SHAKOPEE, MN – The 2018 racing season draws to a close at Canterbury Park Saturday with a fourteen race card featuring a pair of stakes: the $60,000 MTA Stallion Auction Stakes and the feature, the $75,000 Shakopee Juvenile.
The 6 1/2 furlong MTA is the 4th race on the big card and has drawn a field of seven in a race for horses that are progeny of stallions whose services were bought in the Minnesota Thoroughbred Association’s stallion auction in 2014.
The overwhelming favorite (1/2 ML) in the race is Speeding Kid. The Kid faltered in his last, the Minnesota Derby, but prior to that was the two-length winner of the Minnesota Made Sprint and opened his 2018 season with a state bred allowance win. His Beyer Speed Figures are head and shoulders above the field though as he has matured this season, he’s learned to rate and in this race, there is little speed. Leslie Mawing may need to try and get back to running early with the Law Enforcement gelding.
Several horse have flashed some early speed but none consistently enough to qualify as a certified front runner. The horse with the best chance of upending the favorite will be the one that can dictate the pace – if it’s not Speeding Kid.
Some that have shown some early speed in their careers are Dancin Nicky and Smooth Criminal – but neither with any consistency. On paper the race is Speeding Kid’s to lose.
It will be tough to beat last year’s thrilling Shakopee Juvenile when filly Amy’s Challenge outfought Mr. Jagermeister through the stretch, but a field of eleven two year olds will give it a shot in the 10th race on the card going six furlongs over the main track.
There are a pair of stakes winner in the field. Breaking from post three will be Bloomin Perfect, a Colorado bred filly, who is three of four in her career racing exclusively at Arapahoe Park. She notched her first stakes victory in the Arapahoe Debutante and then came back to beat the boys in the Gold Rush Futurity. She’ll be on or near the lead for Canterbury Hall of Fame jockey Scott Stevens, but her Beyer Speed Figures are decidedly a notch below many of these.
The other stakes winner in the field is Topper T who has shipped up from Prairie Meadows after the close of their meet to run in the Juvenile for trainer Ray Tracy. He’ll get the services of newly minted Canterbury Hall of Famer Dean Butler. Topper T followed up his maiden breaker with a breezing score in the Iowa Cradle Stakes, the outcome never in doubt.
Mister Banjoman, for trainer Mac Robertson, was installed as the 7/2 morning line favorite off the strength of his second place performance behind Dame Plata in the Northern Lights Futurity.
A trio of horses come in off impressive first out maiden victories.
Giant Mesa ships in from Louisiana where he broke his maiden by 14 lengths in a $20,000 maiden claimer gate to wire.
Kenai Bob also won gate to wire and while perhaps not as impressive as a 14 length score, he did fight off challengers throughout.
Dress Shopping was an impressive local maiden winner who was able to sit off the pace for Orlando Mojica and, with a little urging, was able to draw off to win by eight.
A possibly overlooked horse is Gary Sherer’s Brother Ritchie. Named for Gary’s late brother, trainer Ritchie Scherer, and owned by family and friends (Scherer Strong Racing), the gelding won going away in his debut at Canterbury in June. He came back on July 20th in the Prairie Gold Juvenile at Prairie Meadows. Off as the odds on favorite, Brother Ritchie showed speed and then faltered badly. He has worked solidly since and looks to be in fine form heading into the race and could be a solid price.
First post this afternoon is 12:45 with the Shakopee Juvenile going off as the 10th at 5:05 PM.
