Indigenous trainers rule the roost at Assiniboia Downs

Winnipeg Free Press

17-05-2025

Assiniboia Downs kicked off its 2025 live race meeting with a bang on Tuesday and Wednesday as fans bet more than a million dollars on two beautiful spring nights, and to nobody's surprise two talented Indigenous trainers, Tom Gardipy, Jr. and Steve Keplin, Jr., jumped out to an early lead in the trainer standings with three wins apiece.
Indigenous trainers have won the training title at the Downs for 10 consecutive years, and 12 of the past 16. Gardipy, who hails from Beardy's Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, owns six of those titles (2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019). He has already solidified his status as one of the best trainers in the history of Assiniboia Downs, and when he gets hot, as he is right now, his horses become essential inclusions for handicappers.
Gardipy won the fourth race Tuesday with Secret Glenda ($3.90) and the seventh race with longshot Brody's Streak ($24.30), who was ridden by current leading rider Rachaad Knights. He then won the sixth race Wednesday evening with Waitinbythenile ($8.70), who was also ridden by Knights.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS
Steve Keplin Jr., with his horse Exacting, is one of the top trainers at Assiniboia Downs.
Going toe-to-toe at the top of the standings with Gardipy was lesser-known trainer Steve Keplin, Jr. from the Turtle Mountain Chippewa reserve in Belcourt, N.D., but his status is about to change.
Keplin won the second race Tuesday with Best of Greeley ($2.90), and continued to win Wednesday, taking the fourth race with Gina's Serenade ($7.60) and the seventh race with Corredor ($12.60). The latter winner capped a lucrative $1 Pick 4 that paid $4,629.15 from a huge Pick 4 wagering pool of $92,528. Fans are once again flocking to the large betting pools at Assiniboia Downs, and they've been further enticed by a lowered takeout on all pools, which are now below 20 per cent across the board.
Similarly, smart bettors have been playing Keplin's horses here for years. The 32-year-old trainer grew up with horses and has shown talent beyond his years since Day 1. He took out his trainer's license in 2013 and promptly won with his only starter. Since then, with small stables, he's compiled a record of 95-66-54 from 332 starts, winning at an amazing 29 per cent clip and finishing in the money 65 per cent of the time. And in 2017 and 2019 he won at an astonishing 40 per cent clip. Still, because he wasn't at the top of the standings, his horses often paid well at the windows.
Keplin doubled the size of his stable this year from eight to 16, and he's now going to use his ample talents at the Downs on a full-time basis. In past years, he had travelled back and forth from North Dakota with his horses. He's ready to get more serious now, and Assiniboia Downs 'just feels like home,' said Keplin.
Keplin got his early education with horses from his father and continued to learn by working for top trainers. 'My dad trained horses and I was always around the barns,' he said. 'We'd run our local bush meets and then come up here in the summer, shipping in and out.'
His formal racing education came through working for respected trainers in the American Midwest, including Mike Biehler, David Van Winkle, and Mac Robertson, who have saddled the winners of almost US$80 million in purses. 'They're all Hall of Famers in Canterbury now,' said Keplin, who learned something different from all of them.
Most importantly, he learned about preventative medicine and how to condition a horse physically and mentally to perform to the best of their ability. Keplin is a fan of ice, and not unlike today's elite athletes, his horses get it regularly to soothe their aches and pains.
When asked about the different training styles of his mentors, he emphasized thoroughness and consistency. 'They train, they hire good grooms, and they work underneath their horses every day. That's the main thing. If you want to train your horses like professional athletes, you've got to be able to put the people underneath them to do the work every day.'
Keplin's expansion represents a significant career move. 'I've been wanting to do it for the last few years, but I didn't think I was ready with my family at the time because my kids were really young.'
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Now with his children aged six and seven, and after being with his partner Shelby for 11 years, Keplin felt the time was right to make the leap.
But family remains central to his operation. 'I've got my brother James, who's my right-hand man,' said Keplin. 'My cousin Parker also works in the barn, along with a groom school student, Amber. She's starting to understand the system, always staying busy. There are four of us in the barn. We have a good crew.'
Keplin's biggest win last year came in the Nephrite Overnight Stakes with Exacting, who is back in his barn again this year, but when asked about the highlight of his career, he pointed to another stakes winner that came from modest beginnings.
'The highlight for me was when we won the Free Press Stakes in 2019 with Louden's Gray,' said Keplin. 'We purchased him privately for $4,000. He just had a big heart.'
And an excellent trainer.