Episodes

  • Down the Stretch 335 for June 15, 2026
    Jun 14 2026

    The biggest night at Mohawk featured multiple Stakes races including the $1 Million North America Cup. On the thoroughbred side, after almost 2 months of racing at Woodbine, the leading Stakes winning trainer is Dale Desruisseaux. He talks with us about his 4 Stakes wins. The 4-year-old Conn Smythe won again to become the first horse to capture 3 races this year.

    Which Canadian-born trainer has won the most races in the last decade at Saratoga? Her name is Melanie Giddings and we got her on the phone.

    The Fort Erie jockeys paid an emotional farewell to Francine Villeneuve, the Queen of Fort Erie. And we pay our weekly visit to Ajax Downs to see how the quarter horses are running. Spoiler alert – they’re running really fast.

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    31 mins
  • Down the Stretch 334 for June 8, 2026
    Jun 7 2026

    We’re not angry, but we do have the Fury Stakes from Woodbine. What happened to the unbeaten Beau Jangles when he met the strongest field of his 16-race career in an elimination for the North America Cup? The 158th Belmont Stakes went to Kentucky Derby champ Golden Tempo thanks to another last to first surge. Canadian Melanie Giddings scored a win last week at Saratoga, and after Tawny Port won the Belmont Gold Cup in record time, Garnet Barnsdale issued a warning to any bettors planning to bet that horse in the Melbourne Cup.

    Down The Stretch remembers the career of jockey Francine Villeneuve, who died last week. Opening Day at Fort Erie was a tour de force for jockey Sofia Vives and owners Icon Racing. Trainer Anthony Adamo tells us he had never before won 4 races with the only 4 horses he sent out on the same day.

    A mare with a North American resume won the famed Elittlopet in Sweden. We have the call...in Swedish.

    And at Ajax Downs, Cassandra Jeschke won for the first two times this year, Cristian Benitez added to his leading win total and Had To Be Fabulous suffered a rare defeat.

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    28 mins
  • Down the Stretch 333 for June 1, 2026
    May 31 2026

    From Woodbine, 3 Stakes – the Belle Mahone, the Eclipse and the Jacques Cartier. From Mohawk - the Somebeachsomewhere and a pair of $100,000 Graduate Series races for 4-year-olds.

    Woodbine’s Alanna Nolan is on the phone telling how the company’s production team notched a pair of finalists for the Hashtag Sports Awards.

    A horse bred by Sam Son Farm won at Churchill Downs and paid $54.50 to win.

    Chantal Sutherland is now 50 and still winning races – 2 on one afternoon at Monmouth

    At Ajax Downs, another good day for the Benitez brothers and a pair of quarter horse rarities. A mother horse racing against her daughter and a speedster named Peighntmeadiamond, who is not only a blood relative to the great Northern Dancer, but on May 27, which would have been the Dancer’s 65th birthday, the 4-year-old won a race.

    And when Conn Smythe the horse won 2 races in a row, we recalled the human Conn Smythe and how he financed a Stanley Cup win after betting on a 107-1 shot. Jockey Jeffrey Alderson admits he knows much more about the horse named Conn Smythe than the man,

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    33 mins
  • Down the Stretch 332 for May 25, 2026
    May 24 2026

    No Stakes races Saturday at Woodbine but trainers Josie Carroll, Katerina Vassilieva, Catherine Day Philips and Krista Cole combined for an incredible pick-6. OSS Gold Legs at Mohawk Saturday night and no horse yet has figured out how to defeat the amazing Beau Jangles. We have his trainer, Dr Ian Moore wondering if the 30-race win streak by the trotter A Worthy Lad is attainable. Former Maple Leaf, Eddie Olczyk makes the podcast after the remarkable choices he promoted for the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. We have a Family Feud theme for our Ajax Downs Coverage – could the Benitez brothers outride Mrs. Botello’s favourite son? And from Los Alamitos, a race that could indicate your wagering is having a negative effect on your marital life.

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    26 mins
  • Down the Stretch 331 for May 18, 2026
    May 17 2026

    Saturday’s Stakes race at Woodbine was the Ruling Angel. Mohawk featured 4 SBOA Stakes events including a 14th straight win for Beau Jangles. The 151st Preakness went to a horse that raced near the front all the way while paying tribute to a classic 60’s tv series. You never forget your first – we’ve got Kemaire Blackett breaking through at Woodbine, Landon Campbell nosing out his dad in Charlottetown and Corry Beland with his first riding win at Ajax Downs. Make that 3,000 wins for Travis Cullen; what does the trotter Switch have in common with Beau Jangles, and how did the bridge jumpers feel when the usually reliable Logan Park broke stride just before the wire?


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    29 mins
  • Down the Stretch 330 for May 12, 2026
    May 10 2026

    The great Beau Jangles began his 3-year-old season at Mohawk. The great Had to be Fabulous ran her streak to 10 at Ajax Downs. Jim Bannon reveals the incredible Canadian pedigree that dominated in this year’s Kentucky Derby. Who is Kemaire Blackett and how did he win a race at 43-1? Doug McNair put up a five spot last Friday. Tyler Borth has repeated as regional driving champion. Dan Noble had an historic 11 wins at Northfield. Full brothers on the trot with a rarity at Mohawk and the Down The Stretch version of the legendary Who’s On First routine.

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    27 mins
  • Down the Stretch 329 for May 4, 2026
    May 3 2026

    A spectacular finish to the Kentucky Derby and it contributed to our theme this week of brothers in sports. A rarity at Woodbine as two King’s Plate winners went head-to-head at Woodbine. It was the race before the Whimsical Stakes. We have Emma-Jayne Wilson in this podcast speculating if she can, like Perry Ouzts, compete until she is 70. Owner Bruno Schickedanz showed us again how to win races and make money doing it. Our brothers in sports feature includes Mark and Anthony Macdonald, but which brothers do you think have combined for the most wins in harness racing? And from the other side of the world, a horse named Ka Ying Rising won for the 20th straight time.

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    25 mins
  • Down the Stretch 328 for April 27, 2026
    Apr 26 2026

    Complete coverage of the Sovereign Awards including Rosie Day, Sid Attard, Santino DiPaola, Pietro Moran, Rafael Hernandez and Kevin Attard. Patrick Husbands tells us why he is retiring after 37 years and why he might un-retire. Sofia Vives is back riding at Woodbine and she delivered Mony Mony to victory in the first Stakes race of the year. Kentucky Derby #152 is upon us. Mike Smith has ridden in 28 of them and he tells us - he still gets chills. We talk with Smith about some of the greatest moments in his amazing career. The 6-year-old trotter, Ghostly Casper, cracked the $1,000,000 barrier. His favourite human, Sara Baillargeon tells us how special this horse is. And when an absolute sure thing broke stride at the start at Mohawk, how much did the other horses pay?

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    30 mins