We thought last year was trainer Gary Danelson’s swan song at Assiniboia Downs. We were wrong.

The 88-year-old all-time leading trainer at Assiniboia Downs was in the winner’s circle Tuesday night as an owner after winning the 96th running of the $50,000 Winnipeg Futurity with Omaha Warrior, trained by Jared Brown.

“It felt pretty good,” said Danelson. “I’d never won the Futurity. And I’ve never won the Manitoba Derby.”

Danelson left training last year when his grey speedball Kate’s Princess bumped him into the wall of her stall and broke his hip. That and facing two forms of cancer, one in remission, ended his training days, but he couldn’t stay away from his home away from home. He was back this year with a horse Brown purchased for him in the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling

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