SHAKOPEE, MN – The Quarter Horse season begins at Canterbury Park this evening with a pair of $20,000 Minnesota bred stakes: the 400 yard North Star State Derby and the 300 yard North Star State Futurity.
In the Derby, the 9/5 morning line favorite is Sugar Rushh, bred by Darling Farms and owned by Summer Run Inc. The gelding broke his maiden last year in the North Star State Futurity for trainer Jason Olmstead and finished his freshman campaign with a 3rd in the Minnesota Futurity.
The winner of that Minnesota Futurity was Comeback Darling who will be starting to the inside of Sugar Rushh for trainer BJ Geditz. Both horses managed to get s prep race in at Remington Park before heading north for the season.
In the Futurity, the morning line favorite is Kiss My White Socks, bred and owned by Dan Kjorsvik. The gelding has run twice this season in the prestigious spring Remington Park Quarter Horse meet and finished and impressive third against open company while earning a 57 Speed Index, the highest among Futurity starters.
On the rail, the Haley Hobbs owned and trained L Conejo, came within a nose of upsetting the field at 30-1 in a Remington Park maiden earlier this year in his career debut.
Among the three first time starters in the Futurity, Lunderborg LLC homebred Da Lie Lah comes in with high expectations as the connections, teamed with leading trainer Olmstead, makes noise at Canterbury Park every season.
The action begins tonight at Canterbury Park at 5 PM with six Thoroughbred races and finishes up with the pair of Quarter Horse stakes as race seven and eight on the card.
