Minnesota Breds Venture Out and Impress

When you have a foal you think about the future.  You can't help it.  They are so filled with hopes and dreams and promise that you think anything can happen.  You think, "Minnesota Derby...well, wait, what about the Kentucky Derby?  Or the Breeders' Cup?!"  You get a little goofy thinking about what could be, but that's part of this business, really.  If you're not going to dream - and dream big - why do it?

Looking around for a Minnesota bred that made it outside of Canterbury can be hard.  We could point to graded stakes winner Wally's Choice in recent memory but anyone else was before my time racing here.  However, it is getting easier.  The last several years Canterbury Park Hall of Fame owner/breeder Cam Casby has sent out homebreds like Polar Plunge and Talkin' Bout to compete against - and beat - open company around the country.  She loves to prove that Minnesota breds can compete with the rest of the world and has consistently succeeded.

Polar Plunge taking the 2012 Minnesota Distaff Sprint (Photo Credit: Coady Photography)

Rake Farms LLC's Sky and Sea went out two weeks ago to start her 3-year old campaign and set the fractions in a $75,000 Optional Claiming race at Tampa Bay Downs but got caught at the wire by the Firestone's First Glance.  If someone doesn't think she's going to be big trouble in the Genter and the Oaks then they're just not paying attention.

Sky and Sea breaking her maiden by nearly 16 lengths (Photo Credit: Ted Grevelis from Canterbury video)

This Friday, Marlene Colvin's Heliskier, a perennial fan favorite at Canterbury, will be getting his first start away from home when he takes on 8 in a $50,000 Optional Claiming race at Oaklawn in his 5-year old debut. His best efforts certainly makes him a nice fit.  Whether or not he can fire that kind of effort off the bench remains to be seen (though he has won each of his 3 season debuts so far) but he's the only horse in the field with a triple digit Beyer - he has two, actually - to his credit.



Heliskier in the Canterbury Park Winners' Circle (Photo Credit: Heather R. Frisbie)

We're no longer talking about a Minn bred hopefully winning a $7500 claiming race somewhere, but competing successfully against some of the better horses on the grounds at places like Fairgrounds, Tampa Bay and Oaklawn.

It is starting to look like not just purses are on the upswing in Minnesota.

Updates on Ours, Heliskier and Some Dialogue

BOBO

Bourbonlogy got rained out last Sunday.  Not so much because of the weather, but because of the track conditions.  The race was washed off the turf and we were ready to go anyway.  There were a few scratches that made the race a bit easier for us but racing was called after a few races because of unsafe track conditions.  A trainer and a jockey told me it was akin to a pothole strewn road with puddles hiding the worst of it.  Of course a thoroughbred’s thin leg getting stuck and twisted in a hole could be disastrous and if the riders think it’s unsafe, who am I to disagree?

Bobo will go this Thursday in a Maiden Special Weight over the turf course going a mile and 70 yards.  She’ll start out of the chute and make a lap around the oval. She’ll open in the wagering as the 4-1 2^nd choice in the morning line behind Clay Brinson trained Bluegrass Lucy.  I’ll be back with a full profile of the race later in the week.

I’ll also have to retry the “View of the Owners” video blog again, though not this time.  My quick trip to IL has turned into a week-long grind that won’t get me home until sometime very late Friday night or early Saturday morning so I will miss Bobo’s first start in person, though I will be watching in a hotel room somewhere near Detroit.  Or, on my Horse Races Now app if I’m able to pick up a ticket to the Red Sox game that night while they are in Motown!

HELISKIER

Word is still positive on Heliskier.  The champion Minnesota bred gelding is banged up but doing okay after going down to his nose at the break on Sunday, ending his undefeated streak and generating one of my most read blog posts ever when I wrote about some of the behaviors I (and others) witnessed when it was learned the horse nearly went down.

Feedback from that post has been interesting.   I have had some dialogue with people who feel that I misunderstood what they – or folks with them – were expressing.  I think we have differing viewpoints on that and it was a good lesson for a lot of people in perception versus reality.  You may indeed be cheering for your horse hitting the front in a race but if that cheering comes at the same time the track announcer says that a horse juts face planted, your actions may be misconstrued.  Hell, that’s a lesson even I needed to relearn in a way.

This fellow pointed out that by my saying that I was never happier to see a horse fade like Careless Hunter did that I was basically cheering for their horse to be hurt as well.  That wasn’t the case at all, of course.  I didn’t want the kids’ bad behavior to be rewarded BUT I can see his point.  I knew the horse went out too fast and was tired.  The horse wasn’t hurt and no one suspected that he was either.  I also didn’t cheer and or high five someone when I heard that he had packed up the fight.  HOWEVER by not really thinking about how that statement could be taken by someone before I wrote it, I did, kind of, the same thing – I reacted but didn’t think. At the end of the day, I wish nothing but the best for Careless Hunter’s connections and hope they pick up a couple of wins before the summer is done, they seem like really good people.

ELLIE

Elusive Edition has been training okay.  She’s very smart and she simply LOVES to run – two things you can’t train a horse.  She has been experiencing some aches and pains, nothing major but she’s had to rest a bit throwing her a bit off schedule and causing us some concern.  We’re getting to know her better and better and she is really quite a character.  Most definitely one of the best parts of owning these horses is getting to know them as individuals and Ellie is a riot – and most definitely still a baby in some ways as well!

She’s rested a bit and gone back to the racetrack.  We’ll need to pick things up on her in the next week or so and see her develop.  It’s exciting but also our optimism and excitement is still tempered with some caution as it always should be with 2-year olds.

CANTERBURY RACING CLUB

This is been two things: more work that I imagined and more fun than I could have hoped.  The people involved are absolute gems.  We had our first race on Friday night and Mundy, our mare, gave everyone a thrill as she took command in the lane and looked like a winner before tiring to third.  The pace was a bit hot and the turf was a bit soft and both contributed to her fatigue, but it was an exciting run and the folks really turned out for it.  Hopefully we’ll have our gelding, Ask Eddy, race this weekend and I’ll get to meet more of the great folks in the Club.  I doubt I’ll ever meet all 179 of them, but I’m hoping to, even if I will forget most of the names – never the faces, but I’m HORRIBLE remembering names!

 

The start has been a bit slow, but hopefully we'll pick up the pace and hit the winners' circle a few times along the way.

By the Way, Horse and Rider are Okay...

Today’s blog was supposed to be a follow up on Bourbonology’s race cancellation last week, a little catching up with the other stable runners including the two Canterbury Racing Club horses, but something happened yesterday that completely commanded my attention and set me on edge so badly that I really couldn’t write about it rationally until today.  Even now it steams me.  It’s something I would have expected in Philadelphia and not been surprised to hear/see in Boston or New York.  However it was something I never expected to experience here in Minnesota and, for the first time in my 8-years here, I was embarrassed to be Minnesotan. I apologize up front for the length.

In this space and over in my space in the Daily Racing Form you’ve read about Heliskier.  Heliskier had put together a perfect 7-7 record and done it very impressively, winning each race easily and never really being asked for run.  He had run, to this point, exclusively in Minnesota bred company.  There were some rumblings that perhaps the connection were “afraid” to run against open company.  That couldn’t have been further from the truth.

Heliskier took control of the 2 and 3-year old divisions of Minnesota racing and ran them all into the ground.  Owner Marlene Colvin was heard to say that she would like to see her gelding challenged and really see what kind of legacy he could build for himself.  He was the last homebred broken by her husband, Robert “Bun” Colvin.  Bun broke all his young horses himself and told Marlene when he came in after breaking young Heliskier, “This guy is the one.”  Bun knew that Heliskier was special but sadly did not live long enough to see him run a race, passing away only months after breaking the promising young gelding.

Yesterday Heliskier took on open company for the first time.  He was a big favorite and the track had put together a short video clip of him.  He even had his own “walk on” music, AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells”.  It was a lot of build-up, sure, but he is something special – the likes of which we haven’t seen around here in a long time.  We SHOULD celebrate these types of horses when they come around...and for the most part, everyone did.

The gates sprung open and Heliskier went to his knees.  Hard.  So hard that even his nose and head hit the ground. 

“Heliskier has stumbled right down to his nose and is last!” track announcer Paul Allen signaled at the break.  Then it all happened.

A group of teenaged baseball players connected to Careless Hunter cheered.  A middle aged woman at the rail laughed while her husband pumped his fist and yelled “YES!”

Another group of older women cheered and clapped.

Jockey Derek Bell was masterful just staying aboard and getting the horse pulled back upright.  He goes over the side and he could have been trampled.  Heliskier could have rolled over the top of him.  LOT of bad could have happened in a split second, but hey, $2 show wagers were on the line.

“For Heliskier to extend his winning streak to 8, he’ll have to be a super horse,” Allen went on after the first call.  Careless Hunter was in the lead and I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see a horse fold like a house of cards in all my life than when that horse tired and was passed repeatedly: shutting up those kids who apparently have never learned that you cheer for your own but don’t cheer for the pain and suffering of others.
A visibly shaken Derek Bell had no real comment after the race, not that he didn’t want to necessarily but because there was a LOT of emotion there.  Initial reports from the backside were that Heliskier was walking okay, ate his dinner, but had some real bumps and bruises that would take some time to heal up.

Then the “experts” in the crown started…

“Best Minnesota bred ever?  He sucks!”

“Soon as he faces open company he falls apart”

Even folks on Twitter got in the act.

Guess what everyone Heliskier got his ass beat today first time open company just shows that horse isn't "the greatest MN Bred ever".

Best mn bred ever huh? Can't even beat Bizet. #streakover #bouttime

To the 2^nd posters credit, once I responded about what happened in the race he backed right off and was glad no one got hurt.  The first tried to backpedal the next day:

@tlgrevelis when I said ass beat I meant like you said bumps bruises and all I know it sounded wrong the way I worded it...

Good lord!  I did tell her that it was the most disingenuous thing I have ever read on Twitter.  By her other tweets she obviously a fan of another MN owner/breeder.  Sadly, the fan hasn’t a touch of the class and dignity of the owner/breeder who would be the FIRST to check on the welfare of the horse.

If you want to give the horse and connections crap because he lost a race, then so be it.  But to have something like that happen and shoot off your mouth about the horse getting “his ass beat” when he nearly went down at the break is simply idiotic and clueless.  Fair start, fair race with no incidents and he gets beat – he gets beat.  To try and pass yourself off as smart because there is no way this horse was as good as everyone said when it actually took a nearly catastrophic incident to beat him makes you look like a jackass.

And I can’t print what I think of the people that were cheering at the track.  It was something I never thought I would see here and really hope it’s nothing I ever see again.
And when it was announced that there was a stewards’ inquiry into the start of the race to make sure the break was clean…the rolling eyes and the comments then:

“Here come the excuses!”

“Oh yeah, must have been SOMETHING!”

Horse racing 101, folks: when a horse goes down, or nearly goes down, the stewards take a look at it.  This wasn’t something raised by the trainer or the owner, it was initiated by the judges – as it would have been for ANY horse running in ANY race.

I hope that Heliskier’s recovery is a speedy one and that we see him back on the track soon – against whatever company they choose to point him toward. 

Curtain Closes on 2012 at Canterbury with Bright Future Ahead

A year removed from a season that was marred by a 3-week government shutdown and ended with trepidation for the future of Minnesota racing, Canterbury Park recently concluded a record breaking year and will approach the 2013 season with renewed optimism and hope for the future.

Under the provisions of an agreement between the track and the casino-owning Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, the Community will provide $81 million over the next 10 years with 90% of the payment going to fund purses.  The remaining 10% will be set aside for marketing initiatives designed to increase attendance and handle at Canterbury.  In return, Canterbury Park has agreed to drop the pursuit of a racino and will be working with the Nation’s two casinos, Mystic Lake and Little Six, on joint marketing initiatives.

For the fourth consecutive year the track set a record for average annual attendance at 6,595, up 7.3% over last year’s season.  Additionally, the average daily on-track handle of $189,973 was also a 7.3% increase year over year while the average daily all source handle on Canterbury races of $452,405 was up 12.9% over 2011.  Total all source handle for the meet was up 25% to $28,049,108 with six additional racing days in 2012.  These are nothing to sneeze at.  Even with the 6 less racing days of 2011 the comparison is impressive. 

I found it interesting that the increase in on track attandance and handle moved in synch - that folks just continue to bet the same amount per capita no matter how many we pull in, but track President and CEO Randy Sampson pointed out, "We've had increased attendance each of the alst few years and handle has been flat.  This is definitely a good sign"

The claiming box was more active this season as well.  In both 2010 and 2011, 27 horses were claimed at each meet.  For the 2012 season that number doubled to 54 horses as trainers looked for better quality stock to compete for the increased purse money. A quick look at the claims report shows that while there are many familiar names on the list, there are quite a few who are not.  It may be a bit premature to think that we’re suddenly attracting new owners into the game, it does show a renewed level of interest. 

When the agreement was first inked, purses were increased 35% retroactive from the start of the meet.  For the 2013 season the purses will increase approximately another 25%. This should lead to more stall applications for the track resulting in fuller fields and increased wagering opportunities for the bettor.  The track has already begun work on recruiting not only owners and trainers for next season, but increasing the availability of the Canterbury signal to draw more wagering interest from across the country.  More wagering will result in increased revenue and will help to grow racing in the state.  The Festival Day crowd of over 17,000 shows that Minnesotans will come to the races FOR the races; there were no gimmicks on Festival Day, just gorgeous day featuring great racing – and the people came.  I don’t think the track can expect that kind of crowd every weekend, but it’s good to know that a good product brings in the people.

The optimism even permeated the annual Minnesota Thoroughbred Association’s annual yearling sale.  With the same number of horses sold as the 2011 sale, 31, the average selling price increased 61% to $10,332 and the median increased 45% to $5,500.  Even the sale topper was up 86% with a colt by Holy Bull out of Run With Joy selling for $56,000 to Barry & Joni Butzow, part owners of Graded Stakes winner Hamazing Destiny.

“The momentum really built through the season and really culminated yesterday with the record Festival Day crowd,” said Sampson.  “You can tell that we’re on the verge of things going up considerably as the agreement gets fully implemented over the next few years.”

DIVISIONAL TITLES

The 2012 Divisional Champions were announced by Canterbury Park on Sunday.  Horse of the Year was also the three year old champion and champion sprinter, the undefeated Heliskier.  Heleiskier was 4-4 on the season taking an allowance followed by three stakes, the Victor S Myers, the MTA Stallion Laddie and the Minnesota Derby, by a combined total of 33 ¾ lengths.  Heliskier earned $103,056 on the season. As you know, I have a great love for this three year old gelding and I’m very excited to see him run for years to come.

Other divisional winners include: Older and Grass Horse – Tubby Time; Older Filly or Mare – Ruthville; 3-year old filly – Keewatin Ice; 2-year old – Badge of Glory; and claimer of the meet – Patriate.

Mac Robertson was the leading trainer for the 8^th consecutive year with 53 wins and newcomer to Canterbury Tanner Riggs dethroned defending champion jockey Dean Butler with 74 victories to Butler’s 65.  The jockey race was a lot of fun this year with some newcomers entering the fray and I hope that an influx of new trainers can bring in some fresh faces in the jockey colony as well.  It’s always fun to see new talent and Canterbury has the potential to once again be a breeding ground for young jockey talent before they shift tack to California or New York (anyone remember Mike Smith at Canterbury?).

IT’S A WRAP

The bow is on the 2012 season but, as I mentioned, work is already underway to capitalize on the momentum Randy mentioned.  I’ve said before that the agreement is only the beginning and that there is still heavy lifting to do: feelers to trainers and owners need to translate into commitments and stall space; we need to have Canterbury broadcast from coast-to-coast to generate a following amongst the lifeblood of racing – the gamblers; it’d be great to be able to see Canterbury on TVG – handle does improve on nights that we’re broadcast; getting some simulcast centers out in some of the more distant Tribal locations would be great – broadcast centers in Bemidji and Duluth would do very well; and I’d like to see, though it won’t happen, the asinine restriction on internet wagering in the state of Minnesota.  That regulation’s time is clearly passed and the state needs to join most of the rest of the country in allowing wagers via ExpressBet, TwinSpires and the other legal advanced deposit wagering platforms.

If interest in our 2012-13 racing partnership is any indication, there is a spike in interest in owning horses and racing at Canterbury.  There is a lot to love about Canterbury and I look forward to helping to keep the momentum rolling through the next decade – and more.  Think I’m being a homer?  Check out what Brian Zipse had to say over at Horse Racing Nation. 

See you high atop Canterbury Park in May!

A Minnesota Legend in the Making and Future Legends for Sale

MINNESOTA OAKS AND DERBY

Saturday was a very full day at Canterbury Park.  The highlight of the raceday was Minnesota bred superstar Heliskier dominating his 3-year old peers in the Minnesota Derby.  I know I’ve only been in Minnesota for seven years now, but he is clearly the best Minn-bred I’ve ever seen.  Keewatin Ice, winner of the Oaks, was no slouch either, winning in professional fashion and giving Cam Casby an Oaks exacta with her other homebred, Talkin’ Bout, finishing second.

In the Derby, Sue’s Stormy tried to take command early and wire the field while Heliskier tucked in behind and let him set the early pace.  When Derek Bell asked him to go he angled to the outside and was simply gone.  Hand-ridden to the finish, Heliskier pulled away from Sue’s Stormy to win by 13 ¼ lengths and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 87.  It was an absolutely astounding performance.  While it may be premature to call him the best Minnesota bred in history, he is certainly on his way.

Keewatin Ice was also an odds on favorite in the Oaks and was ridden perfectly by Juan Rivera to the victory.  She got out quickly and found herself briefly in an unaccustomed position on the front end before she was settled back heading down the backstretch.  Once she took command in the lane it was all over but the shouting and Keewatin Ice was back in the winner’s circle for the second stake in a row.

MTA SALE

The Minnesota Thoroughbred Association held its annual yearling sale last night after the races and the results, while not unexpected, were astounding.

The year over year comparison is particularly apt with 31 horses sold both years. In 2011 the average selling price was $6,403 versus last night’s average of $10,332.  Total proceeds of the 2011 sale were $198,500 (which was 135% of the 2010 total, by the way) while last night’s total was $320,300.  The sale topper was hip #6, a dark bay colt by Holy Bull out of the Ghazi mare, Run With Joy.  Consigned by Oak Tree Farm as agent for Raymond and Karen Wheeler, the colt was sold to Barry and Joni Butzow for $56,000.

The economics of the game are improved, certainly, and a healthy sale is indicative of that.  I don’t think that there was going to be any question that the sale was going to be a good one.  If you take the reduced numbers of foals in this crop along with the increase in purses thanks to the Mystic Lake Purse Enhancement Fund, it all pointed to some expensive yearling purchases.  Those of you reading from New York, Kentucky, Florida and other locations that view our average as a bit small, it represents a staggering increase of 108% over the 2010 number.

With a smaller crop of foals that have hit the ground here this year and the purse enhancement money continuing onward for another 9 years, these yearlings may be a bargain compared to the 2013 sale horses.  The MTA will be bringing back the 2 year old in training sale so there may be some of these horses coming back into the ring next year as well.

I know I have several horses marked in the catalog to follow over the next few years.  It should be an interesting ride.

Back From "Vacation"

I’ve been horribly remiss in filling this spot the last month.  I have no legitimate excuses other than I’ve been remarkably busy between the day job, the horses and the Form job that when I have time of my own I find it hard to sit here and bang out 500 words.  It’s a crock, I know, but then again I can’t blow off the paid work so this suffers.  Here are some bullet points to catch everyone up in what’s going on:

TABBY LANE

Tabby tweaked an ankle in her last race.  Nothing serious, thank goodness, but enough to give her some time off.  It wasn’t all R&R for Tabs though, she swam several days a week to keep her fitness level up and she was still inundated with visitors as she is Ms. Social.  Her spot in the Rhone barn allows her to see everyone that comes in and out and soak up all the attention she can get.  She’s back working on the track and I hope that I’ll be previewing a race for her in a few weeks!

CANTERBURY

Story lines around half time are the purse agreement with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and how it’s impacting field size (up a horse from the beginning of the meet) and stakes races (the inaugural Mystic Lake Derby this coming Saturday); Heliskier – an impact thoroughbred gelding that may be the best Minnesota bred ever; Tanner Riggs trying to run away with the jockey title; and Mike Biehler giving Mac Robertson all he can handle in the trainer’s race.

Extreme Day at Canterbury was a huge hit with over 16,000 fans converging to see the ostriches and camels, but the highlight was that day’s ninth race being called on helium by race caller extraordinaire Paul Allen.  You can catch the videos over at Canterbury Live.  The brain child of “Idea Man” Jeff Maday and delivered with an assist from track analyst Angela Hermann, the race is believed to be the first time a race has ever been called on helium.  Watching it from the booth was hilarious and Paul pulled it off with his customary aplomb.  While the animals were fun, the call was great!

There has been some fun wagering activity on Heliskier at Canterbury.  Well, not at Canterbury per se but via an ADW somewhere.  He was such a heavy favorite, the second choice in his last race, the MTA Stallion Auction Stakes, went off at over 300-1.  There were two bets of over $200,000 placed on hi in that race – one to win and one to show.  Why, you ask, would someone risk a win bet to win the same as a safer show bet? The only thing we can figure is that there must be some kind of rebate program wherever he/she is betting that is only available for win betting.  Still, the gelding won while breezing and earned a 86 Beyer for that workout.  I simply cannot wait and see what he can do when challenged.

E SVEIKATA

Who?  Yeah, that’s the next blog post.  I still haven’t introduced you all to the 2 year old filly entrusted to Kathleen O’Connell at Calder that one of our groups owns in partnership with breeders Gabe Puniska and Jenepher Hess.  She’s doing very well and you’ll learn more about this young Even the Score filly in a few days.

Hopefully my break is over and I’ll be back at it every few days or so.  With the $150,000 added Mystic Lake Derby this weekend, Fillies Race for Hope Day and the Lady Canterbury Stakes next weekend and Tabby returning to the races, there should be plenty of fun stories to address and I’ll try and stay roused enough to write ‘em!

Minnesota Festival of Champions Day

The crowd of the year turned out for the event of the year at Canterbury Park yesterday.  The 18^th Minnesota Festival of Champions, the state championships of racing, was contested before a Festival record crowd of 11, 214.  The rain held off until the end of the card and the seven stakes races were decided.  Here is a brief recap of the day.

Minnesota Distaff Sprint

What was thought to be the swan song for Bella Notte was a winning one.  Outbreaking the field and continuing onward for the win, Bella Notte leaves the track a Minnesota champion.  “We’re thrilled.  It’s a great way to the end the season,” said owner Gretchen Eaton.  After two strong races, it is unclear now whether the 7-year old mare will be retired.

Minnesota Sprint

Nomorewinforeddie, whose last win came in this race last season, made it back to back sprint championships with an impressive wire-to-wire performance.  Jockey Dean Butler found himself in front early and never looked back.  “I thought that there would be a little bit of pressure,” Butler said.  “He was doing it so easy.” He easily did it to the tune of a 5 length victory.

Northern Lights Futurity

Heliskier lived up to his billing as he coasted to victory in the 2-year old male stake, simply blowing the field away by 10 and probably could have won by 20 if jockey Derek Bell so chose.  When asked if thoe horse felt like more of a sprinter or could go long, Bell said, “He’ll be able to do anything you want with him.  He’s very talented and will be a lot of fun next year.” 

Owner Marlene Colvin, whose late husband, Bun Colvin, broke the colt himself and passed away earlier this year, said touchingly, “My husband broke him.  He told me, ‘Marl, this is the one’.” 

This one's for you, Bun.

Minnesota Classic

Black Tie Benny, attempting to be the second horse to sweep the Futurity, Derby and Classic, unfortunately bowed a tendon and was eased under the wire.  Former stablemate, Jaival, claimed last time out by Valerie Lund out of the Bernell Rhone Stable, stormed through the lane to take command and win by four lengths.

“This is the first Minnesota bred I’ve ever had,” said Lund.  “He had been training marvelously and we gave him a chance in here.”

Minnesota Turf

The heaviest favorite of the day, Tubby Time, looked like he could have been beaten in the lane as Mack’s Blackhawk, caught in a pace battle early, battled strongly into the stretch but finally tired, succumbing to Tubby Time in final 16^th of a mile.  With the win, Tubby Time has marked himself as the clear favorite for 2011 Canterbury Horse of the Year – quite frankly I’m not sure which other horse would get my vote.  I just don’t think Tabby’s wins were quality enough!

Northern Lights Debutante

The parade of favorites continued with the Cam Casby bred and owned Keewatin Ice overcoming a slow start and some traffic issues to charge past pacesetter Jills Summer Raine.  Keewatin Ice remains undefeated in two starts and sets up as an early contender for the 2012 Minnesota Oaks.

Minnesota Distaff Classic

Odds on favorite, Sheso Dazzling could have been expected to win by nearly 10-lengths.  Instead, it was the unheralded Tez Savitri, owned by Kissoon Thoroughbreds and trained by Bernell Rhone, who closed mightily through the lane to draw off and win by 9 ½ lengths at 10-1, the longest price of the Festival Day stakes.  Ironically, Classic winner Jaival was bred and owned by the Kissoons and trained by Rhone before being claimed away by Eight Ender Stables LLC and trainer Valerie Lund, so the victory was especially sweet.

As the rain came down to end the day, 35-1 longshot Dancehall Roxie broke her maiden and sent a lucky few in the crowd home with a big payoff.  For the most part, the Festival races were a bit chalky until the end, but the performances, especially by Heliskier, were very strong.  Mac Robertson trained three winners on the day, upping his Festival Day lead in wins to 17 while Derek Bell, riding all three Robertson winners, pushed his total to 23.  While attendance was up, handle was as well.  Year over year on track handle for Festival Day was up nearly 18% - and in 2010 there was one additional race on the card.  Just goes to show you, when you put on a good show, folks will STILL come out to the racetrack.

Congratulations to all the winners and to the folks at Canterbury Park for a job very well done.