Even in the middle of winter there are some glimmers of news that have us looking forward to opening weekend at Canterbury Park.
SHIPPING INCENTIVE PROGRAMS
While purses are up in Shakopee, Canterbury is still an expensive destination to reach when you’re shipping in from elsewhere. In a move to try an assist trainers shipping to Minnesota, the track has designed a program to try and help alleviate some of that upfront cost.
“We have heard for years from many stables that are hesitant to ship to Minnesota due to the upfront cost that can be incurred shipping a stable as far north as Minnesota,” Canterbury racing director Andrew Offerman said. “We understand that these transportation costs can place a burden on a large stable or on a trainer that owns a lot of their own horses. Our hope is that our new shipping loan program can ease the cash flow challenges some of these stables face.”
It is hoped that this program, outlined below, will assist in filling the barns earlier this season eliminating the short fields that plagued the early part of the 2016 meet.
Shipping Program
Canterbury Park will offer up to $300,000 in shipping loans for qualified applicants who arrive prior to the start of the 2017 Live Racing Season. Shipping loan applications will be due with stall applications and will be reviewed by the stall allocation committee. Upon review, the committee will authorize up to $30,000 per owner to cover the costs of horse transportation to Canterbury Park. The loan will be recouped by Canterbury Park through the owner’s purse earnings via a loan agreement between the owner(s) and Canterbury Park. You can download the application here:
2017 Canterbury Shipping Incentives & Loan Application
Bonus Money For New Starters
Canterbury Park’s new starter incentive program, run in partnership with the Minnesota H.B.P.A., is designed to reward owners who bring a new, race-ready thoroughbred to Canterbury Park in 2017. Any thoroughbred* making its first start at Canterbury Park shall be eligible for a bonus paid according to the following schedule:
Starts at Canterbury Park prior to May 31, 2017: $500 Starts at Canterbury Park after June 1, 2017: $250 * In order to be eligible for this program, the thoroughbred must fit the following criteria:
The horse must have made its most recent start after January 1, 2017.
If its last start was in a claiming race, the horse must have started for a claiming price of $3,000 or greater.
First-time starters are not eligible for the Canterbury 2017 New Starter Incentive Program.
In order to be eligible for Canterbury’s 2017 New Starter Incentive Program, the trainer of the horse must have stalls assigned at Canterbury Park.
Shipping incentives from this program will be paid until the exhaustion of the $100,000. The Canterbury Park Racing Office will produce records each week so that owners and trainers can fully understand the current expenditures from this fund and estimate the amount remaining available for awards.
“Shipping incentive programs used in Southern California and Washington were popular with owners and trainers,” Offerman said. “Canterbury’s New Starter Incentive program is designed to reward stables that bring new, race-ready horses to Shakopee in 2017.”
2017 RACING CLUB SIGNUPS
Sign ups for new members of the 2017 Canterbury Racing Club are underway. The Club is a not-for-profit opportunity to experience horse racing ownership at a low entry point ($250) and no downside risk. Club membership comes with free admission to track with your MVP card and other perks. Click HERE for more details.
2017 CONDITION BOOK ONLINE
In a sure sign of spring, the first condition book of 2017 is now online HERE.
MRC DISCUSSION GROUP FIRST MEETING
The Minnesota Racing Commission will hold its first public forum to discuss racing in Minnesota. The event will take place at Canterbury Park at 10:00 AM Thursday, January 26 in the Triple Crown Room on the 3rd level. The complete details are
