham, Kseniia Lytvynenko, Latanya Segismundo, Carl Bernd, Johannah Minty, Olivia Grehan, Kaelen Wiles and Eliza McIntyre at Assiniboia Downs.

Provincial program at the Downs attracts horse lovers from around the world

George Williams 5 minute read Preview

Provincial program at the Downs attracts horse lovers from around the world

George Williams 5 minute read Friday, May. 1, 2026

The next crop of Kentucky Derby hopefuls has graduated from the HBPA 2026 Racehorse Groom Training Program at Assiniboia Downs, just in time for the beginning of live racing here on May 12, and today’s big race.

And why couldn’t one of them end up in the Kentucky Derby winner’s circle one day? Assiniboia Downs has had a connection to the Kentucky Derby in four of the last five years, including this one.

In 2025, Sovereignty won the Derby for trainer Bill Mott, who spent two years as a teenager in St. Laurent, riding horses and looking after cattle. In 2024, Derby winner Mystik Dan was sired by Goldencents, who is out of a Manitoba-bred named Golden Works bred by Phil Kives, and in 2022, 80-1 Rich Strike made his Manitoba-bred mom Gold Strike proud by winning the Run for the Roses.

This year, jockey Edwin Maldonado, who won his first career race at Assiniboia Downs in 2002 as Edwin Alicea, is riding 30-1 longshot Pavlovian in the big race for two-time Derby-winning trainer Doug O’Neill.

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Friday, May. 1, 2026

Horse Racing

Kentucky Derby entrant Renegade works out at Churchill Downs Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

No clear favorite and plenty of contenders: The 152nd Kentucky Derby is a 20-horse puzzle

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

No clear favorite and plenty of contenders: The 152nd Kentucky Derby is a 20-horse puzzle

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 5 minute read Friday, May. 1, 2026

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The chaos at the start of the Kentucky Derby sometimes decides the most exciting two minutes in sports in a matter of seconds. Twenty horses bursting out of the starting gate to varying degrees of success makes it a mad dash to the turn.

Calling the race on television for NBC, Larry Collmus typically focuses on the favorite. This year presents a challenge.

“I don’t know who the favorite is going to be,” Collmus said. “I guess we’ll find out. It’s wide open this year.”

Todd Pletcher-trained Renegade opened as the favorite, but it could just as easily be Brad Cox’s Commandment or Further Ado or Bill Mott’s Chief Wallabee by the time the field of 20 leaves the gate. The first leg of the Triple Crown is so wide open that at least a half-dozen horses have a legitimate chance to win the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

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Friday, May. 1, 2026

Horse Racing

Kentucky Derby alternate Robusta works out at Churchill Downs Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Robusta is in the Kentucky Derby field, giving Cristian Torres the chance to ride

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Robusta is in the Kentucky Derby field, giving Cristian Torres the chance to ride

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 4 minute read Friday, May. 1, 2026

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Cristian Torres waited his whole life to ride in the Kentucky Derby. In line to get his first chance on Saturday, it looked like the rising-star jockey would have to wait at least another year when the horse he was supposed to be on was ruled out.

Then his phone rang on Friday morning with a number from California he did not have saved. It was trainer Doug O'Neill calling to ask if he wanted to take the mount on Robusta, who got into the field when Kenny McPeek's Right to Party was scratched by track veterinarians.

“I was shocked,” Torres told The Associated Press after riding in the fifth race at Churchill Downs later in the day. “I didn’t respond for a few seconds because I couldn’t believe it. It’s been a roller coaster of emotions but just very happy and very grateful.”

Torres, a native of Puerto Rico who began riding in 2019, was set to be aboard Silent Tactic in the 152nd running of the Derby. Trainer Mark Casse and owner John Oxley made the call Wednesday to scratch Silent Tactic because of a foot injury and plan for the Preakness on May 16.

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Friday, May. 1, 2026

Horse Racing

Kentucky Derby entrant Danon Bourbon works out at Churchill Downs Monday, April 27, 2026, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Horse racing in Japan is on the rise. A Kentucky Derby winner could be next

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Horse racing in Japan is on the rise. A Kentucky Derby winner could be next

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 4 minute read Thursday, Apr. 30, 2026

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — As horse racing grapples with an uncertain future in the U.S. with tracks closing and legalized sports betting taking away something that made the sport unique, there is a place in the world where it's getting increasingly popular and turning out significantly better competition.

Japan is pouring tons of money into everything from breeding to training and racing, with a turn to dirt-track runners over the past decade or so after turf was the focus for so long. Following a near miss with Forever Young in 2024, the investment could soon pay off in the form of a Kentucky Derby winner, with Danon Bourbon and homebred Wonder Dean the country's hopes in the race this year.

“We are getting closer,” racing manager Hiroshi Ando told The Associated Press outside the Japanese horses' barn Thursday. “For Japan, I think we’re able to change Japanese racing history again, like we did with Forever Young in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Our ambition is the Kentucky Derby right now, if possible.”

The ambition for a longer period of time has been the Arc De Triomphe on grass in Paris, because Japan's roots in racing are on turf. The Japanese Racing Association launched the Japan Cup in 1981 to promote the sport and get more national interest in it, and it has become the richest turf race in the world with a purse of $8.2 million.

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Thursday, Apr. 30, 2026

Horse Racing

Kentucky Derby entrant Fulleffort gets a bath after a workout at Churchill Downs Monday, April 27, 2026, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Fulleffort scratched from the Kentucky Derby, putting Ocelli into the race

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Fulleffort scratched from the Kentucky Derby, putting Ocelli into the race

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 3 minute read Thursday, Apr. 30, 2026

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Fulleffort was scratched from Saturday's Kentucky Derby because of a chip in his left hind ankle, the latest departure from the field of 20 horses roughly 24 hours after Silent Tactic was ruled out.

Race officials announced the change Thursday, and trainer Brad Cox told The Associated Press that Fulleffort will undergo surgery and is expected to recover and return to racing. Cox said an X-ray revealed fluid in the ankle and called it an easy decision because Fulleffort showed some lameness.

“That’s part of the game,” Cox said. “It was a problem that needed to be addressed."

Fullefort’s exit means jockey Tyler Gaffalione will have to wait for another chance to win the race for the first time. Cox went into the week with three Derby horses and is now down to two: Commandment and Further Ado.

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Thursday, Apr. 30, 2026

Food & Drink

A Mint Julep cocktail is displayed at the cocktail bar Cato in London on April 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Louise Dixon)

Stir well, slap lightly. Tips for making a mint julep worthy of the Kentucky Derby

Louise Dixon, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Stir well, slap lightly. Tips for making a mint julep worthy of the Kentucky Derby

Louise Dixon, The Associated Press 4 minute read Wednesday, Apr. 29, 2026

Horses are poised, bets are on, hats are at the ready and the bourbon is standing by, ready to be poured into thousands of mint julep cocktails. It must be Kentucky Derby weekend.

America's most famous horse race says more than 125,000 mint juleps are consumed at the annual two-day festival at Churchill Downs, in Louisville, Kentucky. According to its website, that requires about 10,000 bottles of Kentucky bourbon, 2,250 pounds of freshly harvested mint and 475,000 pounds of ice.

But you don’t have to be there in person to enjoy this classic cocktail. The julep — a simple mix of sugar, water, fresh mint, crushed ice and bourbon — is accessible and easy to recreate.

First, a little history

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Wednesday, Apr. 29, 2026

Horse Racing

FILE - The winners circle at Churchill Downs sits empty, Wednesday, April 22, 2020, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

Todd Pletcher’s Renegade draws the inside No. 1 post and opens as the Kentucky Derby favorite

The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Todd Pletcher’s Renegade draws the inside No. 1 post and opens as the Kentucky Derby favorite

The Associated Press 3 minute read Monday, Apr. 27, 2026

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Renegade opened Saturday as the morning line favorite for the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby, looking to overcome the inside rail post position that has not produced a winner in four decades.

The colt trained by Todd Pletcher and set to be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. is 4-1 after drawing the No. 1 post in the field of 20 horses for the May 2 race. No horse has finished first in the Derby from there since Ferdinand in 1986, and the most recent to be in the top three was Lookin At Lee, who was second in 2017.

Trainer Brad Cox’s No. 6 Commandment and No. 18 Further Ado are the second and third choices on the morning line each at 6-1, followed by No. 12 Chief Wallabee at 8-1 and The Puma at 10-1. Cox's third entrant is 20-1 long shot Fulleffort, who drew the far-outside No. 20 post.

Cox's jaw dropped when he saw Fulleffort's draw, calling it "probably the one I’m maybe not as wild about, as excited about as the other two. He was most happy with Further Ado at No. 18, with three-time Derby-winning jockey John Velazquez aboard.

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Monday, Apr. 27, 2026

Horse Racing

Patrick Husbands aboard Paramount Prince celebrates after winning the 164th running of the Kings’s Plate horse race in Toronto on Sunday, August 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

Triple Crown-winning jockey Patrick Husbands retires from thoroughbred racing

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Triple Crown-winning jockey Patrick Husbands retires from thoroughbred racing

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, Apr. 24, 2026

TORONTO - Patrick Husbands will forever be a part of Canadian thoroughbred racing history.

The veteran jockey, who in 2003 guided Wando to the Canadian Triple Crown, retired from racing Friday following a decorated career that included over 3,700 victories. However, the 52-year-old resident of Brampton, Ont., left the door open to a potential return to the track.

"I have been riding since 1988, so that is 37 years that I have done this,” Husbands said. "This year, I am going to get on horses in the morning for Mark (trainer Mark Casse) and my brother (Anthony), I want to give back to the both of them and show them my respect.

"I can say I am retired, but next year, one morning I might wake up and say I have a couple years left. But right now, my mind and body need that rest."

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Friday, Apr. 24, 2026

Horse Racing

Woodbine Racetrack’s 128-race 2026 meet slated to open Saturday

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

TORONTO - Woodbine Racetrack's 2026 thoroughbred meet opens Saturday. Some facts:

Race dates: A total of 128, starting Saturday and through Dec. 13.

Triple Crown: First leg is $1-million King's Plate on Aug. 15 at Woodbine. Following the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes on Sept. 7 at Fort Erie Racetrack, the final race will be the $400,000 Breeders' Stakes on Sept. 27 at Woodbine.

Other notable races: $500,000 Woodbine Oaks and $150,000 Plate Trial, both July 19; $1-million Woodbine Mile on Sept. 12 highlights Turf Champions Day. Other Grade 1 races will be $750,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes, $500,000 Johnnie Walker Natalma Stakes and $500,000 bet365 Summer Stakes. All four winners will earn direct entries to the 2026 Breeders' Cup. It will mark the first time Woodbine hosts four Breeders’ Cup "Win and You’re In " races on the same card; the $750,000 Canadian International goes Oct. 3.

Horse Racing

Jockey Pietro Moran kisses the trophy reading

Woodbine jockey Pietro Moran looking to build upon his stellar 2025 campaign

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Woodbine jockey Pietro Moran looking to build upon his stellar 2025 campaign

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

TORONTO - Pietro Moran has a tough act to follow.

His own.

The 20-year-old jockey will have two mounts when Woodbine Racetrack's 2026 thoroughbred meet opens Saturday. Last year as an apprentice, Moran finished second in wins (139) and purse earnings (over $5.9 million) behind Rafael Hernandez (148, over $6.4 million, respectively) in the riders' standings.

Among his victories was the $1-million King's Plate aboard Mansetti. It was a historic accomplishment as Moran and his dad, David, became the first father-son duo to compete against each other in the race.

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Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

Horse Racing

Jockey Paul Townend celebrates on I Am Maximus after winning the Grand National horse race at Aintree racecourse in Liverpool, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

I Am Maximus wins the Grand National for a second time

The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

I Am Maximus wins the Grand National for a second time

The Associated Press 3 minute read Saturday, Apr. 11, 2026

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — I am Maximus did it again at the Grand National.

For the second time in three years, the 10-year-old horse won the storied British jumps race at Aintree on Saturday.

Ridden again by Paul Townend, also the jockey in the 2024 win, they were a 9-2 favorite and finished ahead of Iroko, Jordans, Johnnywho and High Class Hero.

“He is just a superstar, nothing fazes him. He comes out, does what he has to do and wins Nationals,” trainer Willie Mullins told broadcaster ITV Sport. “Hopefully he’ll be here next year. JP (McManus, owner) is very keen on the National for I Am Maximus, he says he loves the place and jumps the fences so well. Hopefully we’ll all be here next year.”

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Saturday, Apr. 11, 2026

Horse Racing

Jockey Pietro Moran kisses the trophy reading

Woodbine Entertainment releases its stakes schedule for 2026 racing season.

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Woodbine Entertainment releases its stakes schedule for 2026 racing season.

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2026

TORONTO - Canadian thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown will begin with the Kings Plate on Aug. 15 and conclude with the Breeders' Stakes on Sept. 27.

Woodbine Entertainment unveiled its '26 Stakes schedule Wednesday. The thoroughbred season will begin April 18 at Woodbine Racetrack and featured 39 graded stakes, including five Grade 1 events.

The 167th running of the $1-million King's Plate at Woodbine will be followed by the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes on Sept. 7 at Fort Erie Racetrack. The Breeders' Stakes, a 1 1/2-mile turf event, will also be run at Woodbine.

Woodbine’s E.P. Taylor Turf Course remains on schedule for completion by September. On Sept. 12, the $1-million Woodbine Mile, $750,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes, $500,000 Johnnie Walker Natalma Stakes and $500,000 bet365 Summer Stakes -- all Grade 1 races and the winners earn direct Breeders' Cup entry -- will be held at Woodbine.

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Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2026

Horse Racing

Jockey Mickey Walls rides Breeders' Stake contender

Woodbine Entertainment, New York Racing Association Inc. stage Empire Trillium Series

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Woodbine Entertainment, New York Racing Association Inc. stage Empire Trillium Series

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2026

TORONTO - Woodbine Racetrack will stage six races in 2027 as part of the new Empire Trillium Series.

Woodbine Entertaining and the New York Racing Association, Inc., unveiled the $3.2 million, 14-race program that will be restricted to hoses foaled in New York and Canada. Racing will begin at Belmont Park with eight stakes starting in December.

Belmont Park is scheduled to reopen Sept. 18 following the completion of a US$455-million transformation. 

A new grandstand will accommodate up to 9,000 spectators while four new tracks are being constructed: a traditional 1 1/2-mile dirt main track, two turf courses, and a one-mile Tapeta oval that will serve as the surface for winter racing.

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Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2026

Horse Racing

Jockey's race their horses during the 165th running of the Kings's Plate horse race in Toronto on Friday, August 23, 2024. Kevin Attard looks to secure a second straight Prince of Wales Stakes title and continue chasing an unofficial Canadian Triple Crown on Tuesday. Attard will have four horses running in Tuesday's 1 3/16-mile race at Fort Erie Racetrack, unfortunately King's Plate winner Caitlinhergrtness won't be one of them.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paige Taylor White

$400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes race to be run Sept. 7 at Fort Erie Racetrack

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

$400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes race to be run Sept. 7 at Fort Erie Racetrack

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Monday, Feb. 23, 2026

FORT ERIE - The $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes will be held Sept. 7, Fort Erie Racetrack announced Monday.

The 1 3/16-mile dirt race is the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown. It will follow the $1-million King's Plate, which will be run Aug. 15 at Toronto's Woodbine Racetrack.

This year's Prince of Wales will mark the 91st running of the race.

Woodbine hasn't yet divulged a date for the $400,000 Breeders Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown.

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Monday, Feb. 23, 2026

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