SHAKOPEE, MN – [EDITORS NOTE: Each day for the rest of the week we will preview a pair of races for Festival Day. Today: Northern Lights Debutante and Futurity.]
Entries for the 29th Minnesota Festival of Champions, a night of racing on Saturday, Sept. 10 at Canterbury Park restricted to thoroughbreds and quarter horses bred in the state, attracted a total of 107 horses for 12 races. Owners, jockeys and trainers of those entrants will seek a share of $855,000 in purse money. Six $100,000 thoroughbred stakes and two $70,000 quarter horse stakes are accompanied by four undercard thoroughbred races with a first post of 4:10 p.m. CDT.
Heading into the Northern Lights Debutante and Futurity on Minnesota Festival of Champions Day, there appears to be a couple of clear-cut favorites. That said, two-year olds can be an odd bunch with improvement coming when you least expect it.
The third race, and first stake, on the Festival Day card on Saturday night will be the Northern Lights Debutante. The six-furlong Deb drew the shortest field, five, and the reason is the Bob Lindgren homebred, Thunders Rocknroll.
Trained by Canterbury Hall of Famer Bernell Rhone, Thunders Rocknroll has only one race under her belt, but it was a doozy. She absolutely crushed a field of state bred maidens, leading from gate to wire in the five-furlong dash, opening up another four lengths in the lane when leading jockey Harry Hernandez asked her for more.
The second-place finisher, Cupid’s Crush, came back to break her maiden in her next start by fifteen and a half lengths, stamping these two as the two to watch in this race.
Thunders Rocknroll was installed as the 3-5 morning line favorite, the shortest among all Festival Day starters while Cupids Crush is pegged at 2-1.
The Northern Lights Futurity will be the eighth race on the twelve-race card and features a field of eight.
Several other first out winners will look to challenge Bob including Sam Sez, Sir Sterling and Hand Pay. Both Quarantena Bambino and Scatamaran bounced back from debut losses to win second out. Both second out winners improved greatly from their debuts and another step forward will put them in the hunt.
An interesting maiden is Pete Mattson owned and co-bred, Roses by Liam. Wide nearly throughout in his debut, he is the only one of two entrants that has shown any ability to rate. The other, Hand Pay, outfinished Roses by Liam after sitting just off the pace. Both could be trouble here if the other youngsters are unable to conserve their speed.
TOMORROW: The Crocrock and Bella Notte Sprints
