Latest news with #Assiniboia
Winnipeg Free Press
26-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Twolefttoload turns heads with R.C. Anderson Stakes triumph
Like a runaway freight train, there was no stopping Twolefttoload once she got rolling in the $40,000 R.C. Anderson Stakes on Tuesday night at Assiniboia Downs. At least not until she hit the wire. After that, she coasted to a stop, turned, and trotted proudly back to the winner's circle to meet her injured but beaming groom Brittany Bergen and trainer Mike Nault. 'I was leading our other filly in the race, frankly, to the paddock, and I tripped and she stepped on me with her hind foot,' said Bergen, pointing out a bruise on her lower calf that looked like a hammer hit. 'She just stepped on me and stood there. But Twolefttoload won, so I didn't feel a thing after that.' Jason Halstead / Assiniboia Photo Mike Nault's assistant trainer/groom Brittany Bergen had a reason to smile after winning the R.C. Anderson Stakes with Twolefttoload. Bergen was glowing as Twolefttoload strutted into the winner's circle like she owned the place. 'She's goofy, she's quirky, and she's always on edge around the barn,' said Bergen. 'But in the paddock and the race, she puts her game face on. She knows when it's time to go to work.' Trailing by nearly 10 lengths early in the one-mile race behind fleet-footed favourite Nikkitysplit, Twolefttoload shifted gears after leaving the first turn, picking up horses with every stride, and by the time she got to the final turn, jockey Damario Bynoe had her in full gear and flying. There would be no stopping her now. She took over from Nickkitysplit in mid-stretch and drew off to win by 21/2 lengths. It was the first stakes victory for Twolefttoload and a reversal of form from her previous start, where Nikkitysplit beat her by 31/2 lengths going three-quarters of a mile. The added distance made all the difference. 'She's so big,' said Nault. 'You don't want to ask her to sprint. She's not built for that. She's still maturing, still learning. But she's tough as nails, and she's only going to get better.' Bred in Manitoba by Cam Ziprick and Charlie and Stephane Fouillard of Russell, Twolefttoload is the second stakes winner this year by Speculating. The other? Nikkitysplit. In a game where early success can make or break a stallion, it's been a breakthrough season for Speculating, who is also owned by Ziprick and Charlie Fouillard. 'We kind of flipped the script with this one,' said Ziprick. 'Last year, I wasn't even sure she'd be much. Her legs were going in every direction and she looked like an egg beater. But she's figured it out. The distance helps. The more you ask her to sprint, the worse her action gets. Let her roll, and she eats up ground like nobody's business.' That long, steaming stride didn't come out of nowhere. Sire Speculating is a half-brother to $5.1-million earner and Dubai World Cup (G1) winner Well Armed, and graded stakes producer Witty, winner of the Railbird Stakes (G3). And he's by Medaglia d'Oro, whose progeny have earned more than $209 million. Twoleftoload's dam, Talkn Til Midnight was a bit on the flighty side, but she was calm enough when it counted to win four races and finish second in a Maiden Special Weight race among the bluebloods at Saratoga. She also sold for US$180,000 as a two-year-old. 'She was a nut,' said Nault. 'But she had talent, and that nervous energy, it's a thing. Some of the best racehorses in history were out of quirky mares. You just have to learn how to channel it.' Channeling that energy hasn't been easy. Twolefttoload isn't the type of filly you just tack up and send out for a jog. 'She's hard on herself,' said Nault. 'She throws her head, tries to run off, pounds the ground. She's tough to gallop. But she's got heart. You give her space to grow, and she'll give it back in spades.' Assistant trainer and groom Bergen knows all about her quirks. She's been working with Nault for four years and says Twolefttoload is one of the most unique horses she's ever handled. 'She's a challenge,' said Bergen. 'But she's got personality. You earn her trust and she gives you everything.' That trust paid off Tuesday night in the biggest way possible, and brought a bit of redemption for a filly who now appears to have a bright future ahead of her. 'She's going to be a better four-year-old than a three-year-old,' said Nault. 'I think the best is still to come.' Nault, who is currently second in the trainer standings at the Downs with 16 wins, now trains the top Manitoba-bred three-year-olds in both the male and female divisions. Betterlucknexttime, a three-year-old gelding by Nonios, also owned by A2 Thoroughbreds and True North Thoroughbreds, recently won the $40,000 Frank Arnason Memorial Sire Stakes to move to the head of his class. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. There is no immediate stakes target for Twolefttoload. Nault and the ownership group of A2 Thoroughbreds and True North Thoroughbreds will likely look toward allowance company next. 'We've got some options,' said Nault. 'We'll let her tell us when she's ready again.' Purchased for $23,000 in the 2023 Manitoba CTHS Yearling Sale, Twolefttoload has already earned over $50,000 from a 2-3-1 record in 10 starts, and looks like a filly who's just starting to figure things out. 'She was like a baby moose last year,' said Ziprick. 'A big, tough filly who just needed time and a little distance. Now she's turning into something special.' 'Buy the ticket, take the ride.' — Hunter S. Thompson.
CTV News
10-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Southern Sask. blasted with another heat wave, Coronach and Assiniboia lead nation with daily highs
WATCH: Extreme heat is making its way through southern Saskatchewan, with temperatures hitting mid 30 C. Damian Smith has more. It was another brutally hot summer day throughout Saskatchewan. In the province's south – the communities of Assiniboia and Coronach both spent time as Canada's hotspots on Wednesday. 'We're seeing a hot air mass that we've kind of seen tracking from west to east,' explained Crawford Luke, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). 'Yesterday, for example, we had some record temperatures set around the Calgary area. So that same hot air mass is kind of moved east, into Saskatchewan today.' In Assiniboia, the daily high was recorded as 35.4 C, while Coronach hit 37.5 C in the afternoon. According to Luke, the landscape can be a big influence when analyzing how heat can be trapped in southern Saskatchewan. 'When we start thinking of more of like a dirt or rock landscape versus like a grass or forest landscape, those can get quite a bit hotter,' he said. 'If you think of a place like the badlands, say in Grasslands National Park, along the Frenchman River Valley, for example, those are places that we know can get pretty hot.' During these blistering days, the City of Regina reminds residents of its splash pads and cooling stations scattered around the city. The Saskatchewan Health Authority is also reminding residents to keep an eye out for signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion when temperatures rocket skyward this summer. Temperatures are expected to drop in the coming days, putting most of the province back in its seasonal range, ahead of more sunshine this weekend.
CTV News
21-05-2025
- CTV News
Sask. man sentenced to 17 years in prison for historical child sex crimes involving daycares
An Assiniboia, Sask. man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for 10 charges related to historical sex crimes involving children at Saskatchewan daycares. Richard Dyke, 48, pleaded guilty earlier this month to three counts of sexual interference, six counts of creating child pornography and one count of publishing an intimate image without consent, according to court documents. Dyke was sentenced for those charges inside a Moose Jaw court room on Wednesday. All other charges against Dyke have been stayed by the court. The 17-year sentence was a joint submission from the Crown and defence. Due to the ages of Dyke's victims, a publication ban imposed by the court is in effect. As a result, details including how Dyke came into contact with his victims have been withheld. Saskatchewan RCMP initially charged Dyke in the fall of 2023 with more than a dozen counts related to alleged child sexual abuse at a home daycare operating out of Dyke's residence in Assiniboia. At that time, police identified the victims as three boys under the age of 12. However, 33 victims in total have been identified since, 32 of which were children as young as 18 months old and up to 17 years of age. In May 2024, 60 more charges were laid against Dyke which included historical sexual assaults, sexual interference, voyeurism and making child pornography. The offences spanned over the course of two decades, dating as far back as 2005. In addition to the home daycare operating out of Dyke's residence in Assiniboia, he also attended additional daycares in Coronach, Swift Current and Assiniboia. The communities of Tisdale, Estevan and Gravelbourg were also said to be affected, according to RCMP. In May 2024, RCMP Chief Superintendent Ted Munro said that investigators had analyzed 1.5 million pieces of digital evidence believed to be related to the crimes. -More to come…. -With files from David Prisciak, Sierra D'Souza Butts, Angela Stewart and Donovan Maess
CBC
15-05-2025
- CBC
Assiniboia, Sask., man pleads guilty to abusing children for decades in rural communities
Social Sharing Warning: this story contains references to sexual assault against minors. An Assiniboia, Sask., man has admitted he sexually abused children for decades in small communities across southern Saskatchewan. Richard John Dyke, 48, pleaded guilty to three sexual interference charges, six charges related to child pornography and one voyeurism charge on May 12 in Moose Jaw provincial court. "The joint sentence submission recommended a period of 17 years of incarceration, less time spent on remand," Ministry of Justice spokesperson Kerri Ward-Davis said in an email. "The submission also recommended lifetime sex offender registration and firearms prohibitions." Judge Brian Hendrickson will rule May 21 on whether he accepts the joint submission. If he does, it would be the longest sentence for such crimes in the province's history. Dyke initially faced 13 charges when he was arrested in November 2023 while living in Assiniboia, which is about 130 kilometres southwest of Regina. RCMP began investigating allegations of sexual assaults from the mid-2010s and officers eventually determined that three boys younger than 12 were sexually assaulted. In May 2024, RCMP laid 60 more charges after further investigation into alleged sexual assaults of minors over an 18-year time span. RCMP said they identified 29 additional victims, all youth between the ages of 18 months and 17 years of age when the offences occurred, with the majority being male. The alleged offences dated from as far back as 2005 to November 2023. "The magnitude of this investigation has proven significant. Investigators have analyzed over one-and-a-half million pieces of digital evidence. They were obtained from 24 terabytes of seized electronic devices," Chief Supt. Ted Munro, the officer in charge of criminal operations for the Saskatchewan RCMP, told reporters at the time. "If you were to take that evidence we located and you were to print that out, it will equate to a six storey building of paper." The victims were located in the Saskatchewan cities and towns of Tisdale, Estevan, Coronach, Assiniboia, Gravelbourg and Swift Current, Munro said. "Some of the victims came into contact with Richard Dyke while he attended the home-based daycares," Munro said. Andrew Clements is a former prosecutor who handled child abuse cases in Saskatchewan, including that of Joseph Sproull from Marshall, Sask, about 240 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. Sproull was convicted of one count of possessing child pornography, two counts of making it and one count of distribution. He was also convicted on two counts each of sexual assault and sexual interference. Sproull was sentenced in February 2025 to 15 years. Clements said that joint sentencing submissions can spare the young victims going to trial. "It's obviously a very traumatic process," he said in an interview. "It's always good to have a joint submission, so to have the Crown and defence reach a resolution together that both parties are satisfied with and, to receive 17 years, like I said, is the highest sentence in the province at this point and appropriately so."
CTV News
14-05-2025
- CTV News
Richard Dyke pleads guilty to 10 charges
WATCH: An Assiniboia man involved with daycares across Sask. has pleaded guilty to multiple historic sex crimes. Sierra D'Souza Butts reports.
