SHAKOPEE, MN – Nominations closed Saturday for Minnesota Festival of Champions Day at Canterbury Park to be run Saturday, September 10. The races will be drawn on Saturday, September 3. Here is a quick overview of the nominations. The complete lists and preliminary past performances can be found here:
Thoroughbred: Thoroughbred Stakes Schedule | Canterbury Park
Quarter Horse: Quarter Horse Racing Schedule | Canterbury Park
Festival Day will feature six $100,000 thoroughbred stakes and a pair of $60,000 added quarter horse stakes, all open to horses bred in Minnesota only.
Two year-olds will be featured in the six furlong Northern Lights Futurity and Debutante on the main track.
It’s Bob’s Business really impressed in his maiden special weight win on June 30, shooting to the lead in the 4 ½ furlong dash and never looking back, winning by 11 3/4. Trained by Joel Berndt, Constantino Roman rode the gelding in that debut. Other first out winners nominated are Sir Sterling and Sam Sez.
Nominated for the Debutante, impressive first out winner, Thunders Rocknroll, for trainer Bernell Rhone, looks to be the favorite off of that effort.
The remaining four $100,000 stakes on the card will be sprints for the males and females over the main track and a pair of routes over the turf.
With the dirt routes, the Wally’s Choice and the Glitter Star, run earlier in the meet, dirt routers can either choose to go into the Sprint or try the turf. This, and the lack of any nomination fees, could be why all but three of the male sprinters and all but four of the female sprinters are cross-nominated in to their respective turf routes.
Lothenbach Stable’s Charlie’s Penny was on the Kentucky Oaks trail after a dominating win in the Silverbulletday at Oaklawn last year before being sidelined with an injury. She came back in June of this year, finishing 2nd in the Crestwood Stakes at Hawthorne and then a 2nd in an allowance/optional claiming race over the turf at Colonial. She is cross nominated in both the Bella Notte Sprint and the Princess Elaine Distaff and looks to be the favorite in whichever race she enters.
Other contenders in the Bella Notte and Princess Elaine include: Ready to Runaway, Clickbait, It’s Her Time, Brewhouse and Scent of Success among others.
Owner/breeder Pete Mattson has a strong contingent to contest Festival Day in both the Crocrock Sprint and Blair’s Cove turf route with lumanaries Thealligatorhunter, Astronaut Oscar, Doctor Oscar and Bens Malice. Lothenbach Stable’s also has a string group including Love the Nest and Cousinvinnysacanuck.
The pair of Quarter Horse stakes are the Minnesota Futurity and Minnesota Derby. Trainer Jason Olmstead has 10 nominations between the two races including stars Beep Beep Rev Rev and Relentless Courage who will most likely be favored in the Futurity and Derby, respectively, if entered.
We will be initiating a limited special series starting this weekend: “Festival Day Diary”. We have some special insight into one of the nominees and we will follow that horse and ownership group from the draw through the big day. Hopefully that will be fun and interesting look inside a small ownership group and their first shot at a stake.
There will be a special post time of 4 PM CT for Festival of Champions Day on Saturday.
