SHAKOPEE, MN – Canterbury Park’s live racing season kicks off this evening with something for everyone: turf racing, a pair of state bred stakes and an addition to their low takeout horizontal wagers.  The weather for opening night looks to be near perfect, with temperatures in the low 70s at first post and forecasted sunny skies.

Canterbury will race on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 5 p.m. central and on Sundays at 1 p.m. through Sept. 17.  Opening week racing will be Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, with the first Sunday card coming on May 29.

A tweaked line up of Monday – Thursday racing during the non-spectator pandemic year of 2020 generated betting increases of 110% per day.  That lineup was adjusted a bit last season to bring back the popular Sunday Family Day card and handle again responded with an 8.4% all-sources increase.

This year the racing days were adjusted again to bring back Saturday racing.  However instead of competing with daytime cards from popular betting locations like Del Mar and Saratoga during the summer, Canterbury will run in the evenings which should enable players to bet on the summer stalwarts dovetailing nicely into the Canterbury card later in the day.

“We are willing to experiment and react to determine what works best both with our wagering menu and race days,” Vice President of Racing Operations Andrew Offerman said. “Saturday racing will bring in more on-track guests which is great for the business and our continued efforts to develop racing fans. The competition in the racing world will be deeper for sure on Saturday evening but the momentum gained over the past two years I feel will make us prominent with horse players regardless of the day of the week.”

Joint Marketing Agreement

The track and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community are entering the final year of their 10-year, $85 million joint marketing agreement which have horsemen concerned about the long-term future of racing in Minnesota. Although an extension has not been announced, the track did issue this statement:

“For ten years, Canterbury Park and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community have partnered to increase purses for Minnesota horse racing through our cooperative marketing agreement.  Once again, the 2022 racing season will attract some of the best racing in the Midwest due to this unique partnership.  We believe both sides agree that Minnesota’s equine industry has benefited greatly from our cooperation, and we appreciate the unique commitment made by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.

“As we approach the end of the current agreement, we have had discussions about the possibility of an extension. However, we know that circumstances have changed in the past 10 years and that the terms each of us require may be different than in 2012.

“At this time, our focus is on this racing season and a successful tenth full year of the marketing agreement.  We look forward to continued cooperation with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community as we support the Minnesota horse racing industry as well as enhance and promote the high-quality entertainment district in Scott County.”

SMSC officials expressed a desire last year to continue on with the partnership in some way but as of yet no agreement has been reached.

10% Post Time Pick 4

Returning for 2022 is the industry low 10% takeout Pick 5 on the last five thoroughbred races on the card.  Complimenting that popular wager will be a 10% Post Time Pick 4 on the first four races of the day.

“The pick five has been a success the past two seasons, drawing attention to the Canterbury Park racing product, resulting in additional play outside of the pick five pool,” Sr. Vice President of Racing Operations Andrew Offerman said. “The extremely low takeout of the Post Time Pick 4 will be popular with the wagering public. It also serves the purpose of calling attention to our start time which falls into a more competitive time slot based on our 2022 calendar.”

Both the Post Time Pick 4 and the Pick 5 are fifty cent minimum wagers.

Sports Wagering

While earlier in the 2022 legislative session it looked as if legalized sports wagering was going to finally come to Minnesota, the House and Senate bills contained vastly different provisions and it does not look like the differences will be reconciled in time for the end of the 2022 session.

While the Senate bill called for legalized wagering at both the racetracks and the Native casinos, the bill moving through the House pointedly left out Canterbury and Running Aces and would have given the sports wagering monopoly to the Native American casinos.  Senators have called the House bill a non-starter and Minnesotans will continue to have to travel to neighboring states to place a legal sports wager.

Canterbury has stayed on the sidelines during the sports wagering discussion at the Capitol as part of the provisions of their joint marketing agreement with the SMSC. 

The track did issue the following statement:

“Canterbury Park is not involved in the sports betting discussion at the Capitol this year, consistent with our commitment within the current marketing agreement. As for the future, sports betting is only one of a number of ways the landscape for gaming and entertainment have changed in the last ten years.  Future discussions with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community will likely include a number of different topics that reflect these changes.”

10,000 Lakes and Lady Slipper

The traditional kickoff stakes, the 10,000 Lakes and Lady Slipper, Minnesota bred dashes for males and females, respectively, will be run as the seventh and eighth races on the card tonight.

The 10,000 Lakes Stakes drew a field of seven including 2019 and 2020 winner Hot Shot Kid. Trained by Mac Robertson, Hot Shot Kid’s lifetime earnings of $664,770 is $36,069 shy of the recently retired Mr. Jagermeister, the all-time earnings leader for a Minnesota bred.

Dame Plata, trained by Francisco Bravo, is the likely favorite based on current form. The 6-year-old kicked off his 2022 campaign with a second-place finish and two wins at Will Rogers Downs this spring including a one-length victory in the $55,000 Highland Ice Stakes. The field also includes Thealligatorhunter, winner of last year’s Victor S. Myers Stakes and Minnesota Derby. Owner/breeder Pete Mattson also has Astronaut Oscar in the race as he looks build off an amazing 2021 racing season that saw his homebreds sweep the Minnesota Oaks and Derby.

The Lady Slipper cast of seven includes 2020 Minnesota Oaks winner Hotasapistol, 2021 Minnesota Oaks winner Molly’s Angel, Clickbait, winner of last year’s Lady Slipper, and Ready to Runaway whose career earnings of $475,860 tops the field. The 6-year-old mare finished second in this race last year and has won 12 of 15 starts at Canterbury. Both Clickbait and Ready to Runaway are trained by Robertson.