Magic Tiger Surges to Victory in Manitoba Gold Cup at Assiniboia Downs

By Scott Taylor (@staylorsports)

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WINNIPEG — It was a bad night for the chalk at Assiniboia Downs.

And in the biggest race of the year at ASD, Exacting didn’t have it and Blazing Bo didn’t have enough.

Instead, with a brilliant drive to the finish line, Magic Tiger came from off the pace to become the upset – and repeat — winner of the 67th running of the $50,000 Manitoba Gold Cup.

Tuesday night at Assiniboia Downs, in the biggest race of the year for older horses in Manitoba, Exacting, as expected, jumped out to the early lead, but by the start of the final turn he had been was caught and passed by the favourite Blazing Bo.

While Exacting faded to the back of the pack, Blazing Bo looked like a winner at the head of the stretch. However, both Magic Tiger and Big Nick caught the leader with less than a hundred metres to go and in a photo finish, Magic Tiger was declared the victor.

Magic Tiger got a brilliant ride over the mile-and-an-eighth route from jockey Ronald Ali who kept him comfortably in third or fourth throughout the race. Ali, the 32-year-old Trinidadian veteran, also kept Magic Tiger out of any trouble, riding him four wide and then letting him duke it out with Big Nick and Blazing Bo down the stretch.

Ali had plenty of horse and the pair exploded from third to first in the final dozen strides.

Big Nick was second and Blazing Bo was third.

According to Downs CEO Darren Dunn, it was exactly the type of race he would expect from the quality of horses on the track on Tuesday night.

“It was a six-horse field, very competitive and while Blazing Bo had worn the crown, very deservedly all year, having won the Harvey Warner Manitoba Mile and the R.J. Speers Stakes and just missing in the recent Nephrite to Exacting, we had was last year’s champion Magic Tiger. He found the winner’s circle in his sixth race this year after winning five times last year. We knew he was rounding into form and what a great final race for him.”

Magic Tiger is a six-year-old chestnut gelding by Smiling Tiger out of the mare Funny Gal by Lucky Pulpit. Bred in California by Robert Heinz and Michelle Machado, Magic Tiger is owned by Wind Dancer Stable and Bill Meikle, trained by Wendy Anderson and ridden to victory, brilliantly on Tuesday evening, by Ronald Ali.

Magic Tiger went off at 7-2 and paid $9.00 to win, $4.70 to place and $2.60 to show. Big Nick, at 9-2, finished second and paid $5.20 and $2.70. The pre-race favourite, Blazing Bo, was third and paid $2.10 to show.

Long after the race, Dunn was still excited about the brilliance and competitiveness of this year’s Gold Cup

“Three across the track at the wire with less than half a length separating them,” he said. “Now that is a Gold Cup finish for the ages! Last year’s champion older horse (Magic Tiger) finally got it done with an overdue victory, with full props to Big Nick who has been a hard luck bridesmaid all year, after scoring in multiple stakes in 2023. Blazing Bo, the horse to beat on paper, moved early to take the lead but could not fend off the late challenge. Race fans were treated to a special running of this classic race.”

Meanwhile, in the 95th running of the $50,000 Winnipeg Futurity on Tuesday, the winner was 14-1 underdog Welcometohollywood. With Dario Dalrymple aboard, the two-year-old filly battled the heavy favourite Gee I’m Foxy until the head of the stretch. At that point, Gee I’m Foxy spit the bit and Welcome to Hollywood took control. She had to fight off 9-1 longshot Princeoftheprairie at the wire, but she had enough to win the biggest two-year-old race of the meet.

Bred in Kentucky by Endeavour Farm, Welcometohollywood is a dark brown filly by Omaha Beach out of the mare Arch of Troy by Archarcharch. The filly is owned by Jared Brown and John Ganas and Trained by Jared Brown. With the win, Jared Brown claimed his 600th career victory.

Brown also has a horse who could challenge in the 2025 Manitoba Derby.

Welcometohollywood paid $31.60 to win, $12.40 to place and $14.00 to show. Princeoftheprairie was second and paid $10.90 and $8.70. Conspiracytheorist was third and paid $5.80. The 4-5 favourite, Gee I’m Foxy finished fourth.