Bergheim wins Free Press Stakes on sloppy track at Assiniboia Downs
Bergheim fought through a sloppy six-furlong Free Press Stakes and held off What's Shakin by 1 1/2 lengths, deepening his case as a dependable stakes sprinter.
Bergheim kept his 2026 run of form going on June 23 at Assiniboia Downs, staying clear in a tight finish to win the Free Press Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths over What's Shakin. The 4-year-old gelding covered six furlongs in 1:11.81 over a sloppy track with Renaldo Cumberbatch aboard, and Dominant Spirit was just a head back in third. The margin was honest, the footing was demanding, and Bergheim still found enough late to finish the job.
The Free Press was the 66th running of a race that Assiniboia Downs says dates to 1960. It began as the Free Press Handicap and once stretched from 1 1/2 miles to 2 1/4 miles before settling into its current sprint distance for 3-year-olds and up. The 2026 edition carried a $50,500 purse, and Bergheim answered that assignment like a horse built for the circuit’s summer stakes calendar, not just for one clean trip on fast ground.
The victory also fit the shape of Bergheim’s season. He came in with six wins from 10 starts in 2026, including two stakes victories, and more than $112,000 in earnings on the year. Lifetime, he improved to eight wins from 26 starts with more than $207,000 banked, a record that has made him one of the more reliable older sprinters on the Assiniboia program. Assiniboia Downs had already pegged him as the track’s leading earner on June 4 with US$25,002, when Jerry Gourneau owned an 18-win total and a 10-win lead in the trainer standings. Henry S. Witt, Jr. entered the season as a seven-time consecutive leading owner, and Bergheim’s black-type score only strengthened that stable’s hold on the local stakes picture.
The betting reflected the kind of race it was. Bergheim returned $30.40 to win, while the $79.25 exacta, $137.35 triactor and $713.20 superfecta showed how much the sloppy surface and competitive field shook up the board. Assiniboia Downs said the result came during a week of muddy longshots and big payoffs, including a $3 Pick 3 worth $3,908.85. For Bergheim, though, the performance was less about chaos than control: another tough trip, another stakes win, and another step toward proving he is more than just consistent.
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