SHAKOPEE, MN – Tonight is Hall of Fame night at Canterbury Park. The Class of 2023, Bob Lothenbach, Ry Eikleberry and Mr. Jagermeister were inducted in a ceremony last night and will be celebrated tonight with four $50,000 state bred stakes races: the Vic Myers, the Frances Genter, the Ralph Stranges and the Minnesota Distaff Turf.
The Genter and the Myers are traditional preps for the Minnesota Oaks and Derby, respectively. The Genter is the 4th race on the card while the Myers will close out the racing day. Both races will be contested at six furlongs over the main track.
In the Genter, Cupid’s Crush looks to be the odds-on favorite. Undefeated so far in 2023, she triumphed in a $100,000 optional claimer at Oaklawn before coming to Canterbury to crush an open allowance field and the going gate to wire in the Curtis Sampson Oaks on the turf going a mile.
Cupid’s Crush will cut back in distance and return to the main track where she notched her career best Beyer Speed Figure of 84.
Lover Girl is the only runner in the field who has beaten Cupid’s Crush, though that was during the two year old campaign when she scored in the $100,000 Northern Lights Debutante. Cupid’s Crush turned the tables on her foe in their one race together this year in an allowance, getting beaten by 8 ¼ lengths. This was, however, Lover Girl’s first start of the year and has been training very well leading up to the Genter.
Ann Alee, a first time out maiden winner last race, is a bit of an unknown. She cruised to victory in her debut and should she step up from that effort, she will have a say in the outcome.
This edition of the Myers looks to be a contentious one with Sir Sterling, Roses by Liam and West Island all coming in off of impressive victories.
From the inside, Roses by Liam took care of an open allowance field going a mile last out. Bred by Tim Padilla and Pete Mattson, the duo has another contender in Crocodilehunter. Crocodilehunter was off a step slow last out and faltered late in the state bred allowance. If he can start with a bit more alacrity in the Myers, the duo will be formidable.
Sir Sterling has really stepped up in 2023 returning to state bred company. He easily dispatched older horses in his local debut, a state bred allowance, and then romped in the MTA Stallion Auction Stakes.
West Island was very impressive in his 2023 debut, breaking his maiden with little effort.
The other two stakes on the card are both $50,000 turf affairs going 7 ½ furlongs. An impressive trifecta leads the way in this field.
Xavey Dave has blossomed in his four year old season. Second in an open allowance in his first out of the season, he romped when moved to the turf in second start, again and open allowance field, earning an 85 Beyer Speed Figure in the process. He should be able to stalk the early pace and get first run at the leaders.
Thealligatorhunter should be prominent early and picked up a win over the Tampa Bay Downs turf earlier in the year. His local efforts in a pair of stakes were solid, including a fourth place finish in the Dark Star Turf Sprint on Northern Stars night.
Stagecoach Boys, owned by Hall of Fame inductee Bob Lothenbach, opened his 2023 campaign with an easy win in an $16,000 optional event here at Canterbury and followed that up with a stirring second place finish in the Brooks Fields. The Brooks Fields race earned him a 90 Beyer Speed Figure and his off the pace style could be well suited for a race that has quite a bit of pace in it.
In the Distaff, Lothenbach will have the 8/5 morning line favorite, Midnight Current. The 2022 Canterbury Park horse of the year has run second in her two efforts this season, just missing to stablemate (and rival today) Let’s Skedaddle in a $35,0000 optional claimer and then by a length to Regal Realm in the Lady Canterbury.
GARDEN GLOVES – A PROUD MOM
Pete Mattson and Time Padilla having horses in stakes races has become commonplace at Canterbury Park. What is not commonplace is having three half siblings, born in consecutive years, all in with a shot in separate stakes on one card.
Garden Gloves (Stormy Atlantic-Weed It Out-Clever Trick) was trained by Padilla and, while serviceable, was only one of ten in her career. As a broodmare, she started off slowly with her first three foals not amounting to much but starting with Garden Games (Curlin) she found her stride as a solid producer.
Garden Games was bred by Alan Booge Racing in Kentucky and while she won only five of fifty-one races, she was in the money twenty-three times and earned $209,881.
After coming to Padilla and Mattson, she’s reeled off three straight winners with a pair of stakes winners and all three contending in various stakes races this evening,
The eldest, five-year-old Thealligatorhunter (Overanalyze), has won nearly half of his starts, going 10-22, and is a multiple stakes winner of $299,082 is a contender in the Strangis.
The ‘middle child’, four-year-old She’s My Warrior (Warrior’s Reward), has gone four of thirteen with earnings of $153,945. She was the 2021 Northern Lights Debutante Champion and is a contender in the Distaff Turf.
The baby of the trio is Crocodilehunter (Palace). He has only three starts in his career but has won one and was third in another. He is 9/2 in the Myers.
Garden Gloves has certainly validated the faith in her by Padilla and Mattson and provided this rare occurrence tonight here at Canterbury Park.
