SHAKOPEE, MN – It is with a heavy heart that we join in announcing the passing of former Chairman of the Board of Canterbury Park, Curtis Sampson.

Curt was born and raised in Hector, Minnesota.  He attended the University of Minnesota, graduating in 1955. He returned to Hector where he built a pair of telecommunications companies, the last of which sold in 2006.

Curt’s love was horses and racing, however, and an unfortunate turn of events for one company turned into an opportunity of a lifetime for Curt.

Canterbury Downs was completed in 1985 and prospered as the only pari-mutuel racetrack in Minnesota.  It was sold to UK bookmaker Ladbroke Racing Corporation in 1990.  Ladbroke was unable to secure off-track wagering in 1991, the year after the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community opened Little Six Casino only four miles from Canterbury Park.  Unable to compete, Ladbroke shuttered Canterbury in 1992.

The following year, Irwin Jacobs purchased the track and a few months later sold to a group headed by Curt, his son Randy and Dale Schenian.  The trio took the company public in 1994 and the newly christened Canterbury Park opened for business again in 1995 and has been in continuous operation since. Even with the mandated shutdown by the government closure in 2011 for three weeks and earlier this season from the Coronavirus pandemic, Canterbury has found a way to have a meet.

Curt Sampson was not only a successful businessman, but was a key owner and breeder in Minnesota for decades.  The first horse he owned in partnership, the Quarter Horse Cash Caravan, won several stakes and is in the Canterbury Hall of Fame. He also owned Wally’s Choice, one of the most successful Minnesota bred thoroughbreds of all time.  The Minnesota Classic, which Wally won twice, is now named after the Canterbury Hall of Famer.

Sampson stepped down from his role as Chairman of the board in 2019 but continued on as a director and Chairman Emeritus until his death.

Curtis will not only be missed for his acumen and contributions to the game, but for the kind of person he was.  He had a smile and a word for everyone.  Some of Heather’s favorite Canterbury memories include talking with him in the winners’ circle about her pictures, horses, cars and what was going on in their lives. 

It is no surprise that of the tributes pouring in over social media include not only friends and family but employees, jockeys, trainers, owners and fans.  For some it is because of the way he worked to save Minnesota racing not once, but twice.  First in buying the racetrack and second when his development of a warm, personal relationship with the then Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Chairman, the late Stanley Crooks, helped secure the 10-year joint marketing agreement between the former rivals. For others, it is born of a respect that comes from treating everyone as equals. Being a horseman himself, the track was, and is, run differently from other venues – more of a ‘we are in this together’ than an ‘us versus them’ mentality. The sense of family at Canterbury is palpable.

Last night a moment of silence was observed before the fourth race when the jockeys and their mounts came onto the track.  Longtime track announcer and Curt friend Paul Allen subtlety dropped the name of the late chairman’s horse most legendary horse, Wally’s Choice, into the race call.  It was a moving reminder as to how deeply Curt touched those around him.

He will be greatly missed by not only his family and friends, but everyone his life has touched. Warm, caring and compassionate is a legacy that everyone should strive to leave and Curt was able to do it effortlessly.  It was all natural and came from the heart.  If there was a stronger word than “missed” I would use it here.

All our love and prayers go to Curt’s wife Marian, his four children, and his eleven grand and seven great-grand children. 

Godspeed, Curt Sampson, thank you for everything.