Below is a text of a press release from Canterbury Park regarding the 2017 Quarter Horse Stakes schedule.
Shakopee, Minn. — Canterbury Park’s American Quarter Horse stakes schedule will offer 13 races with purses expected to total more than $600,000. The schedule is highlighted by the 30th running of the Mystic Lake Northlands Futurity July 2 with an estimated purse exceeding $160,000, racetrack officials announced today.
“Quarter horse racing is an important piece of Canterbury Park’s summer racing calendar, dating back to 1986,” company president Randy Sampson said. “We have a tradition of attracting top, young horses to compete for our biggest purses. I expect to see that history continue to grow in 2017.”
The Bank of America Canterbury Park Challenge Championship and the Merial Distaff Championship, new to the schedule last year, return July 4. The 2016 BOA Canterbury Challenge Championship was won by Ajs High, who subsequently won the AQHA Challenge Championship (GI) in October at Los Alamitos Race Course, and was a finalist for the award of 2016 Champion Aged Gelding.
In 2016, the Northlands Futurity purse reached $165,600, making it the richest quarter horse race in the history of the Shakopee, Minn. track. The 350-yard dash, restricted to 2-year-olds, was won by Minnesota-bred Pyc Jess Bite Mydust and leading trainer Jason Olmstead.
Canterbury Park’s 67-day live mixed-breed meet runs May 5 through Sept. 16. The quarter horse season begins May 27 and runs through the Minnesota Festival of Champions Aug. 20.
Complete quarter horse stakes schedule is below.
