SHAKOPEE, MN – The pandemic shortened Canterbury Park season comes to a close this evening with a pair of stakes races, the $50,000 Shakopee Juvenile and the $50,000 Tom Metzen HBPA Sprint.
The thirteen-race card kicks off at 4:05 with the Juvenile the 8th and the Metzen the 9th.
A field of six two-year-olds will contest the six-furlong Juvenile. Mac Robertson trainee Heart Full of Soul is the 9/5 morning line favorite off the strength of a cruising gate to wire maiden victory on August 5. There will be a rider change as Roimes Chirinos, who guided heart of Soul in the maiden breaker gives way to Francisco Arrieta. Chirinos will stay aboard MTA Sales Graduate Futurity winner Westa Waverly, last seen in the Northern Lights Futurity where he was a well beaten 6th over a sloppy racetrack.
Trainer Wade Rarick, having a terrific Canterbury meet, sends out Big Buffy off a hard grinding maiden win under Nik Goodwin last out while leading trainer Joel Berndt has Strong Rules, who won at first asking on August 5th.
Dan McFarlane has Dean Butler aboard Iowa shipper Edge to Edge who had some trouble in the Prairie Gold Juvenile in his last start and will be making his first start in Shakopee.
First timer Big in the City rounds out the field.
Undefeated Slew’s Hymn is the Wade Rarick entry in the Tom Metzen HBPA Sprint. The five year old was a first time starter heading into this season and has just improved in each of his first three starts, taking an allowance and a $20,000 optional claimer after the maiden breaker. Leading jockey Ry Eikleberry gets the mount.
The morning line favorite is The Tabulator, a stake winning 5-year old horse from Larry Rivelli’s barn. The Tabulator ripped a field of $100,000 optional claimers in his seasonal debut at Gulfstream before taking more time off before a rough allowance go at Mountaineer. The Tabulator makes the trip in after another layoff of several months but has been training well at Arlington Park.
The speedy King of the Court will be seeking his third win in a row at the meet in the Metzen. Claimed for $25,000 at Oaklawn by Robertino Diodoro, the Speightstown gelding was third in his Canterbury debut in a $20,000 Optional Claiming race before winning back at that level and then capturing a $12,500 starter allowance. He does his best running on the lead but should have company there from Tapizar’s Secret and Keller’s Gold. Even the favorite enjoys being on the lead.
While Slew’s Hymn prefers to stalk and pounce, a more pronounced closer is longshot Hondo Lane. Trainer Shawn Davis will take the blinkers off for the stake and crafty veteran Dean Butler gets the ride.
The final evening of racing will kick off at 4:05 PM.
The race for leading jockey between Ry Eikleberry and Francisco Arrieta heads into the final day with Eikleberry leading by seven. Arrieta has 13 mounts on the last card while Eikleberry has 12.
Joel Berndt holds a nearly insurmountable lead over perennial leading trainer Mac Robertson, 43-34, heading into the final day of racing. Berndt has 15 starters on the final day while Robertson has only eight.
Owner Lothenbach Stables has sewn up the leading owner title with 30 wins, well clear of Danny Caldwell (13) and Pete Mattson (12).
Highlighted by a $41,000 pick 5 carryover, all source handle on Wednesday night $2,616,140 pushing the meet record total over $66 million with the Pick five handling over $300,000 for the first time this season.
Jockey Katlin Bedford was unseated in the lane during the ninth race and was taken to the hospital. Her mount, Drop the Gloves, clipped heels with College Party and she was thrown hard to the ground. Drop the Gloves was able to get up and jog away under his own power, but Bedford was sent off to the hospital in an ambulance. We will pass along the extent of her injuries when we learn them.
