SHAKOPEE, MN – There are four thoroughbred and a quarter horse stake on tap at Canterbury Park tonight: a pair of 3-year-old dashes which will set up the Minnesota Derby and Oaks as well as a pair of turf stakes and the North Star State Quarter Horse Derby.  Mother Nature may have a say in how these races play out with the potential for severe weather in the region, so keep that in mind as you handicap for the evening.

Race 2 – $50,000 France Genter: 3YO Fillies 6 Furlongs Dirt

For all intents and purposes the Genter is looking to be a two-filly race. 

Breaking from the rail, Star of the North has been nothing short of spectacular.  After her 2-year-old debut, where she finished 3^rd, The Hunk filly has reeled off five wins in a row, all but one in stakes races.  It can be argued that the filly hasn’t been swimming in the deepest waters, but stakes wins are stakes wins and she’s fast enough to take this field gate to wire.

The “other” North, Hell of the North, will be stalking the favorite and trying to catch her late.  She was unable to do so at two in the Northern Lights Debutante, but after a couple of even performances in Tampa to start her 3-year-old season, she’s reeled off a pair of allowance wins at Canterbury: one over a sloppy racetrack and another against open company.

Race 5 – $50,000 Vic Myers: 3YO Colts and Geldings 6 Furlongs Dirt

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Thealligatorhunter has kicked off his 3-year-old Canterbury season with style, notching a pair of impressive wins in a state bred allowance (6 ¼ lengths) and an open company optional claimer (4 lengths).  His stalking style should set up well for the race with several in here possessing some early speed to ensure an honest pace to the race.

Some of that speed is going to come from the very impressive last out maiden breaker, Bayou Benny.  Benny went off favored in his debut and sailed to a 12-length victory under Alonso Quinonez.  Quinonez stays aboard Thealligatorhunter and the outstanding Ry Eikleberry will take the helm.  Bayou Benny earned a 79 Beyer Speed Figure for that inaugural effort and should be able to step up from that effort and is going to be hard to catch.

Earning a spot in the field after an impressive off-the-turf performance in a state bred allowance is Kid’s Inheritance.  He closed out his 2-year-old season with a professional maiden special weight win here before taking the winter off.  Coming back again over the turf, he finished fourth after a troubled trip.  Electing to keep the $80,000 Keeneland November purchase in at a mile after the scheduled race came off the turf, he tracked the leaders and swept by late.  He would have to step up from a figure perspective on the distance cutback tonight, but could be a factor late.

A wild card in the field? The extremely rare east coast ship in Minnesota bred, Golden Gulley.  Bred by Richard Bremer and Cheryl Sprick, the Goldencents gelding was purchased for $40,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Olds in training sale last year and has raced mostly in Maryland, breaking his maiden at the end of 2020 and running in mostly optional claiming events with the notable exception of an ambitious entry in the Sir Barton at Pimlico.  A dead heat second in a $40,000 optional at Delaware last out, it will be interesting to see how he does against a field of Minnesota breds for the first time.

Race 6 – $50,000 Ralph Strangis: 7 ½ Furlongs Turf

The final two thoroughbred stakes on the card look to be wide open affairs featuring the best older Minnesota breds in training.

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The 5/2 morning line favorite is Cinco Star.  Last year’s champion may be 0-2 to start this season but is coming off a very game and impressive 2^nd place finish in the Mystic Lake Mile.  Off to the early lead, he led every step of the race except the last one, getting nipped at the wire by the Godolphin homebred, Hieronymus.  He comes into the race in outstanding form for trainer Mac Robertson and the John Mentz homebred cuts back half a furlong, making him very dangerous in this spot.

Breaking from the rail is Drop of Golden Sun.  The late blooming six-year-old really came into his own last year, winning the Wally’s Choice and the off-the-turf Blairs Cove as well as just missing to Cinco Star in this race last year.

Mr. Jagermeister isn’t on his best surface nor his best distance in the Strangis, but he’s also not running against the likes of Whitmore or CZ Rocket this time out either. In his only out against state breds this year, he drubbed several in here in the 10,000 Lakes including Cinco Star and Drop of Golden Sun.  Should Jagermeister be able to carry that speed for the full 7 ½ furlongs, that could mean trouble for the rest of the field.

Dame Plata won an open allowance at this distance in his lone turf try last year and beat Drop of Golden Sun two back in an open optional allowance over the main track at this distance.  He’s won from off the pace and on the lead for trainer Francisco Bravo and should give Ry Eikleberry options as the race develops.

Fireman Oscar is always a player late should the pace get hot and the track get sloppy.  Over a wet track, Oscar has hit the exacta five of eight times and he’ll look to be rolling late.

The race should be one of the best of the evening and one that you may want to go deep in the horizontal wagers.

Race 7 – $50,000 Minnesota Turf Distaff: 7 ½ Furlongs Turf

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Not to be outdone, the ladies’ field is also a deep one.  Stablemates Clickbait and Ready to Runaway lead the field for trainer Mac Robertson.  John Mentz owns Ready to Runaway outright and shares ownership with Hugh Robertson and Jeff Larson on Clickbait, giving Mentz quite the arsenal in the turf contests.

Clickbait is the speedier of the duo and while she mostly sprints, there was no mistaking her dominance in the off-the-turf Princess Elaine at a mile and a sixteenth over a sloppy main track where she won by 7 ½.  She’ll be on the lead early and more of a threat to sustain that speed if the race moves on to a sloppy main track.

Ready to Runaway is one that picks up the pieces.  While she has the speed to go at it early, thus far in 2021 she’s come from a stalking position where she was second in the Lady Slipper and a winner in a 6 ½ furlong open optional claimer.  Her only turf effort was a second place in this race last year, just missing by a neck to Firstmate.

Firstmate, two of four over the Canterbury turf, was second in an open allowance last out, closing with a flourish but coming up a length short.  The distance over the turf may be more to her liking than anyone else in the race, but her chances dimmish over a sloppy main track.

Rental Pool should keep the pace honest and Grand Prize was an open allowance winner last out over this course and distance and did so out-finishing Rush Hour Traffic. 

Race 10 – $25,000 North Star State Derby: 400 Yards

Powerhouse Lunderborg LLC and trainer Jason Olmstead send out Jess Rocket Man as the 9-5 morning line favorite for the Derby.  Jess Rocket Man captured a state bred optional claimer in his local three-year-old debut, leading every step of the way and prevailing by ¾ length over stablemate Change N Gears, who will break from the outside.

Jess Rocket Man earned an 85 Speed Index, easily a field best.  In fact, the three-year-old Apollitical Jess gelding has earned four speed indices of 80 and over while the rest of the field has yet to earn one combined.

The only one close? Change N Gears, though Western Reserve, and Ed Ross Hardy trainee, opened up her three-year-old campaign with a rough starting fifth place finish in an open optional claimer and, with a clean trip, could be a challenge to the Olmstead trained top duo.

Racing begins at 5:10 for the twelve-race card.  There are eight thoroughbred races to begin the night and four quarter horse races to close the card.