SHAKOPEE, MN – Jockey Harry Hernandez had himself a festival on Minnesota Festival of Champions Day at Canterbury Park Saturday night. On a ten race card, Hernandez found the winners’ circle in half, including three of the six stakes.
Hernandez won both route races, the Blair’s Cove and Princess Elaine, as well as the Northern Lights Futurity.
In the Blair’s Cove, he sent the Mike Biehler trained Jose Patio to the lead and, once again, Jose never looked back. Under pressure for a quarter mile by Angel’s Magic, Hernandez and Jose Patio put him away by the half mile pole and continued to cut sharp fractions (1:09.35 through three-quarters), finishing the mile and a sixteenth in 1:41.22, 2 ¼ lengths ahead of Devil Vision ($5.80) and paying $10.60 for the win. Angel Magic ($4.20) was third.
“At a mile and a sixteenth, I really didn’t want to hook up,” said Biehler. “I even thought we might have been too far in front after a half, but Harry did a good job and just kept going.”
“His ears were pricked and he was doing it so easily,” said Hernandez. “I saw Chad [Lindsey, aboard Angel’s Magic] aside of me but Jose just kept on going so I went with him.”
Jose Patio notched his fourth win of the meet for owners Barry & Joni Butzow and was bred by Cheryl Sprick and Rick Bremer.
In the six furlong Minnesota Sprint, Doctor Oscar ($3.00) was sent off as the odds on favorite and was breathtaking in the win under Alsonso Quinonez, drawing off to win by six lengths ahead of Xavey Dave ($3.00) and Bayou Benny ($4.60) in 1:09.66.
“He ran like he was supposed to,” said trainer Tim Padilla. While he initially indicated that the Doctor’s next race was going to be at Keeneland, he is entered on closing day in the Tom Metzen Sprint.
An emotional breeder/owner Pete Mattson was clearly touched that he won a race dedicated to his friend, Dale Schenian, who passed away suddenly the week before.
“This win is dedicated to Dale,” he said. “I bought my first horse from Dale and he was my friend.
Xtreme Racing has had another terrific season this summer, currently 4th in the owners’ standings, and proved that they are set up for the future when Xtreme Diva followed up her outstanding debut win with a crushing victory in the Northern Lights Debutante.
She broke well and tracked Rosalina for the first quarter mile of the six furlong dash before Xtreme Diva ($2.80) and Eduardo Gallardo decided to sail on by and just keep going. She crossed the wire in 1:10.89 and was 7 ¾ lengths in front of A Primera Vista ($2.60) with Go Lee Ann Go ($2.10) was third.
“Until the first start,” said co-owner of Xtreme Racing Mike McGowan, “you never know what you have, but she had really good conformation and muscle on her from the beginning.”
Xtreme Diva was a $35,000 yearling purchase in the 2022 Minnesota Thoroughbred Association sale. She is trained by Mac Robertson and was bred by Scott Pierce.
In the mile and a sixteenth Princess Elaine Stakes over the turf, Midnight Current was looking to defend her title and run her winning streak to three consecutive races. Under hot jock Hernandez, the five year old mare stalked the early pace set by Lock It Down on the outside. She was able to stay out of trouble and had a straight shot to the finish line in the lane and Hernandez took full advantage to seep by the field and win by three lengths over Let’s Skeddadle, completing a Lothenbach Stables exacta.
“She has a lot of talent on the turf,” said winning trainer Joel Berndt. “Bob [Lothenbach] is such a good owner, not just for Minnesota, but for the entire thoroughbred racing industry. This is our Breeders’ Cup, our time to shine and showcase the talent we have in our barns.”
Lothenbach also bred Midnight Current who will have some well-deserved time off before a decision is made on her future.
Heading into the Northern Lights Futurity, Lothenbach and Berndt were looking for their fourth straight win, having won with Sneeky Diversion (2020), Love the Nest (2021) and It’s Bobs Business (2022), with a maiden, Frosty View. In his debut effort, Frosty View just missed going gate to wire by racing like a first timer. With that experience under his belt, Hernandez got Frosty View to the lead and this time they never looked back, running the six furlongs in 1:12.33 and winning by 4 ¼ lengths over longshot General Battle Axe ($8.60) and paying $6.80 to win. Joney B Goney ($5.60), who took advantage of the winner’s inexperience last out, finished third.
“He had a rough break last time out,” said Hernandez. “I kept him on the outside until he got into the bit and then he just carried me. He didn’t run like a two year old tonight.”
In addition to owning the winner, Lothenbach also bred Frosty View.
The last stakes race of the evening set up as the best, with six fillies and mares all in with a chance to win.
Saint Serena, the longest shot on the board, went right to the lead as is her style, but was unable to maintain that advantage, being surpassed by odds-on Cupid’s Crush at the half mile and looked like she would go on until Lindey Wade unleashed Charlie’s Penny.
After scoring in her seasonal debut in the Lady Slipper Stakes, she had a rough go in a Hawthorne stake and followed that up with a subpar effort in her first route try on the dirt since last December. In this race, however, back sprinting and versus Minnesota breds, she proved that she was not done yet, passing the three year old in the stretch and drawing off to win by 4 3/4, covering the six furlongs in 1:10.84. She paid $6.60 as the second choice. Cupid’s Crush ($2.10) was second and It’s Her Time ($2.80) was third.
Whether the five year old mare will be back for another season is still up in the air. Berndt said that she’ll get some time off at the farm and that “she’ll let us know if she wants to go back to the track in her time.”
Handle for the 10-race card was $1,431,366, the fourth largest handle total in the event’s history.
As for his landmark day in the irons, Hernandez said, “I felt a lot of pressure since I started going to Remington Park on Saturdays. I’ve missed out on twelve winners and that’s really not fair to Scott [Stevens, his agent], who has helped me so much. Tonight really made me feel better.”
Whether or not Hernandez returns to Minnesota remains to be seen, but it would be unsurprising to see him move to a higher level racing circuit and Canterbury fans will be able to say that they saw him ride back when.
The season concludes at Canterbury on Saturday evening with a 13 race card. Post time will be 4 PM.
