A Minnesota Double

Tomorrow I am going to complete a Minnesota Daily Double: Canterbury Park in the afternoon and then Running Aces in the evening. The day will obviously start off with a visit to the Rhone barn and some peppermints for Fizzy Pop now that my back issues are sorted out for the time being. Then it'll be off to the races. My lovely wife has summer solstace plans all day and overnight, so left to my own devices, this is what I come up with!

Post time for the first race at Canterbury is 1:30 with post time at Running Aces at 7 PM. That should help make the day manageable. It's about 45 minutes to an hour in between the tracks and I won't stay for the last two race at Canterbury. Nothing against the Quarter Horse folks. I know some of you, like you a lot, but the racing just isn't my cup of tea. Now if time works out OK and nothing in the first race at Running Aces looks like a must wager, then I'll stick around and watch them. The raw speed is very, very impressive. I just can't handicap them for anything.

There is no real feature to speak of on the Thoroughbred card tomorrow. The race rundown is as follows:

1. State Bred $25,000 Maiden Claiming
2. State Bred $10,000 Maiden Claiming
3. State Bred $10,000 Maiden Claiming
4. MSW (2-year olds)
5. $10,000 Claiming
6. State Bred $15,000 Claiming
7. $10,000 Claiming
8. 8 & 9 are the Quarter Horse races

I'll admit, there isn't a lot to scintillate, but it'll be good, competitive racing and the day is supposed to be gorgeous. Distance and turf are also sprinkled nicely about, so there is almost a little something for everyone. The first four races being maidens is a bit disheartening for me because I don't play maidens very well. That aside, I love watching the promising twos and see who needs to be book-marked for next year of the 2 YO stakes later this season.

I have only just printed out the card, so I can't say if there will be some nice betting opportunities or if the day promises to be chalky, but sitting in the Minnesota summer sun and watching racing is a great way to spend the day.


And what better way to wind down the evening than a foray up to Columbus, MN, home of Running Aces Harness Park for some evening Standardbred action. I may even try out the restaurant there this time for my dinner. The racing menu is as follows:

1. Trot NW $500 winners share or Lifetime
2. Pace $2500 Claiming
3. Pace 3YO MN-bred Males
4. Trot NW 2 Lifetime
5. Pace $2500 Claiming
6. Pace Under 5YO Maidens or NW of $3500 Lifetime
7. Pace Class B-1
8. Trot Class B

I haven't been to Running Aces yet this season, so I'm really looking forward to it. My trips last year were very enjoyable and, in the early part of the season, quite profitable. As the betting public got more savvy, though, the overlays started coming down to reasonable levels, but it was great while it lasted. One of the horses we were looking at buying is racing too, so that should be fun to watch as well, even though we passed on the opportunity.

So maybe this doesn't stand up to the Pimlico/Free State Raceway double twenty years ago, but it's home and it should be an awful lot of fun. I'll be Tweeting all day from both locations so I hope you'll follow along.