SHAKOPEE, MN – After an off-season filled with speculation about sports wagering, Native alliances and purse structure along with land deals and physical plant restructuring, Canterbury Park is ready to set it all aside and get back to live racing this evening.
Tonight is the start of 54 days of live racing, one of the shortest May to September race meets in the track’s 29 seasons, but necessary to keep purses relatively stable after the end of the 10-year joint marketing agreement with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community last season. After tweaking the stakes schedule, Canterbury will be able to offer daily purses of about $220,000, only 10% off 2022 levels.
Once again the state legislature failed to act on a sports wagering bill, split between the House version that would have limited sports wagering to the Native Nations in Minnesota and the Senate version which would have allowed for sports wagering at the state’s two horse tracks. A compromise which would have left the tracks out of sports betting but provided each facility with a percentage of the wagering proceeds fell apart late in the session.
As politics are set aside and the business of racing begins, entries for the opening three-day holiday weekend are strong with 26 races drawing 212 horses or 8.15 per race.
“Racing Secretary Robbie Junk, Amber Carlisle and the rest of the racing team did a phenomenal job putting together our Memorial Weekend cards,” Senior Director of Racing Chris Merz said. “With average field size of eight and an emphasis on our turf course with ten turf races, we have assembled great cards for our bettors and fans to enjoy. We look to build on this early momentum throughout the meet.”
This is the first season of racing under Merz who took over from Andrew Offerman who left for the New York Racing Association in the off season. Merz previously served as Racing Secretary at Santa Anita Park.
Canterbury’s meet runs through Sept. 16 with horse racing on Wednesdays and Saturdays beginning at 5 p.m. central and Sundays at 1 p.m. as well as Monday Memorial Day, July 3 and Labor Day. Six consecutive 5 p.m. Thursday cards will be conducted beginning July 13.
“Canterbury Park is a staple of Minnesotans’ summer entertainment calendar. We are looking forward to another season of competitive racing on the track complemented by fun events throughout the Park,” General Manager John Groen said.
Featured race days include the June 21 Northern Stars Turf Festival with four turf stakes plus the centerpiece $100,000 Canterbury Derby. Minnesota Festival of Champions, an evening of racing restricted to horses bred in the state, will offer more than $600,000 in purse money and will be contested on Saturday, Sept. 9. The 36th running of the Northlands Futurity, the richest quarter horse race of the season with an estimated $86,000 purse, is August 16.
Quarter horse racing will take place on Wednesday evenings with the track running a mixed card with both breeds.
Leading Thoroughbred rider of 2022 Harry Hernandez will be back in Shakopee this summer as will 2021’s leading rider, Lindey Wade. Other familiar faces include Israel Hernandez, Zeke Lara, Karlo Lopez, Alonso Quinonez, Chad Lindsay, Constantino Roman, Luis Valenzuela and Kelsi Harr. New arrivals include Ademar Santos, Daylor Berrios-Lopez and Carlos Ulloa among others. After a weekend with stakes engagements in Texas, apprentice rider Sofia Barandela will also be back in the jockey colony.
The co-leading trainers of 2022, Mac Robertson and Joel Berndt are both back this season and will face off opening night in the $50,000 Lady Slipper Stakes with Berndt’s five-year-old phenom Charlie’s Penny taking on a trio out of the Robertson barn including Canterbury classic, Ready to Runaway, and the redoubtable Clickbait.
Canterbury Park will again offer an industry low 10 percent takeout $.50 Pick 4 wager that will begin with the first race each day as well as a 10 percent takeout $.50 Pick 5 on the final five thoroughbred races daily.
A new wager, debuting this year, is a 14% takeout all turf Pick 3. The wager will be offered on Wednesday evenings over three turf races, not necessarily successive. The base wager will be $1.
First post opening night will be 5:07 PM Central Time.
Canterbury Park will again offer an industry low 10 percent takeout $.50 Pick 4 wager that will begin with the first race each day as well as a 10 percent takeout $.50 Pick 5 on the final five thoroughbred races daily.
A new wager, debuting this year, is a 14% takeout all turf Pick 3. The wager will be offered on Wednesday evenings over three turf races, not necessarily successive. The base wager will be $1.
First post opening night will be 5:07 PM Central Time.
