ASD TRACK CHATTER

[Jay Trotter]

With the return of live racing at Assiniboia Downs (ASD) on Sunday, May 6th and the approach of the 5th Annual ASD Parlay Challenge which begins here on PaceAdvantage.com on May 16th, we are opening this thread dedicated to all things ASD.

Rob MacLennan (maclr11), member of P.A.I.H.L. Finalist, Team Zenyatta, and a rising handicapper of some substance who also happens to call ASD home has agreed to moderate this thread.

ASD is a long standing sponsor of these handicapping contests including Title Sponsorship of the ASD Parlay Challenge and Trophy Sponsor of each of the other P.A.C.S. events. They are the small track with a big heart who truly tries to give back to their customers.

Sponsors step up with cash and prizes with the hope that those who benefit from their generosity will be exposed to their offerings -- in this case the ASD racing product. Past contests have exposed individuals to ASD for the first time and they've come to love it and subsequently now make it part of their wagering menu.

With the move from the Ultimate Parlay Challenge series of contests to this year's newly created PaceAdvantage.com Challenge Series the contest is sure to draw a larger number of participants, some who are likely very unfamiliar with the ASD product. Our goal with this thread is to introduce those who haven't played ASD before to the track and offer a forum of discussion regarding the track for one and all.

Join me in welcoming Rob aboard the greatest handicapping forum on the web -- PaceAdvantage.com.

***

Read more about Rob here (http://www.assiniboiadowns.com/the-insider-archives-page.cfm?id=281) and follow him this summer On Track.


http://www.assiniboiadowns.com/user_images2/328-on-track.jpg
Rob (middle) will be featured on the ASD video feed On Track

***

[Beachbabe]

Welcome, Rob.
I really appreciate your generous contributions to the contests, so well-run, on Pace Advantage. Because of your participation, I hope to spend a decent amount of time handicapping, viewing and playing the races at ASD as a token of my appreciation.

[maclr11]

Thanks Beach and Bear

ASD live racing season begins Sunday afternoon at one o'clock CST.

This is the link to the ASD website
http://www.assiniboiadowns.com/
You can find the condition book, stakes schedule and the Insider which is the weekly newsletter published by the track.

ASD is an all summer meet on a natural dirt course that measures a jump or two more than 6 1/2 furlongs. The stretch is unnaturally long for a non-mile track as it 990 feet, which is the same as Calder and Santa Anita.

The same trainers tend to have good years Ardell Sayler, Chad Torvell and Jared Brown.

Manitoba bred races are normally won by Shelly Brown or Blair Miller, but there is a number of smaller stables that can produce quality horses.

This year there is some new faces invading the meet, Roger Hanson from Golden Gate is one of them. Some of them could clean up early with fit stock.

The Gourneau family has been around for a while, but last year Jerry jumped up and had a Jamie Ness like year, his horses won in the most illogical of spots and low prices.

The jockey colony is pretty average. The top riders keep leaving, this year Tyler Kaplan will ride here along with newcomers Robert Reaves and Paul Nolan. Nolan will ride most of the Sayler horses.

Rohan Singh wins a lot and a lot of stakes but has a tendency to win or be last. Tyrone Nelson will have lots of live mounts this year, so will Chavion Chow (What do you feed your chavion? Chavion Chow) I don't know if thats funny, my dad made it up.

Speed does well early in the meet, but there are days where you do need to be very close to win. The track is pretty fair though, and the horses are by no means illogical.

Balooga Bull is the best horse on the grounds. He was undefeated as a two year old and ran the fastest six furlongs seen in these parts in ten years. It is yet to be seen if he can win going two turns, but all signs look to be promising.

I will be posting musings, thoughts, ideas, picks, dumb comments and links throughout the meet. Feel free to discuss, watch me after race 3 on the show, and listen to me on 104.7 streetz fm, friday mornings at 9:15.

[duncan04]

Looking forward to it maclr11. Occasionally play ASD every now and then. I always look at the card though daily.

[mudcat]

I definately plan on playing ASD,

[maclr11]

First blog is up
See link above
My derby column goes up tonight
And my live preview goes up tomorrow

[Beachbabe]

First blog is up
See link above
My derby column goes up tonight
And my live preview goes up tomorrow


Paying your way through college with Pick 4's. You gotta love it. :ThmbUp:

[maclr11]

Opening Day
Should be a ton of fun!
Pretty competitive card
Might be a bunch of changes coming though
Stupid pinheads not showing up
and stupid workout rules

[johnhannibalsmith]

...
Stupid pinheads not showing up
...

What happened to Tyler?

[maclr11]

Lets just say he made a dumb decision
And the Manitoba horse racing commission will rule on it later this week

[johnhannibalsmith]

Lets just say he made a dumb decision
And the Manitoba horse racing commission will rule on it later this week

Thanks. He's been making a habit of doing that lately, but generally just questionable career choices. The kid should have gone there and done excellently after being humbled all winter - he has talent - just no real perspective and a successful summer should have done wonders to get him back on track with realistic goals and some humility.

I'm sure I'll get the full tale in a day or so, but thanks for the update - glad to hear he didn't get in a wreck in the morning anyway.

[maclr11]

Really good day of racing
7 of the 8 winners made sense
The one winner that didn't made the Pick 4 carryover
This means that next Friday night there will be a 5,000 pick 4 carryover.
Expected pool should be about 12,000-15,000.

[notoutofpounds]

ASD clearly advertised the Takeout decrease from 29 % to 15 % in the Pick Four. I do not recall hearing anything about ASD not paying out 3 of 4 when no one has all four winners. :bang:

[maclr11]

Assiniboia does not pay 3 out of 4.
There will be a full carryover
Increases the carryover when it happens, increasing the handle and if the 7.10 would have changed it anything for you, you should not be playing in the pick 4.
(3 of 4 paid 7.10$ if it woulda cashed on sunday for a one dollar ticket)

[maclr11]

The idea was actually taken from Hawthorne where it worked really well.
Other than the old school players the pick 4 used to carryover anyways, now its just a full carryover.
I personally prefer it this way.
It's gonna make friday night one of the best nights of the year.

[pktruckdriver]

Okay , then what about advice for the southern Neighbor willing to come up for a day or weekend of racing, any suggestions on the best days and best places to stay nearby.

Maybe a quiet day with something special going on, like , a Wen. evening, as I think the post time is 7pm, same post as both Friday and Saturday is, and then Sunday is a 1pm post time.

Can we set up tours of the Shedrow, maybe spend some quality time with Ivan or Scott, or be allowed to sit in and watch the morning workouts, if possible?

Or stop by when a contest is available to be played, I see there are 5 seats being given out this year, would be nice to get one of them.

It seems that less than 2hrs from my house , way up north , beyond the border is a possibly very nice place to go and have some fun and eat...look at this
http://www.assiniboiadowns.com/dining.cfm


How could I pass this up, only 2hrs away, I even think Mr. Jay Trotter call this place home, maybe he can show me the ropes up there one day real soon, or vice-versa, lol.

Well if anyone else wants to go , feel free to make a day or weekend of it, sounds like a wonderful place and we all know our northern neighbors are pretty cool people.

Hope to see a few people there, if not I will still have fun no matter.

Patrick

[Jay Trotter]

Patrick,

I'll let Rob answer some of your track questions but I would advise that your best bet would be to hit a Friday/Saturday combo. The last Saturday of every month is the on track Viva Las Vegas contest using only the ASD card -- winner earns a trip to the World Series of Handicapping in Las Vegas.

There are also a number of Sunday cards that go off in the afternoon that would work well with a Saturday night. There are plenty of very affordable hotels near the track -- that wouldn't be any problem.

Darren Dunn is the CEO of ASD as well as the Track Announcer (how many can say that) and I'm sure he would be very interested in hearing from you and facilitating some sort of tour. You can email him at ddunn@asdowns.com . Let him know you became interested in the track through their support of the PaceAdvantage contests. Never hurts to let them know their sponsorship returns real results.

Trotter:ThmbUp:

[maclr11]

I'll answer this mainly in stages

The days of racing are different depending on what you want. Wednesday is the big handle day, but is also the low on track attendance day. Friday is the average night for both. Saturday is high attendance lowest handle. Sundays and holiday mondays are low handle and high attendance except for opening day, canadian only holidays, derby day and closing day which are high handle and high attendance. Post time is always 7:00 unless its a Sunday or Monday, or one of the two saturdays in June that are afternoon starts to accomodate the Red River Ex which takes place across the street.

Racing only goes Wednesday, Friday, Saturday. Sunday and monday racing are special days for holidays and events.

The on-track handicapping contest is cool, it takes place on the last saturday of every month with approxiametly 30-40 enterants. Cash prizes as well to the top three I believe.

The very basic backstretch tour is the last sunday of every month, they are apparently lots of fun and show you the main parts of the track. Tickets are ten dollars and the group is led by a girl named Chelsea who does a ton of jobs around there include being aesthically pleasing.

Spending quality time with Ivan is interesting to say the least he stays in the racebook even during live racing and some interesting theories to play the races. Scott Taylor only does the semiars and other times than that he will come jsut to hang out, maybe if you contact him he will. I would say your best bet is to hook up with a fellow PA member whether it is Bear or myself or my dad, theres a few others (Hoof Hearted, Stan, I can't remember who else Bear any answers to that one?)

It is right on the west side of the city at the corner of the perimeter and Portage Avenue (Highway 1). I would say it is no more than 1 1/2 hours from the border. Take I-29 which turns into 75 which goes right to the perimeter, take west perimeter and you really cannot miss the track.

The Race day buffets are super nice too, and they always have a prime rib dinner which is good, or just the downs burger itself is good on the main floor.

They did just spend a whole bunch of money refurbishing the place and the I think the main floor looks kinda cool now, what do you think Trotter?

It is a nice place, it is certainly not as pretty as Arlington or anything but comparably it is a very pretty racetrack. The racing surface itself is very fair.

As for seeing workouts, the grandstand opens at 9 which you can get in to watch workouts, or if you know someone with a pass that can get in and out of the backstretch gates you can get on anytime into the track kitchen which is the greasy delight that every race track should have and to the main track and the training track to watch workouts, though during live racing season not that many trainers work horses in between starts. It is very much a run every 14 days kind of meet.

If you have more questions let me know, hope to see you soon.

[pktruckdriver]

Thank you both

It seems the last weekend of the month is when the contest's are in play, and backstrech with the Chelsea.

Thank you for the info, when I can be sure I am coming up, I will email and ask who may be there and we can have lunch or dinner, burger or buffet, will do.

Sounds like a little fun this spring and early summer, I can't wait, thouit may be a few weeks before I can shake free, even thou I may get thru Winnipeg to go the the Bison Yard up by the Airport once in awhile.

It seems the biggest expense may be finding a room near by, I did not find that info on the website, but there was so much stuff on there, nice job to whoever did it, lots of great stuff.

Well hope to see y'all soon enough

patrick

[maclr11]

As for hotels, I have not personally been in many of them but in the immediate surronding area I can think of a few hotels.
The Howard Johnson is incredibly close by.
The Holiday Inn is a 5 minute drive.
There are a few smaller motels nearby as well, the Thirsty Lion is the first one that comes to mind.

[johnhannibalsmith]

Lets just say he made a dumb decision
And the Manitoba horse racing commission will rule on it later this week

Well, I'm glad to see he'll get a chance to join the fun tomorrow and forge on with the meet. Should be just what the doctor ordered.

[maclr11]

He looks like he cut a lot of weight recently, he should be fine in a few racing days once he gets the feel of it. He is riding 2nd call for the Ardell Sayler barn and for Wade Rarick who are two of the dominating stables this year locally.

[maclr11]

This is good old fashioned ASD for you
try to handicap this race

http://www.brisnet.com/bris_link/pdfs/darley_944202.pdf

[Jay Trotter]

This is good old fashioned ASD for you
try to handicap this race

http://www.brisnet.com/bris_link/pdfs/darley_944202.pdf
linkynoworky ;-{

[maclr11]

Try this one
Just click asd race 7
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/briswatch.cgi/public/Darley/CONSOLIDATOR/2002/summary.html

[Jay Trotter]

Try this one
Just click asd race 7
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/briswatch.cgi/public/Darley/CONSOLIDATOR/2002/summary.htmlBanjo Bowl Special...what's not to like! :jump:

[pktruckdriver]

Hello Guys

This is short notice, but I just found out that I will be home this weekend, and well how is ASD this weekend, thank goodness it is Derby Day, but was wondering if I could still find a table and spot to play Saturday and maybe Sunday, as I am unsure of making it for tonight, as I must go from Fargo to Winnipeg and back to Grand Forks, then I am free for the weekend.

With the 2 leg of the Triple Crown running this Saturday will I be able to find a spot, also I forgot to ask about Laptop's , plugin's and possible Wi-Fi availability.

Hopefully a few people will see this and get back to me, PM or email me, and lunch or dinner on me, looks like awesome weather this weekend too.

Okay well I got to go,

Patrick

[maclr11]

Saturday you will have no problem finding a table if you come early enough, and for live racing tables are hit and miss on the 2nd floor, on the first and third floor they are a dime a dozen. I will be around Fri, Sat and Monday pm me if you want to set something up.
Plug ins are hit and miss, while wi-fi is accessible if you know the password
which I have.
The buffet might be sold out on race night, but I doubt it you can call and ask for one of those tables, I would prefer to eat in the main part of the clubhouse over the dining room anyways.
Racing goes at 7 tonight and tomorrow and 1:00 Monday.
Monday is a really nice card, as well as Saturday.
Tonight your not missing too much.

Hope I can help

Rob

[pktruckdriver]

Thanks Rob,


Terrace Buffet, on Saturday Night.

I guess 2nd floor Plaza area will be my target area during the early afternoon, then Terrace for the Live night Racing, I think this will be a wonderful trip.


Not sure if Jay will stop by, but have a few others who might, hope to see you there, till then.


Patrick

PM Me if you want to make a day of it, or looking for some good food. Will post a report when I leave , and I am sure it will be great, have you seen there website, man so much fun in one place.

[Jay Trotter]

I'm in Bemidji, Minnesota this weekend -- doing husbandy stuff!:jump:

[pktruckdriver]

Okay, I am back in North Dakota, back in the USA, after my visit to ASD.


I watched the Preakness, even hit an Exacta, and Double , which which gave 56.00 , after putting 60 into the race , hoping for a few longshot's, like the 3 Horse, but it was not to be.

As for the ASD , it was nice and wet when I got there, been raining cats and dogs all day, but they worked the track pretty well and it played well all night.

I had the Buffet, and nobody, stopped by, but I still made a few friends around, giving them a few nice plays that I used , and showed a few of them how to wager on exacta's, instead of the 2.00 win wager, they were happy for my lessons and few tips, hit 2 out of 3 ,I shared, I won Race 5, Race 7, and lost Race 3's Exactor's.

The food was pretty good, The Prime Rib was very good, no Creamy Horseradish , my favorite, they did have straght Horseradish, which cleared my sinus's. Very little other meaty things, a crusted Talapia which was ok, and sliced, salmon, which did not last long, and for desert, a few nice Cheese cakes , and to me the unpeeled shrimp was a pass.

Question is would I return, well maybe, all the set-up to meet so and so, well it went for naught, but it was okay, as I did not lose too many bets, and actually ended up breaking even for the trip, and still had a funny green and blue note when I got back, 25.00 dollars, that is. Oh and some loonies too!

Overall, not sure, The Howard Johnson is not the place to stay, Internet kept going out, and can only be acessed from the 1 building which must have been flooded, as it smelled of mildew, but the people were really nice and apologetic, so maybe next time, if there is, I will need to find another place.

Overall, it was a fun evening, but not meeting up and making some new friends, people I would love to go back and cap some cards some weekend with, as I heard these guys were suppose to be very good cappers, but not meeting them , then , I most likely will not return.

Patrick