SHAKOPEE, MN – A pair of state bred 3-year old stakes will help mark Independence Day at Canterbury Park. The traditional preps for the Minnesota Oaks and Derby, the Frances Genter and Vic Myers, will both be run at six furlongs over the main track Thursday evening and each carry a purse of $50,000.
The Genter drew a field of six Minnesota bred fillies and the morning line favorite is Lothenbach Stables’ Grand Prize. Grand Prize is two for two this season, breaking her maiden opening weekend and followed that up with a cruising allowance win the end of May and should be prominent early.
Another filly with some early speed is Ready to Runaway. Claimed for $25,000 last out, trainer Mac Robertson is moving the horse up into stakes company so one has to think he was claimed from Empire Racing and trainer Bernell Rhone with this race in mind.
Last year’s Northern Lights Debutante champion, Dangerous Wave, a Rake Farms homebred, is trying to duplicate the feat of her dam, Sky and Sea, who won this race in 2014. She hasn’t been seen since that victory in the Deb but has been training consistently since May with a sharp gate work on June 29 as a final tune up for the Oaks. Rhone will be seeking his 5th Oaks win and first since Sky and Sea.
The field of seven for the Myers is an interesting group of Minnesota breds. In years’ past there has been the shadow of dominance that has loomed over the race: Heliskier in 2012 and Mr. Jagermeister in 2018 come to mind. This year’s edition has several serious contenders with different roads to the starting gate.
El Tizar, Suzanne Stables homebred, comes into the race via a sloppy Churchill Downs. Unraced as a two year old, El Tizar broke his maiden on June 9 in a maiden special weight at 11-1. Shifted to Bernell Rhone from the Michael Tomlinson barn, El Tizar does not have a posted work since that win but any horse that can break his maiden first out at Churchill should be respected. He should be looking to close late if his one start is any indication of his preferred running style.
Dame Plata, undefeated at two including the Northern Lights Futurity, had a sharp 3-year old debut at Will Rogers, smoking an open allowance field in preparation for his 2019 Canterbury campaign. Facing older again his local bow, he fell to last night’s Minnesota Turf champ (and 2017 Myers winner) Hot Shot Kid. Back in against 3-year olds look for Jareth Loveberry to have Dame Plata forwardly placed early and keeping an eye on the speedy Mister Banjoman.
Trainer Mac Robertson, who swept the July 3rd stakes, sends out Mister Banjoman who is three of six lifetime and nosed out graded stakes placed Topper T in last year’s Shakopee Juvenile after narrowly missing in the Northern Lights against Dame Plata.
Mister Banjoman has only two subpar performances on his resume. Prior to this race he finished 10th in the off-the-turf Honor the Hero contested over a sloppy Canterbury surface and to cap off 2019 he was 10th in the $200,000 Indian Summer Stakes at Keeneland on the turf. In the Indian Summer, Mister Banjoman led into the lane before fading against horses that were or would go on to graded/group stakes placings.
Post time for the July 4 card is 4 PM with an encore firework display after live racing. The Genter will be run as race 2 while the Myers will be the ninth.
