SHAKOPEE, MN – Chris Merz left Southern California in February and drove halfway across the country, following a winter storm, to start his new position of Senior Director of Horse Racing Operations at Canterbury Park.

“We drove right into work and winter,” Merz recalled.

If there is one way to endear yourself to Minnesotans, it’s to move in the winter.  Anyone can show up when the weather is nice, but it’s the winter that separates the wheat from the chaff (or corn from the stalk, as it were).

“The reception could not have been better. The people here are fantastic,” said Merz.

During the off-season when Minnesota-bred Andrew Offerman left Canterbury Park for a position at the New York Racing Association, there was a large void left behind.  Offerman had been part of the fabric of Canterbury from the time he was young leaving only briefly over the years but when one of the titans of North American racing calls, you pay attention.

Offerman and Merz both graduated from the Race Track Industry Program at the University of Arizona and they stayed in touch as their careers moved forward.

When Offerman left, he recommended that Merz apply.  He did, went through the interview process and found himself Shakopee bound, diving into his first Midwestern winter.

Merz will oversee all aspects of live racing at the Shakopee, Minnesota racetrack, supervising Canterbury’s racing secretary, manager of racing operations, turf and grounds superintendent, and stable area manager. He will also serve as liaison with the Minnesota Racing Commission, racing stewards, office staff, and veterinary staff and act as point person for the company with the Minnesota Thoroughbred Association. Merz is also responsible for compliance with HISA regulations.

“We are very excited to have Chris join our team and bring his racing office experience at the highest levels of racing to Canterbury Park,” CEO Randy Sampson said. “We are confident he will be a great fit for this position and will continue the upward trajectory we have had with our live racing product.  Bringing in Chris to lead our racing operations is another indication of the long-term commitment of Canterbury Park to the horse racing industry in Minnesota.”

“I was always impressed with the way Canterbury would try different things,” said Merz. “They wouldn’t just revert to ‘this is the way racing has always done things.’  We’ll be looking to do more of that in the coming years.”

Merz jumped in quickly. In addition to bringing back the player friendly 10% late Pick 4 and Pick 5, Canterbury has added an all-turf Pick 3 on Wednesday nights. He also hit the road, talking to trainers and owners to try and recruit barns to Minnesota for the summer.

While challenging in the best of times, there were additional challenges this year with the expiration of the joint marketing agreement with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community; Hawthorne stepping in to fill the void Arlington Park left in Chicago for summer racing; the annual competition with Prairie Meadows for horses and the emergence of casino gambling in Nebraska, which could change the landscape of racing in that state once the money begins to flow.

“I traveled with Amber [Carlisle – Racing Operations Manager] to Keeneland, Tampa, Oaklawn, Remington and Turf Paradise and horsemen were very responsive. Not a lot of talk about purses but many folks really enjoy the atmosphere here in Minnesota,” said Merz. “We’ll be working on the purse part. Canterbury has always been forward thinking and we’ll have to be creative, but we’ll find a way.”

The track is also investing heavily in the backside with a reconfiguration of the training track to make room for new barns to take the place of older barns that were situated on land that was sold to a developer that will be building an 18,000-seat amphitheater.

“We are making a $20 million dollar investment in racing,” said Merz, reinforcing that the long-term vision remains horse racing.

The barns were originally scheduled to be developed earlier this spring, but a change in the plumbing codes held up development of the barns, but construction will start on those in September. Development projects all over the state were held up due to the change, so it did not just effect Canterbury.

“The area will be a destination area with music, shopping, neighborhoods and racing,” said Merz. “We’ll keep investing in the racing product and show that racing is here to stay.”

Merz has a vision, commitment and drive – all of which will be necessary to help navigate Canterbury into the future.