SHAKOPEE, MN – Saturday night the top three-year-olds in Minnesota will take the stage for the Minnesota Oaks and Derby. Both will be run over the dirt course a mile and 70 yards and carry a puorse of $100,000. The stakes lead the ‘Made in Minnesota” card that will also feature a pair of dirt routes for older Minnesotans, the 1 1/16 Glitter Star and the Wally’s Choice.
The Minnesota Derby will be the 7th race on the evening card and features a renewal of the rivalry between Lothenbach Stables’ Love the Nest and Pete Mattson’s Doctor Oscar. While Doctor Oscar is a Mattson homebred, Lothenbach purchased Love the Nest at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $105,000. The breeder? Pete Mattson.
While Lothenbach has been dominate in the owner’s standings this season, Mattson’s smaller stable has been tremendously efficient, ranking second in purse money won with over $300,000 – done mostly with home bred horses.
The two colts have faced each other five times, with Love the Next taking three including last year’s Northern Lights Futurity. However last time out, in the Vic Myers, the traditional Derby prep race, Doctor Oscar just puling away late to beat his rival by a length. Chad Lindsay returns to ride the David Van Winkle trained Doctor Oscar, while Ry Eikleberry gets the mount for Joel Berndt. Both horses will be routing for the first time in the Derby and that could lead to a potential upsetting upending the apple cart, especially with the two favorites preferring to sit close to the pace.
Unsurprisingly that closing threat could come from another Mattson homebred, Ben’s Malice. Also trained by Canterbury Hall of Famer Van Winkle, Ben’s Malice kicked off his local season coming off the pace in a one mile allowance win before placing a solid second in the $153,000 Mystic Lake Derby. With Happy Hour Bobby also likely to prompt the pace, the race could set up nicely for a late run by Ben’s Malice, though he is returning to the dirt for the first time since November.
Another late charger could be another Berndt trainee, Cousinvinnyisacanuck, a Lothenbach homebred. The gelding has never missed the board in five career starts including an off the pace score against open allowance company in his first time around two turns.
The talk heading into the Oaks is the pair of tremendous efforts by Brewhouse. The Tapiture filly owned by Xtreme Racing and John Mentz is two for two this season with an impressive score followed by a neck victory in the traditional Oaks prep, the France Genter, over rivals She’s My Warrior and Gypsy Reward. Mac Robertson trains and Nik Goodwin gets the mount.
Miguel Angel Silva’s Royals’ Lil Diva is also two for two, scoring in her maiden debut by 12 lengths and then coming back to win the MTA Stallion Auction Stakes by 4 ¼ lengths. Both Brewhouse and Royals’ Lil Diva went straight to the front and didn’t look back in their sprint victories.
As in the Derby, most of the fillies will be making their first attempt around two turns and there are a few ladies in here that could make life difficult for the two probably favorites.
Gypsy Reward, also owned by Xtreme and trained by Robertson, does have a mile start under her belt, albeit over the turf course. She was a good second behind dreaming Biz and seemed to do her best running late.
Strebella, a Bergsrud homebred, is a filly that seems to have been yearning for extra ground. Though still a maiden, she’s improved with every start and with added ground. Maiden or not, she could be around late. Both Gypsy Reward and Strabella may be handicapped by their far outside posts in the Oaks, breaking from gates 11 and 10, respectively.
Tall, long-striding Saint Serena carries the hopes of her owner/breeders, Rick Bremer and Cheryl Sprick. Trained by Mike Biehler and ridden by Ezekiel Lara, Saint Serena will be making her two-turn debut and shows every sign of being a better distance racehorse than a sprinter.
Mattson has yet another contender in the Oaks with She’s My Warrior. Should he be able to win both stakes, this will be the second consecutive year that the lawn jockeys in the walking ring will wear the Mattson colors. Thalligatorhunter won the 2021 Derby while Molly’s Angel won the Oaks.
Earlier in the card, a pair of route stakes for older Minnesotans will be run: The Glitter Star (Race 2) and the Wally’s Choice (Race 3). Both will go a mile and a sixteenth over the main track.
While the small fields a re a disappointment, there are five entrants in the Glitter Star, six in the Wally’s Choice, there are some very accomplished racehorses that will be running for the $50,000.
Highlighting the Glitter Star is three-time consecutive champion, Ready to Runaway. In her one dirt route this season she was dominant, easily grabbing the lead and steadily increasing her advantage through the mile, crossing the wire 7 ¼ in front. She would be the first mare to win the race four consecutive times should she be able to win tonight.
She’ll be attacked by stakes winners, stablemate Clickbait and Molly’s Angel, along with Come On Sweet Pea and Hotasapistol.
In the Wally’s Choice, Thealligatorhunter may be the morning line favorite and the one to beat, but he’ll have to defeat last year’s champion, Zoe’s Delight, as well as the 2019 champion and one of the top Minnesota bred earners of all time, Hot Shot Kid. Thealligatorhunter has had some adventurous finishes, one causing a DQ last out in the Ralph Strangis.
Bayou Benny will add blinkers for the stake after three consecutive second place finishes. Cagey veteran Twoko Bay and Devil Vision, back on the dirt after a turf foray that followed an impressive one mile dirt victory.
Racing begins Saturday evening at 5 PM. The Minnesota Derby will be the seventh race on the card and the Minnesota Oaks will follow.
