Canterbury Hall of Fame Inducts Class of 2011

Saturday evening, after the camels were put away, the ostriches rounded up and the extreme conditions in the condition book were filed away until the 2012 Extreme Day at Canterbury Park, another type of extreme celebration occurred at Longshots Bar overlooking the racetrack: a celebration of extreme talent.

Five honorees were inducted into the Canterbury Park Hall of Fame including one horse, two trainers, two breeders and a jockey.  Jim Wells, in Canterbury Park’s blog, relates a more detailed accounting of the accomplishments of the Class of 2011 that I will recount here.  If you have the opportunity to get the official program of the evening, Wells does a magnificent job recounting the careers of each of the honorees in more detail.

Stillwater breeders Deb and Jeff Hilger were the first to be honored on the warm summer evening.  The Hilgers own and operate Bleu Valley Farm and bred Minnesota Horses of the Year Bleu Victoriate and Chick Fight and other standouts.

Jack Walsh, in his introduction of the couple, related the story of how Jeff got into the business of racing and how that entry led him to Deb.  Hilger was quick to acknowledge the role racing played in his life as well.

“I wouldn’t have met Deb without racing and that’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

In the small world of Minnesota racing, the circle of the horse racing community is more like family than business.  “Honestly,” Hilger said.  “This is a family that I’m proud to be a part of.”

Deb Hilger, as she mentioned, always has the last word and in this case they were simple and touching, “We are very humbled and grateful to be included here.”

Sir Tricky, described as “the best claim ever brought to this racetrack” by presenter Andrew Offerman, was next to be inducted.  Claimed by Barry and Joni Butzow for $20,000 in April of 2006, Sir Tricky went on to earn over $300,000 in his racing career.  He won on turf and dirt as well as distances from 5 ½ furlongs to a mile and sixteenth.  There were very few, if any, more versatile horses to grace the track at Canterbury Park. 

“It’s difficult not to find a special place in your heart for him,” Joni Butzow said accepting the award on behalf of the gelding.  “He was the Wal-Mart greeter of the (Mac) Robertson barn and you couldn’t pass him without giving him some attention.  He could be difficult at times, but once on the track he was all business.”

Sir Tricky was retired at the end of last season after reeling off three straight wins including his career capper, his second Minnesota Turf Championship.  Sir Tricky is now teaching young children to ride at Birchberry Farm.

The Quarter Horse was not to be left out on this evening and the most successful Quarter Horse trainer to ever operate at Canterbury, Ed Ross Hardy, was inducted by Jeff Maday.  In addition to winning more races than any other Quarter Horse trainer, Hardy is in the midst of a remarkable run of nine straight Quarter Horse training titles and has won a record six Canterbury Park Quarter Horse Derbies. 

Hardy was gracious and brief, thanking his owners, Canterbury officials and most especially, his wife.  “I wouldn’t be here without my wife,” he said.  “We’re a team.”

Track announcer Paul Allen took the microphone next to induct jockey Derek Bell.  Allen had some fun with Bell’s proclivity of avoiding interviews after races by attempting to interview a lawn jockey to illustrate the difficulty reporters – and track announcers – have had over the years to get Bell to say a few words.  As Allen said, Bell prefers that his talking be done on the racetrack and it’s hard to argue with the run of success he’s had there.

“Derek is always good in big moments,” Allen said. “And he is great in stakes races.”

The record bears that out.  While he’s been the leading rider at Canterbury six times, he has a record 22 Festival Day wins, a total of 50 stakes wins in Minnesota and on June 14, 2002, Bell won a record six races on a single card.  As an exclamation point to these accomplishments, Bell won three races on the card preceding his induction.

“I really don’t talk much,” Bell said.  “I let the owners talk about their horses.  I’m just the passenger.”

Bell provided what was the most poignant moment of the evening when, returning to the rostrum at the end of the night, publically thanked Randy Sampson for sticking by him after he, with six other riders, were banned by Tampa Bay Downs during an unspecified investigation.  After nearly two years, Bell received a letter from the investigating attorney that exonerated him, but the damage was already done.

“Those charges were bullshit,” Bell said, his voice full of emotion.  “And I want to thank Randy for believing in me during that time.  It really meant a lot to me.”

The final honoree of the evening was trainer Mac Robertson.  Owner Barry Butzow remarked inducting Mac that “If it was his (Mac’s) choice, it wouldn’t be an owner introducing him – it would be a horse!”, alluding to Robertson’s stated preference for equine company over human.  His record shows that it is a very successful bond.

Robertson holds so many records at Canterbury it would be probably easier to list which training records he doesn’t own.  For the past six seasons he has been the leading trainer at the Shakopee oval and he holds the track training records for: single-season and all-time in-the-money percentages; all-time win percentage; and single-season earnings.

Robertson, who along with Hardy illustrated the belief that horse trainers are men of few words, was brief in his remarks.  He thanked his owners and family and also singled out his mother for special recognition.

The night was warm and a humid, but the hospitality and the depth of feeling in the Minnesota racing family Saturday night was only warm. Congratulations to all the inductees, you’ve provided many of the greatest moments in Minnesota racing history.  Thank you for your contributions and we look forward to many more.

Opening Weekend at Canterbury Park

The rain was a constant threat, and an occasional reality, for all of opening weekend at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, MN this weekend, but that did nothing to damper the enthusiasm of fans to have live racing back in in the Twin Cities.

A crowd of 5,818 came out to greet the returning horses and horsemen on the opening Friday night.  On a gorgeous spring night this would be a bit of a disappointment, but with rain throughout the day and threatening skies it was a pleasant surprise.  A large Preakness Day crowd of 8,139 came to see two big upsets in the first stakes of the season and, of course, an upset in the Preakness Stakes to boot.  Sunday was affected by the heavy rain and storms that rampaged through the area, causing a tornado to touchdown in Minneapolis.  All the races on the card were completed but attendance was understandably sparse.

A late scratch changed the complexion of Saturday’s Lady Slipper Stakes as morning line favorite and 2010 Champion Older Mare Bella Notte was scratched in the morning.  The additional defection of Nokomis dropped the field to six and left Chick Fight as the sole speed in the six furlong sprint.

Going postward as the odds on favorite, Chick Fight, under jockey Dean Butler, went to the front as expected over the drying out race track but could not shake loose, stalked by Hidden Gold and Derek Bell.  Bell moved Hidden Gold even with the favorite through the turn and she kicked on down the lane to outfinish last year’s champion Special Occasion.

“I’ve been waiting two years to outrun that horse,” said Bell after the race regarding the speedy favorite.

Trained by Francisco Bravo, Hidden Gold returned 21.40, 7.00 and 3.40.

In the six furlong 10,000 Lakes, the top three choices, Rustic Road, defending champion Bizet and last year’s top 3-year old Bet Your Boots hooked up on the front end.  With a hundred yards to go the race looked like a three horse affair until Freedom First, under David Cardoso, started picking up horses on the far outside.  With only one horse beat on the turn for home, Freedom First was flying down the lane and picked off the tiring threesome before the wire. 

Trainer Larry Donlin said, “Going into the race we knew there was a lot of speed.  We figured we’d let him settle and then see what develops.  I was hoping for third as he was coming up on the outside.  A few strides later I thought, ‘holy cow, he’s going win this!’”  

At 15-1, Freedom First paid $33.40, $14.60 and $11.20.

All three days provided a lot of exciting finishes and stretch runs which is hopefully a portent of things to come over the summer.  Even though there were some smaller fields due to scratches on Sunday, there were several fields throughout the weekend that boasted more than 10 starters.  With the horse population already larger than it was last season, it’s hoped that these larger fields can continue leading to more lucrative wagering opportunities and, as gamblers get word of the larger fields, greater handle.

In the background, racino legislation continues to languish at the Capitol with only a single hearing held in each chamber.  However, with no budget deal in the making and no deal on a new Vikings stadium the legislature is virtually certain to be called into special session and racino legislation could be included in the final budget deal.  Last minute legislation was already filed to tie funding of a new stadium to the opening of a racino.  That is a battle that will go down to wire but while that battle is fought in St. Paul, live racing is in Shakopee and it’s finally spring in Minnesota.

Robertson/Bell Combine for Sprint Championship

Mac Robertson and Derek Bell hit the trifecta winning their third Championship race together this afternoon nailing down the Minnesota Sprint Championship with Bizet. The lead group of Bizet, Nomorewineforeddie, L'Etoile du Nord and A Steel Trap all ran together until the top of the stretch when L'Etoile du Nord unseated rider Nik Goodwin (horse and rider were fine) in very close quarters, scattering the field and leaving Bizet and A Steel Trap to fight it out to the wire with Bizet getting the best of it.

Results (my pick) - jockey/trainer

1. Bizet (1) - Bell/Robertson
2. A Steel Trap (3) - Butler/Domenosky
3. Nomorewineforeddie (2) -Rieken/Eikleberry

Last Stakes on the Card - Minn Sprint Championship

We head into the last Stakes race of the season at Canterbury Park. It has been a very chalky afternoon which has allowed me to hit 4 of 6 trifectas, something I've never come close to before. Of course not one of them paid more than $20, but a win is a win. In this race I picked the morning line 5-1 Bizet (now 5/2 thanks to the Roberson/Bell success today). A huge win last out dropping back to a sprint where he hasn't missed the board here this season. He did lose to the ML choice Nomorewineforeddie in the Meyers in July. My fear is that L'Etoile Du Nord and Bizet get wrapped into a speed duel which will set up things perfectly for the favorite.

Bella Notte Dominates Distaff Sprint

Bella Notte toyed with stablemate Thanks for the Tip up until the turn for home and then turned it on to snke the field by a solid seven and going away. She ran exactly like a 1-5 shot is supposed to. The win gives trainer Mac Robertson his third winner on the day and Bell gets his second with the Sprint Championship remaining. Robertson has two going in the next and Bell is abord one of them.

Observations of a Rookie

It's been a great weekend at Canterbury Park. We had opening night on Friday and yesterday an even larger crowd turned out for day two of the meet and the Lady Slipper and 10,000 Lakes Stakes events. I showed up a bit later in the card to catch the two Stakes as well as the Upper Midwest 2-Year Olds in Training Sale being held after the races. About 20 horses were consigned to the sale, all but two of them two year olds. Most were Iowa and Minnesota breds, but there were a couple of Kentucky breds in the sale as well as a couple of Florida breds. The Florida breds were of particular interest to me since we race in Florida over the winter, but I was more interested as a casual observer rather than a buyer. If I told you all that trying to get Miss Belle Express to the racetrack and that whole experience didn't leave a bit of a scar, I'd be lying, so I'm going to stick with claiming horses for a while.

I approached this more as a casual observer rather than on any kind of reporting mission. There appeared to be over 30 buyers and with only 20 horses, things were looking up out of the gate. The first gal through the sale was Sunny Silver, an Iowa bred bay filly by Silver Ghost out of Colonial Currency. The gavel went down on her at $21,000. Looking back a few generations - and I have no idea how this all nicks together (in the vernacular of the trade) - she has Mr. Prospector, Pleasant Colony and Buckpasser in her family and I figure that has to be a pretty good thing. Again, how they all work together is beyond my scope.

WARNING SHAMELESS PLUG: Technically it's not shameless because it's not about me, but anyway... When I attend an auction with the intent to buy, I would go to Star of the North Bloodstock. Proprietor David M. Miller (below, left, working the pedigrees with auctioneer Lyle Booster) got me into the partnership business and has a nice eye for horses. The fact that he loves what he does makes him that much better at doing it. This goes back to my philosophy of knowing what you don't know and then either learning or hiring experts for assistance. David buys horses all over the country and travels to the Kentucky sales religiously, so you're not limited locally. When the economy swings a bit, I'd love to put together a bit of a more expensive group and go to Keeneland with David and try to nail down a nice black type runner - take the big shot, if you will. But I digress (and am NOW starting to get a bit shameless!)...

The horses went through the ring without a hitch thereafter. A few friends had their eye on some horses, most notably Allegretto (Posse - Di Graza Girl - Top Account) and Sasha's Fierce (Include - Pareepassoo - Distinctive Pro). Allegretto was sold privately before the sale and Sasha's Fierce was the sale topper at $25,500 (consigned by Wood-Mere Farm). Obviously they have good taste - if not the wallet to grab either of these two.

The quickest worked the day before in the Under Tack Show was Hip # 16, Sheso Dazzling (Dazzling Falls - Wa Sarah - Wa Bert) who went a furling in 10.94. This did not, however, translate into the highest selling price of the day but into a more modest $12,000.

This started a conversation at my table regarding the quick works of young horses leading up to a sale. The analogy I often use is if you push a two-year old to run hard and fast too early, isn't that similar to teaching an 11-year old how to throw a curve ball? A child that young is bound to suffer some damage by the torque created in the throwing motion. Isn't a 2-year old subject to damage if their joints are not fully capable of handling such work? The California Thoroughbred Breeder's Association has published several interesting reports on quick sale workers and the correlation to success on the racetrack.

My friend Janet brought up a really interesting point. It would be great to know who prepped the horse for sale. If you know the mindset of the trainer, you can get to know whether or not the young horse is getting ready at his own pace or if he is being pushed past his limits in order to get the best price. Bernell Rhone has always told me, it's not necessarily the speed of the work, but how they did it and how they came back from it. Another reason why hiring a bloodstock agent or other horse professional is a good idea - this is what they get paid to know.

As the sale moved briskly along, there was only one of the 18 that entered the ring that was no saled. Pretty good everyone at the table thought. Until we realized that there was at least one consignor buying back their stock. Not exactly a sale. I don't have the final numbers on the sale, but they should be posted on the Minnesota Thoroughbred Association's website shortly. I'll be interested to see just how many of the horses were bought back and how many were actually sold.

The steal of the sale - maybe. White Earth (Demidoff - Storm in Sight - Storm Bird). This filly had some issues at the under tack show and was unwilling to be worked for the preview. Folks that saw her performance said it didn't seem like an angry type of bucking, more like an "I don't feel like doing this" kind of bucking. I wasn't there to see it, so I can't comment but with grandsires Mr. Prospector and Storm Bird the $2700 may be a bargain (I don't know about the Secretariat cross, but it was fun seeing him in her pedigree!). She'll go into my stable watch and we'll see how she turns out.

In all, it was a fun experience. I have some horses to watch now going forward and though none will join Fizzy Pop in Bernell's barn, it broadened my horizons just a little bit more.

CANTERBURY STAKES ROUND UP

The Preakness Stakes and the promise of sunnier (though not much warmer) weather brought over 9,000 fans to the race track yesterday to witness the first stakes races of the season: the $35,000 Lady Slipper Stakes and the $35,000 10,000 Lakes Stakes. Perennial leading trainer Mac Robertson and perennial leading jockey Derek Bell joined forces to sweep both races.

In the Lady Slipper Robertson trainees Bella Notte and Thanks for the Tip took the field one-two for all six furlongs. Thanks for the Tip made it interesting in the stretch getting to within a head, but Bella Notte repelled the challenge to win by a length and three quarters.

Bell and Robertson teamed up again to nail down the 10,000 Lakes with 8-year old Canterbury favorite Sir Tricky. Captain Canaveral bolted to the early lead and the Tammy Domenosky trainee had the measure of the field until he started drifting slightly in the stretch under Paul Nolan. That was the opportunity the aging warrior needed and Sir Tricky pulled clear to win it by two.