SHAKOPEE, MN – The Lady Canterbury Stakes for older fillies and mares and the Mystic Lake Mile, both $100,000 purses at a mile over the turf course, highlight a strong Saturday card at Canterbury Park.
In the Lady Canterbury, formerly the track’s signature race prior to the advent of the $200,000 Mystic Lake Derby, features the Mac Robertson trainee Stoupinator looking to go four for four over the Canterbury turf.
A strong stretch run propelled Stoupinator to the MN HBPA Distaff championship in her last effort where she ran her career best 91 Beyer speed figure.
Hot on her heels in the Distaff was Notte D’Oro. Should the connections ship to Canterbury, and most indications are that she will race in Shakopee and scratch from the Grade 3 Modesty at Arlington, Stoupinator will once again have her hands full. Leading rider Dean Butler has the mount on Stoupinator while Denny Velazquez climbs aboard Notte d’Oro.
In order to charge late, an early pace will be necessary and Parc Monceau along with My Blue Sky and In My Time should ensure that there is plenty to run at late.
From the inside, Kitty Wine is dropping down from graded stakes company where her closest finish came in her last, a 4th place – beaten 1 ¾ lengths – in the Grade 3 Mint Julip at Churchill. The question to be answered from her is has her style changed from 2014 when she possessed quite a bit of early speed to 2015 where she has mostly been off the pace. It could very well be that since moving up into stakes and graded stakes company she’s been further back because the increased competition is faster and she can’t get on the lead. Perhaps she show more early speed here with the drop but the best in here are no slouches either and if the connections choose to send her, Parc Monceau has carried a stakes filed gate to wire and won’t be easy outrunning her.
In the Mystic Lake Mile, it looks like the morning line favorite, Mister Marti Gras, will be staying in Chicago to contest the Grade 3 Stars and Stripes at Arlington, leaving a field of nine to contest the turf stake with Pricelesscommodity entered as a formidable main track only entry.
Az Ridge, trained by Dan McFarlane, has been on a roll in 2015 winning four of five races including four straight stakes coming into the Mile. He’ll stay on or near the lead under regular pilot Geovanni Franco and will be very difficult to catch.
El Seventyseven, champion of the five furlong Honor the Hero Stakes on Memorial Day at Canterbury, stretched out nicely to a mile last out where he finished 2nd to Az Ridge in the Brooks Fields Stakes. Perhaps more pressure on the front running Az Ridge would have got him to the wire first and, in the Mile, he may get that from the speedy Galton.
Galton is a winner of three in a row, including two over this turf course recently, has a running style similar to Az Ridge and starts right on the outside. It’s his first foray into stakes company but the Amoss barn is no stranger to stakes winners and the 4-year old son of Offlee Wild has been improving every race since entering the barn off a $30,000 claim in March.
The forecast calls for possible thunder showers and should the event be moved off the turf and onto the main track, Pricelesscommodity will start from the rail for trainer Tim Padilla and will be looking at taking three in a row at Canterbury. His last was an open lengths laugher in the 6 ½ furlong Dark Star and the horse has been able to win at mile, taking a Remington Park allowance as a 3-year old.
