SHAKOPEE, MN – With the torrent of rain that cancelled the last thee races on Friday night’s card continuing well into the night at Canterbury Park, the two supporting stakes on today’s $200,000 Mystic Lake Derby card have been moved to the main track. A decision on the Derby will be made later today.
With the races coming off the turf there have naturally been several scratches.
Brooks Fields scratches (as of noon): Hay Dakota, Storm Advisory, Aces High
HBPA Distaff (as of noon): Some Say So, Sweet Tapper, Paint the Corners
$50,000 Brooks Fields, One Mile, Dirt
With the scratches in the Brooks Fields, favored Majestic Pride, a stakes winner on dirt as well as turf, will move from post nine in to the six slot and will have a more advantageous run into the first turn than the speedster did from post nine. This should allow Quincy Hamilton to provide an easier route to the front for the Mac Robertson trainee who is one for one over an off track.
Way Striking, a Mercedes Stable homebred trained by Robertino Diodoro will look to get a run at the favorite early. Easy winner of the Rasmussen Stakes at Prairie Meadows, where he earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure, and second in the slop in the Bosselman/Fonner stakes at Fonner Park, Way Striking will most likely keep Majestic Pride company early. It could be a race of attrition between the two or set up the race for a horse that can track and pounce on the turn for home.
Interestingly both trainers have “other” horses in the race that could be poised to take advantage of a pace breakdown.
Diodoro’s Patriots Rule, who finished behind the top two and Hat Dakota in the Mystic Lake Mile earlier this season has been a ‘close but no cigar horse’ since, notching a pair of second place finishes in optional claiming events over both the dirt and grass. It will be his first time testing an off surface.
Robertson’s Sir Navigator is coming of a pair of wins in optional claiming sprints and will be stretching out to a mile for the Brooks Fields and adds pilot Jareth Loveberry with Quincy Hamilton opting for Majestic Pride.
Jockey Alex Canchari, riding in his final weekend at Canterbury before shifting tack to Kentucky, will be aboard One Fine Dream, a multiple stakes winning Iowa bred stepping up into open stakes company for the first time. One Fine Dream has tackled an off track four times before and always hit the board.
$50,000 Minnesota HBPA Distaff, One Mile, Dirt
Even with the trio of defections in the Distaff, a field of ten (as of press time) will still head to the starting gate.
Trainer Michael Stidham’s One Last Shot is the tepid 4-1 morning line favorite for the Brooks Fields. Stidham has done traditionally well shipping up to Canterbury, winning the first two editions of the Mystic Lake Derby. One Last Shot ships up from Arlington Park and has done his recent running on the East Coast where he coming off an allowance score at Laurel. He has shown a proclivity to stalk the pace and there should be some to run at here.
Multiple Iowa bred stakes winner Mywomanfromtokyo, Theperfectvow as well as Kera Kera have shown the ability to go to the lead and carry their speed. Both Mywomanfromtokyo and Theprefectvow will be stepping up into open stakes company for the first time and both retain their Iowa jockeys with Glenn Corbett and Ry Eikleberry both making the trip up I-35 to ride.
There are a few late runners that will try and navigate what may be a wet track and large field to score late. Seeking Paradise, shipping in from Saratoga, will be attempting the dirt for the first time in several years if he stays in. A pair on the outside, Ms. Bubbette, another who hasn’t touched the dirt since 2015 and recent claim Wealthy Shipman out of the Anthony Granitz barn, should be able to alleviate their outside position somewhat by their ability to rate, though closing into speed at Canterbury can be problematic, especially in the rain.
Post time for the Mystic Lake Derby card is 6 PM.
