SHAKOPEE, MN – [EDITOR’S NOTE: Ted Grevelis, one of our co-founders, manages Breakaway Stables, owner of Magic Castle, an entry in the Minnesota Sprint Championship.  We’ll take the opportunity this week to give some insight into going in a big race from the perspective of a small claiming partnership finding itself in an unfamiliar spot]

Draw Day for Minnesota Festival of Champions could not have been more beautiful.  A brilliantly sunny and cool late Minnesota summer day that I’m sure Canterbury Park management has ordered for Festival Day on September 10.

Eight horses were entered in the $100,000 Crocrock Minnesota Sprint Championship.  Our MAGIC CASTLE drew post five and Karl Broberg handed the riding assignment to Ezekiel Lara.  It’s been a nerve-wracking week leading up to this morning, trying to decide if we should try this spot or look to face potential softer in a state bred allowance.

Ultimately, we decided to go for it.  I’ll lay out the reasons on Monday or Tuesday but, suffice to say, there is clearly some second guessing going on.  None between our members, but some outside parties.  It’s not like they don’t have a point, I understand it, believe me. It definitely shakes my confidence and with a field that includes Thealligatorhunter, Love the Nest, Doctor Oscar and a few more former stakes winners, it’s not like I had a lot of it going in here to begin with.

That said, it still feels like the right choice to me.  Lara worked the horse this morning and we got out of it exactly what we had hoped and the two worked well together and meshed nicely.  There were a couple of things that Karl wanted to work on and they were accomplished.

We hope that you’ll enjoy this journey with us this week.

(TOMORROW: How we got here)