SHAKOPEE, MN – As racing gets underway at Canterbury Park tonight, so does the stakes season and there are many familiar faces set to contest the 10,000 Lakes and the Lady Slipper Stakes. Both are $50,000 six-furlong sprints restricted to Minnesota bred horses.
It appears that Pete Mattson and Tim Padilla the short field of five surrounded in the 10,000 Lakes. Doctor Oscar, the 8/5 morning line favorite has been successfully keeping good company since leaving Minnesota after a second-place finish in the 2022 Minnesota Sprint.
Shifting to Padilla’s barn after the 2022 local campaign, the good Doctor picked up a strong win at Hawthorne in an optional $50,000 and then a nearly gate to wire win at Tampa Bay in a $100,000 optional to kick off 2023. He also recorded a career best 97 Beyer Speed Figure in that race and led to Mattson and Padilla trying him in the $75,000 Pelican Stakes. Though overlooked in the wagering, Doctor Oscar ran a strong race, finishing second. Alonso Quinonez will get the ride.
The other Mattson/Padilla entry, Thealligatorhunter, is the defending 10,000 Lakes champion. He also has a recent Tampa win to his credit and the challenge Constantino Roman is going to have is to try and not engage in a speed duel with his stablemate as both like to race on or near the lead.
Trainer Mac Robertson isn’t just rolling over for the above duo, however. He sends out a pair from the estate of Canterbury favorite Warren Bush: Hot Shot Kid, the nine-year old multiple stakes winning gelding; and his younger half-brother, Xavey Dave, looking for his first stakes win.
Not to be overlooked is Weston’s Wildcat. The Raymond Sauerwein homebred is coming in off an outstanding seasonal debut at Will Rogers Downs where he smoked a field of $25,000 claimers and proved he belongs in against better. Trainer Ray Ashford named former Canterbury leading jockey Lindey Wade as the rider.
The latest renewal of the Lady Slipper features the winners of the last three editions of the race, Clickbait (2021, 22) and Ready to Runaway (2020). Both will be making their first starts of 2023, as will the outstanding Lothenbach Stables homebred, Charlie’s Penny.
On the 2021 Kentucky Oaks trail until injury derailed her after winning the Silverbulletday at the Fairgrounds, Charlie’s Penny spent a year on the bench before returning with a pair of second place finishes in the Crestwood at Hawthorne and an optional $75,000 at Colonial.
The Minnesota bred made her only local appearance in the Minnesota Distaff Sprint last fall and trounced a field made up of many in here tonight. She’s back after a bit of a freshener and is going to be formidable from the outside for Joel Berndt and Lindey Wade.
In addition to Ready to Runaway and Clickbait, Robertson is sending out the 2022 Minnesota Oaks champion It’s Her Time.
In fact, the last three Minnesota Oaks winners are in the lineup with 2021 Oaks winner, Molly’s Angel, and 2020 Oaks champion, Hotasapistol, set to test Charlie’s Penny. Technically you can add 2019 winner, Ready to Runaway, to that list as well, which serves to further highlight the seven-year-olds amazing career.
The 10,000 Lakes will be the second race on the card with the Lady Slipper carded as the ninth.
First post this evening, Opening Night, is 5:07 Central Time.
