The 2016 season at Canterbury Park comes to a close this weekend.  The fields are very full as everyone is trying to get a win before departing or send their horses out to pasture for the winter.  Here are our top 3 things to look for closing weekend.

Jockey Title: Heading into the weekend Dean Butler leads Alex Canchari by 5 races heading into the weekend.  Butler has 26 mounts compared to Canchari’s 30.  This should come down to the wire.  Orlando Mojica, who started the season a month later, could very well have been in the mix had he been here all season. It should be a fun sprint to the finish.

Handle: The fields are where players would have liked to have seen them all season.  It will be interesting to see how the weekend goes in terms of wagering dollars.  There was a lot of hype when Canterbury announced the lowest takeout in America at the beginning of the season but the betting action has been erratic during the season.  If word is out on field size and everyone knows about the low takeout, will the bettors follow?

Leading Owners: It’s a 3-way battle for leading owners with Rick Bremer & Cheryl Sprick and Novogratz Racing Stables tied with 15 wins each and Curt Sampson two behind.  All have entries this weekend though none more compelling than Bremer & Sprick’s Shipmate.  A great story already, Shipmate goes in the $75,000 Shakopee Juvenile in the season’s penultimate race and looks to put an exclamation point on the season for the very tough and talented filly.

Keep in mind that there are special Thursday and Friday post times at 6 PM and regular 12:45 PM post time for Saturday’s closing day.