Officials at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, Canada, have asked the state’s regulatory board to conduct a “full and complete” review of the fifth race at the track on Wednesday night, citing a highly irregular ride on the horse that finished second in the race after slowing to a trot entering the stretch. Darren Dunn, the chief executive officer of the track, said that he asked the provincial racing regulator - the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority - to conduct the “prompt” review on Thursday morning. Dunn then issued a release stating that the track had asked for the inquiry. “We have nothing to hide here, and we want to be completely open and transparent, because we are fully aware that the optics of this race require some questions and answers,” Dunn said, in an interview. In Manitoba, stewards at the track are employees of the provincial regulatory body. Dunn said that the proper chain of command was to request the review through the regulatory board, rather than through the stewards, who did not post an inquiry sign about the race. The race involved was a $5,000 maiden claiming race with eight horses in the field. The horse involved in the incident was King Witt, who was ridden by Sheldon Chickeness, a regular rider at Assiniboia for years.  :: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures In the 7 1/2-furlong race, King Witt takes a five-length lead through the backstretch with little urging from Chickeness. King Witt continues to gallop effortlessly around the far turn, but as the gelding nears the top of the stretch, Chickeness takes several looks to his inside while straightening his legs. The gelding slows down to a trot as five horses pass to the inside. Chickeness then drops his hands and begins urging the horse aggressively, easily passing all but the eventual winner, Mucho Express, who wins by a neck. Mucho Express was 5-1, and King Witt, the second choice, was 7-2. The $1 exacta paid $28.80 and the $1 trifecta paid $220.60. Zuri Rissi, the 7-10 favorite, finished sixth after briefly passing King Witt when the horse slowed to a trot. Chickeness has been riding since 2001. He rarely topped $50,000 in purse earnings a year until 2021, when he had $450,000 in purse winnings. This year, his record is 11 wins from 115 mounts, with 12 seconds and 11 thirds. King Witt is owned by his breeder, Henry S. Witt Jr., and is trained by Jerry Gourneau, who is perennially the leading trainer at Assiniboia. “The trainer, the rider, all of the connections of this horse, personally we know them to be upstanding individuals,” Dunn said. “They wouldn’t be allowed here if they weren’t. But we think that it is important that we address this in a transparent manner. It’s possible that the horse has some tendencies we don’t know about, and there could be other factors.” King Witt remains winless from 10 starts. Chickeness has been his rider for three of his five starts at Assiniboia.