SHAKOPEE, MN – The Minnesota racing season draws to a close this weekend with many horsemen looking for one last start and, hopefully, one last win. There are 27 races carded over the next two days at Canterbury Park featuring 318 horses and an average field size of 11.78 before scratches.
Friday night will bring 13 races and feature a pair of $50,000 stakes: the John Bullit and the Tom Metzen HBPA Sprint. Closing day will have 14 races and the $60,000 MTA Stallion Auction Stakes and the $75,000 Shakopee Juvenile.
“We have had a very good summer of racing with solid attendance and wagering,” Canterbury Park President Randy Sampson said. “The month of May was difficult due to weather but we quickly hit our stride and made great gains in June, July, August and September. We will conclude the meet with an exceptional two days of racing.”
Total handle for the meet will hit a record high in 2018. Heading into the final weekend of racing, total handle has nearly reached $45 million – already a Canterbury Park era record – with a final weekend of racing to go.
Canterbury will also have a record year of purse distribution. The total purse distribution for the season will be $15.2 million ($220,000 per day) – another Park era record.
Much of the credit for the outstanding numbers can go to the historic partnership between the racetrack and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) who operate Mystic Lake and Little Six casinos in neighboring Prior Lake.
“Our partnership with SMSC has been tremendous for the racing industry in Minnesota,” Sampson said. “Racing and breeding in the state can be done with confidence.”
The 2012 purse enhancement and cooperative marketing agreement injected $75 million into the purse account at Canterbury with the impact felt immediately with purses jumping from $5,776,207 in 2011 to $8,800,070 in 2012. Purses have nearly tripled since the agreement was inked.
As the quality of racing at the Shakopee oval increased with an influx of horsemen basing all or parts of their stables here to try and get a piece of the increased pie, horseplayers took notice as well. Handle in state shutdown shortened 2011 season was $22,469,755 and will more than doubled by the 2018 winds down.
Closing weekend kicks off tonight with a special 5 PM post time for the 13 race card. The Saturday 14 race finale will begin at 12:45 PM.
