SHAKOPEE, MN – It was anticipated to be a good night at Canterbury Park.  The dominoes were all in place: good stakes races; competitive supporting races; gorgeous night for racing; and prime time exposure on FS2. There certainly were hopes that total handle would rank somewhere in the top ten handles of the Park era. The actual results after an evening of competitive racing, favorites and longshots and a solid on track crowd? A record single day handle of $3,795,180 eclipsing 2004’s Claiming Crown single-day handle of $3,632,958.

After the opening pair of races produced boxcar payoffs of $53.60 and $63.60, bettors and fans settled in for a series of six consecutive stakes.

$100,000 Curtis Sampson Oaks – 1 Mile Turf

The team of trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux came up to Shakopee with a very real chance of winning three of the five turf stakes and they kicked off the try with gusto in the Sampson.

Cox sent up Saranya, the odds-on favorite, and watched Geroux put on a display as Church Service set the early pace and Saranya sat tight before taking over with about a furlong to go.  Once clear, the 3-year-old filly by The Factor had to withstand the late charge from second choice, Amalfi Princess, prevailing by a head in 1:35.04.

The top choice paid $3.40 to win while the Mike Maker shipper, Amalfi Princess paid $2.80 to place.  Pretty in pink ($3.60) was third.

“All the credit goes to her,” said Geroux. “I wanted to get her in position and save ground which, as you know, is critical in this type of turf race. You can’t be too wide, especially in the first turn. Once I tucked in, I knew I was in good shape.”

Saranya is owned by Peachtree Stable and was bred by Eico Ventures Inc.

Presenting the trophy was the Sampson family, led by Curt’s widow, Marian and their children, including Canterbury Park Chairman Randy Sampson.

“It’s certainly been an emotional day,” said a clearly emotional Sampson. “Dad would have really enjoyed this.  He had a lot of nice fillies and won some Oaks, so this was really appropriate.”

The renaming of the Northbound Pride in honor of his widely beloved father was not Sampson’s idea.  His staff set the wheels in motion and only presented it to him when it was a done deal.

“This really means a lot to all of us,” he said.

$100,000 Dark Star Turf Sprint – Five Furlongs Turf

After the first race went to the shippers, there was some consternation that the locals might be shut out of the proceedings.  Canterbury Hall of Fame trainer David Van Winkle made sure early that the locals would be represented and gave bettors the third double digit payoff in the first four races.

Jazzy Times ($22.20) broke alertly under Chad Lindsay and he settled him back into a stalking position and exploded in the lane to take control from course record holder Wellabled and was able to out-finish High Crime ($3.60) to win by a head.  Wellabled ($3.20) held third.

Lindsay could feel the speed in front of him and worked himself into position to take advantage the energy the eight-year-old still had in the tank.

“As soon as I got behind the five (Chess Master) and had room on the outside, I knew he was gone,” said Lindsay.

$60,000 MTA Stallion Auction Stakes – 6 ½ Furlongs Dirt

The biggest question heading into the MTA was whether or not the heavily favored, dynamic filly, Star of the North, would sabotage herself before getting on the racetrack.  An incident leaving the paddock prior to her first local start of the year, the Lady Slipper Stakes, kept her out of the that race and gave her an unplanned nearly four months off heading into the MTA.

She left the paddock early and was kept clear of most of the field warming up, though at one point on the back stretch, jockey Ry Eikleberry was seen remounting the talented filly prior to being led to the gate.

Once the gates opened, however, all the shenanigans were gone and the filly was all business.  The odds-on favorite took the lead and never looked back, drawing off to demolish the field by 7 ¼ lengths.

Was trainer Francisco Bravo concerned about his talented filly’s pre-race antics?

“I always worry about all of them,” he laughed.  “She’s a really good filly.  She really has a lot of talent but sometimes that talent gets in the way of her being a kind horse.”

The MTA gave Star of the North ($3.00) her fifth win in a row out of six career starts. Westa Waverly ($3.40) was second and Our Last Chance ($4.40) was third.

Star of the North was bred in Minnesota by Michael Grossman’s Eureka Thoroughbred Farm and is campaigned by Grossman.

$100,000 Lady Canterbury Stakes – 1 Mile Turf

History has not been kind to favorites in the Lady Canterbury with only three winning in the twenty eight year history of the race.  But history was no problem for the twenty-ninth favorite, four-year-old filly Evil Lyn ($3.60). Despite breaking slowly, she seized command late and the odds-on favorite was able to out-finish the furious charge of a pair of Winchester Place ladies, Princess Causeway ($3.80) and Urban Fairytale ($2.60) to win by a length.

“Mike (Maker) is an easy trainer to ride for,” said winning rider Ricardo Santana Jr. “He let me do what’s best for the filly.  She broke a little slow but I could tell the pace in front of me was pretty fast.  That helped me a lot today.”

Evil Lyn covered the mile in 1:34.01 and is owned by Paradise Farm Corp and David Staudache and was bred by Lantern Hill Farm LLC, Phil Needham and Judy Needham.

$100,000 Mystic Lake Mile – 1 Mile Turf

The John Mentz owned and bred Minnesotan, Cinco Star, gave blue blood Godolphin stable’s homebred Hieronymus all he could handle in the Mile, but Hieronymus ($9.00) was able to win the head bob at the wire to give the Cox/Geroux tandem their second stakes win of the evening.

The Mac Robertson trained Cinco Star took it to the field early, breaking well and putting to lengths on the field.  The lead was maintained into the stretch when the stalking Hieronymus started biting into the lead with every stride.

When the turf settled, Hieronymus was a nose winner with Cinco Star ($5.80) a tremendously game second.

“I thought I got to the wire on the last jump,” said Geroux, “but you don’t know.”

Tut’s Revenge ($4.00) was 2 ¾ lengths back in third.

The race was run in 1:32.93.

$150,000 Mystic Lake Derby – 1 Mile Turf

Until the Derby, jockey Jareth Loveberry’s “homecoming” to Canterbury Park was disappointing, but he rebounded in a big way in the Derby aboard Larry Rivelli trained King of Miami.

At the break, as promised, Bodenheimer broke alertly from the far outside and took the field through the first turn while Loveberry had King of Miami saving ground midpack.

Deep in the lane, the cavalry charge began behind a grudgingly giving way Bodenheimer. Leading the charge was Loveberry aboard the King, but on the outside, moving best of all, was the favorite T D Dance, attempting to give Cox and Geroux their third stakes win on the evening. The wire came up in time for Loveberry and 15-1 shot King of Miami ($32.60) prevailed by a dwindling head.

“Coming out of that last race we learned a lot about him,” said Loverberry. “He didn’t like a few things so we changed it up and he just really responded today.”

And while Canterbury is special to Loveberry, Chicago is home now. He can ride year round and have his family with him, something very important to a husband and father to a pair of young children.

“It’s always great to come back to Canterbury,” said Loveberry. “But it’s really special to be able to come home every night and be with the family.”

T D Dance ($2.60) was second and Modern Science ($4.00) third.  Bodenheimer, in an impressive effort, fought hard for fourth.

King of Miami stopped the clock at 1:34.76 for the mile.  The American Pharoah gelding was bred by Wesley Ward and is owned by Patricia’s Hope LLC.