SHAKOPEE, MN – Canterbury Park will close the 2015 season Saturday with a pair of sprint stakes: the $75,000 Shakopee Juvenile and the $40,000 HBPA Sprint. Both will be contested over the main track at six furlongs.
In the 2-year old Juvenile, leading trainer Robertino Diodoro’s Stormation comes into the race riding a three race winning streak including scores in the Prairie Gold Juvenile at Prairie Meadows and the Careless Navigator here at Canterbury. The Mercedes Stable homebred has led all but a few strides in all three races and will look to prominent early in the Shakopee as well. Jorge Carreno retains the mount.
There should be some speed from the inside, however, looking to join Stormation from filly Amariah Grace. The Sky Mesa filly trained by Valerie Lund and ridden by leading rider Leandro Goncalves is coming off an impressive maiden win in her 2nd start where she posted a 10 length victory and improved her Beyer Speed Figure by 47 points (65).
Should Stormation not be able to withstand the early pressure, look for the gelding on his outside, Valene Farms John’s Luck to try and stalk and pick up the pieces. A convincing maiden winner last out, the Eric Heitzmann trainee will need the right pace scenario to upend the favorite.
Rosemary Homeister Jr comes in to ride Partay for Carlos Silva. Another filly, the Asiel Stable homebred by Desert Party showed a lot of grit in her maiden breaking victory last out when she relinquished the lead halfway through the race only to recover strongly and win by a length and a half.
The third filly in the group, Native Princess, bred and owned by Richard Bremer and Cheryl Sprick, is another who could benefit from an all out pace battle up front. A third and a second in the Prairie Gold Lassie and Iowa Sorority in her last two starts, she started off the pace and was coming late but ran out of real estate.
On the undercard of the final day of racing is the HBPA Sprint. In what looks to be a wide open affair, the tepid 3-1 morning line favorite is Helooksthepart.
Trained by James DeVito and ridden by Rosemary Homeister Jr, Helooksthepart was the runner up by a nose in the Pelican Stakes at Tampa and captured a Thistledown optional claimer while posting a 99 Beyer. In two other stakes starts this season, the Skinner at Prairie Meadows and the Barnhardt at Ellis Park, the 5-year old has faltered and has shown some inconsistency.
Candy Ruby, another Mercedes Stable homebred trained by Diodoro, has been in the exacta in every start but one in his five race career but will be making the step up to stakes company for the first time in the Sprint.
Another consistent sort breaks from the rail. Joel Berndt’s Quality Guy is having an excellent 2015 campaign, posting three wins from four starts with a second. He should be taking aim at the leaders late like the favorite and the race could come down to those two.
Right Now Ritchie is a bit of an outsider who could possibly be alone on the lead under Juan Molina Jr. If he can shake loose there may be no catching the five year old.
Post time for the final day of the meet is 12:55 PM.
