Mandatory Monday: Manitoba Derby And Gulfstream Rainbow 6 Deliver A Massive Two Track Payday
Two Mandatory Payouts, One Massive Betting Monday
Monday, August 3 delivers two forced payouts on two different cards, and smart players do not have to choose between them. Gulfstream Park kicks off its regular Mandatory Monday program in the early afternoon with a mandatory payout of the 20 cent Rainbow 6, then Assiniboia Downs takes over in the evening with the 78th running of the Manitoba Derby and a mandatory payout of the ASD Jackpot Pick 5. Two jackpots, two tracks, one very good Monday for horseplayers.
| Track | Mandatory Payout Wager | Pool / Carryover | First Post | Feature Race |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gulfstream Park | 20 cent Rainbow 6 (begins race 4, 1:48 p.m. ET) | Carryover approx. $19,000 USD after last Monday's pool was solved | 12:20 p.m. Eastern | Regular Mandatory Monday card |
| Assiniboia Downs | ASD Jackpot Pick 5 | $476,656 CAD carryover (approx. $340,000 USD), pool projected up to $2 million CAD (approx. $1.43 million USD) | 8:30 p.m. Eastern | 78th Manitoba Derby, approx. 10:40 p.m. Eastern |
The Manitoba Derby Headlines A Loaded Card At Assiniboia Downs
Winnipeg's Assiniboia Downs hosts the biggest night on the Manitoba racing calendar as the 78th running of the Manitoba Derby for three year olds, presented by Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, tops a stakes packed card. The Derby carries a purse of $125,000 CAD, roughly $89,000 USD at today's exchange rate, and shares the spotlight with the Harvey Warner Manitoba Mile for three year olds and upward and the Escape Clause Stakes for fillies and mares, each worth $50,000 CAD, or about $35,700 USD.
Post time for the first race is 7:30 p.m. Central, 8:30 p.m. Eastern, with the Manitoba Derby itself set to go off at approximately 9:40 p.m. Central, 10:40 p.m. Eastern. The one and one eighth mile dirt test is the marquee event at the Winnipeg track, and four of the nine starters are set to make their first career start at Assiniboia.
Western Warrior Leads A Wide Open Nine Horse Field
Western Warrior sits as the 2/1 morning line favourite in a nine horse field that includes two stakes winners, both earned right there at Assiniboia Downs. The grey gelding, a son of Essential Quality, reeled off three straight wins after being gelded at Oaklawn Park this winter before making his stakes debut in the Bathhouse Row Stakes at Oaklawn in April, where he finished fourth as the heavy favourite. New connections Lance Giesbrecht and Gordon Christoff purchased Western Warrior from breeder Tracy Farmer following a fifth place finish in a Churchill Downs allowance race in late May, and Dino Condilenios now trains the gelding, who worked a sharp six furlongs at Century Mile on July 24.
Direct Strike is one of the more intriguing horses in the field. The Into Mischief colt is still a maiden but has finished second in two route races at Churchill Downs this year, including a troubled trip on a sloppy track behind two rivals who both came back with big wins next out. Trainer Craig Smith saddles the colt for a large ownership group that includes some of the same connections behind last year's Manitoba Derby winner Attack.
Robertino Diodoro sends out Forty Twenty, a speedy two time winner who posted a 92 Beyer Speed Figure in an allowance win at Lone Star Park on June 27. The lone Canadian bred in the field is Really Ralis, a BC bred colt who has won three of his four career starts, including the Derby Trial on July 13, and carries the province's hopes into the gate.
To beat this group, Western Warrior will need to rediscover the form that carried him through that three race win streak in Hot Springs. It is a nine horse field with plenty of angles, and very little separating the contenders on paper.
| Horse | Morning Line | Trainer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Warrior | 2/1 | Dino Condilenios | Grey gelding by Essential Quality, won three straight before a fourth in the Bathhouse Row Stakes at Oaklawn |
| Direct Strike | TBC | Craig Smith | Into Mischief colt, still a maiden, twice second in route races at Churchill Downs |
| Forty Twenty | TBC | Robertino Diodoro | Candy Ride colt, two time winner, 92 Beyer at Lone Star Park on June 27 |
| Really Ralis | TBC | Dennis Spence connections | Lone Canadian bred in the field, BC bred, won three of four starts including the Derby Trial on July 13 |
| Quarry | TBC | TBC | $80,000 claim from Claiborne Farm by Henry Witt Jr. |
| Gethsemane | TBC | TBC | $80,000 claim racing for Cattlemans Club |
Mandatory Payout Fuels A Monster ASD Jackpot Pick 5
Derby Night promises massive pools and real value from the opening gate to the final wire. The wagering action is anchored by a $100,000 CAD (about $71,300 USD) guaranteed Pick 4 and a mandatory payout of the monster ASD Jackpot Pick 5. The carryover currently sits at $476,656 CAD, or roughly $340,000 USD, and with a mandatory payout in play, the projected total pool could reach the $2 million CAD mark, close to $1.43 million USD.
Handicappers can also lean on rolling $3 CAD (about $2.15 USD) Prime Pick 3 pools throughout the card, an addition that has quickly become a fan favourite this meet for generating juicier payouts. Assiniboia Downs continues to offer some of the lowest takeout rates in North America, with every bet type kept below 20 percent and an overall average hovering just over 18 percent.
Gulfstream Park Piles On A Second Mandatory Rainbow 6
While Assiniboia Downs builds toward its evening feature, Gulfstream Park runs its own Mandatory Monday earlier in the day. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern, well ahead of the Manitoba card, and the 20 cent Rainbow 6 sequence begins with race four at 1:48 p.m. Eastern with a mandatory payout in play. It is a modest start by recent standards, with a carryover of only around $19,000 after last Monday's pool was solved, but the mandatory payout still means every dollar wagered goes out the door to today's winners rather than carrying forward.
Gulfstream's summer Monday cards also carry the track's four player friendly wagers, including the Summer Sweep Pick 5 and the Players Place Pick 8, all built around a 15 percent takeout designed to keep more money in bettors' pockets. Between the two tracks, the Rainbow 6 wraps up its afternoon sequence hours before the Manitoba Derby even goes to post, so there is no need to choose one mandatory payout over the other.
| Wager | Takeout | Sequence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 cent Rainbow 6 | Standard jackpot rate | Begins race 4, 1:48 p.m. Eastern | Mandatory payout in play, carryover approx. $19,000 after last Monday's pool was solved |
| Summer Sweep Pick 5 | 15 percent | Runs across the Monday card | One of Gulfstream's new player friendly wagers |
| Players Place Pick 8 | 15 percent | Runs across the Monday card | Low takeout multi race wager, place only |
How To Play Both Cards Today
Start with Gulfstream's Rainbow 6 sequence when it opens in race four at 1:48 p.m. Eastern, then shift attention north for Assiniboia Downs first race at 8:30 p.m. Eastern and build toward the Manitoba Derby at approximately 10:40 p.m. Eastern. With a mandatory payout guaranteed on both jackpot pools, there is no shortage of incentive to get involved on both cards.
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Frequently Asked Questions
A mandatory payout means the entire jackpot pool in a wager like a Pick 5 or Rainbow 6 must be paid out that day, even if no single ticket hits every leg. On a normal day, unsolved jackpot pools carry a share forward, but on a mandatory payout day the full pool goes to whoever holds the most winners.
The Manitoba Derby is scheduled to go off at approximately 9:40 p.m. Central, 10:40 p.m. Eastern. The first race of the Assiniboia Downs card goes off earlier at 7:30 p.m. Central, 8:30 p.m. Eastern.
Western Warrior is the 2/1 morning line favourite in the nine horse field. The grey gelding won three straight races at Oaklawn Park before finishing fourth in the Bathhouse Row Stakes this past April.
Gulfstream Park's first post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern, with the mandatory payout Rainbow 6 sequence beginning in race four at 1:48 p.m. Eastern.
Yes. Gulfstream's afternoon card wraps up well before Assiniboia Downs even goes to post, so both mandatory payout pools are in play back to back on the same Monday.
