SHAKOPEE, MN – With less than six racing days in the Canterbury Park season, the annual Minnesota Festival of Champions will be the highlight of the second half, or Championship, portion of the racing season. There will be twelve races on the card Wednesday night with the divisional championship stakes starting in race five and continuing through the end of the card: Six thoroughbred and two quarter horse.
Race 5: Northern Lights Debutante, $100,000, Six Furlongs, Dirt
It looks as if the contenders in the Debutante all drew to the outside in the seven-horse field.
Xtreme Racing Stables LLC’s Honey Bella has one start and went gate to wire to win by 3 ¼ furlongs. She also notched the highest Beyer speed figure in the field and is certainly eligible to improve off her lone start. While trainer Mac Robertson has dominated in Festival Day stakes, that domination has not extended to the two-year old races, however. Roimes Chirinos will replace Alex Canchari in the irions for the Deb.
Just to her outside is Suzanne Stables home bred Start Singing is also one for one in her career. She stalked the early pace went right on by through the lane to notch her first career win. Tony Rengstorf has tabbed the leading jockey, Lindey Wade, for the Debutante.
The lone winner at six furlongs is the outside horse, Speedy Enough. The Pete Mattson homebred has had three starts thus far this season and finally broke through in her last out when she sat back off the pace and ground out a solid one length victory in professional fashion.
The Deb is going to be a very interesting race with the three top contenders with different running styles and four other horses looking to spring an upset.
Race 6: Princess Elaine, $100,000, Mile and Sixteenth, Turf
Superstar Ready to Runaway, out of the Mac Robertson barn, is looking to win her fourth in a row – and third stake – in the Princess Elaine. Though not her preferred surface, she was 2nd by a neck in the 2020 Minnesota Turf Distaff in her only other turf attempt. She’ll most likely try and set the pace and has gone gate to wire this long in the past, so she’ll be the one to beat.
The mare that beat her by a head last year is lined up on her outside tonight. Firstmate hasn’t won since that race but has only been on the turf twice since then as well. Both those races were against open company in an allowance and optional claimer where she was second and third, respectively.
One of Robertson’s other runners in the Princess Elaine is Scent of Success. While not as heralded as her stablemate, she is a perfect three-for-three at Canterbury this season, the last out prevailing by half a length in an open company allowance. She is going longer than a mile for the first time.
Robertson has a pair of other runners as well with Raging Gold Digger and Shabam.
Rush Hour Traffic hasn’t won since the end of last season but is 11 of 13 in the money and should always be considered for your exotic wagers while All Native could be sneaky if the pace breaks down.
Finally, Minnesota Oaks winner Molly’s Angel will try and beat her elders for the first time for owner/breeder Pete Mattson, who is having a terrific meet.
Race 7” Blairs Cove, $100,000, Mile and Sixteenth, Turf
The Blairs Cove features another Robertson barn superstar, Cinco Star (like Ready to Runaway, owned by John Mentz). Last out he could not outfinish Zoe’s Delight over the main track going this distance, but he is four for four in the exacta over the turf, though he hasn’t tried this distance on the grass.
Zoe’s Delight is coming in fresh off that victory in the Wally’s Choice where he sat just off the pace and came hard late to prevail by ¾ of a length. Rueben Fuentes returns to take the ride for trainer Tony Rengstorf and owner/breeder Winchester Place Thoroughbreds.
Dame Plata, second in this race last year, is back and we’ll have to see which version of the enigmatic gelding hits the racetrack for trainer Francisco Bravo. He looked splendid defeating open company foes twice this season, but faltered badly in the mud in the Ralph Strangis and finishing behind the top two contenders in the Wally’s Choice.
El Tizar is clearly a much better horse over the grass than on the main track and with a lovely evening forecasted, he will be the wild card. He smoked open company two races back and was caught late last out. He certainly has speed and it will remain to be seen if Cinco Star goes with that one or if they’ll try and catch him later.
A possible sleeper who could be peaking at the right time is trainer Clinton Stuart’s Devil Vision. He has done his best work over the grass against open company and he slides back into state bred company for the Blairs Cove.
The clear favorite in the Futurity is Lothenbach Stables’ Love the Nest. Trained by Joel Berndt and ridden by Ry Eikleberry, Love the Nest debuted with a very troubled trip and came back in his second start to trounce a MSW field of state breds. He earned a 72 Beyer Speed Figure in that race, easily the highest among all the contenders in today.
Xavey Dave was very impressive in his career bow, taking the MSW by five on August 15 and did it very professionally, as most Robertson trained horses do.
Owner/breeder Pete Mattson has had a terrific season and he’ll be looking to show the state that he has more prospects in his barn with the duo of Bens Malice and Doctor Oscar. Bens Malice broke his maiden last out while Doctor Oscar was fourth in the Prairie Gold Juvenile at Prairie Meadows last out.
Race 9: Crocrock Sprint, $100,000, Six Furlongs, Dirt
The question of the meet is ‘how is Mr. Jagermeister?’ The Minnesota champion has had a difficult summer after dusting the field in the season’s opening stake, the 10,000 Lakes. He really hasn’t run up to par since, though a quarter crack was discovered and he has been off since July 14. He’s posted a couple of works since late August and trainer Valorie Lund has stated that his bar shoe is off and he’s back to regular racing plates. If all is well, no one in this field can come close to Jagermeister at his best.
That said, if he’s not quite 100%, this is a very talented field lined up for a go at him.
Thealligatorhunter has finished first five times at Canterbury this summer (one was a disqualification) with a pair of three-year-old stakes wins including the Minnesota Derby last out. However, he’s also beaten his elders already and even did so against open company. He’ll be adding blinkers for this race after having behaved erratically in the stretch on more than one occasion.
Drop of Golden Sun cuts back after running mostly two turns this summer. His lone win came against open company in June and he was 4 ¾ back of Mr. Jagermeister in the 10,000 Lakes.
Race 10: Bella Notte Distaff Sprint, $100,000, Six Furlongs, Dirt
Lady Slipper champion, Clickbait, should be well positioned to get trainer Mac Robertson another Festival Day win. She’s one for two in Canterbury sprints this season, taking the Lady Slipper easily to open the meet and just missing against open foes two back. She lost to stablemate Ready to Runaway in the off-the-turf Minnesota Turf last out, but that was at two turns over a muddy track. With a fast track and back to sprinting, she will be tough to beat.
Also cutting back to sprinting is the brilliant three-year-old, Star of the North. She had reeled off seven consecutive wins before finishing second in the Minnesota Oaks in her last start. While she beat older two back in a state bred allowance going two turns, there was no Clickbait in that field.
Races 11 and 12 finish off the Quarter Horse season in Minnesota.
Race 11: Minnesota Quarter Horse Futurity, $62,900, 350 yards
As they did in the North Star Futurity, trainer Jason Olmstead has a two headed attack with Relentless Courage and Relentless Babe, one-two in that race, and the pair to beat in here as well. Both owned by Tom Maher (with Paul Luedemann in the case of Relentless Courade)
Race 12: Minnesota Quarter Horse Derby, $60,550, 400 yards
Bruce and Judy Lunderborg will be looking to win the Derby for the third time in five years with a full brother to their previous winners, Jess Rocket Man. The 3-year old full brother to Dickey Bob and Pyc Jess Bite Mydust was second last out in the open company Canterbury Park Derby to Strekainlilwagon who came back to win for the third time in a row in Canada. There is little to suggest that with a clean break that Jess Roclet Man can be beaten.
There is an all stakes, 10% takeout pick 6 beginning in Race 5 and an all stakes, 10% takeout pick 5 beginning in race 6. There is also an early 10% takeout pick 5 for the 12 race card that begins with the card in race 1.
Minnesota Festival of Champions day kicks off with a special post time of 4 PM.
