Season’s richest race draws seven 3-year-olds
Post positions were drawn Wednesday for the fourth running of the $200,000 Mystic Lake Derby to be run Saturday at Canterbury Park. Seven 3-year-olds were entered for the one-mile turf race, the sixth race on an eight race card which begins at 4:00 p.m. The Mystic Lake Derby is the richest race of the 70-day race meet.
The winning trainer of the 2014 Mystic Lake Derby, Bill Mott, has entered Syntax, an Irish-bred colt owned by Matthew Schera, who won the Grade 3 Kent Stakes on July 18 at Delaware Park. Chris DeCarlo, aboard the Mystic Lake Derby winner Long on Value last year for Mott, will return to the Shakopee, Minn. racetrack to ride for the National Hall of Fame trainer. Syntax, who will break from post position three, is the second choice on the morning line at 3 to 1 odds..
Three of the seven entrants have been training at Canterbury this summer. Flashy Jewel won twice locally before shipping to Assiniboia Downs to win the Manitoba Derby. He will race on the turf for the first time. Flashy Jewel is owned by Robert Lothenbach and trained by Clay Brinson. Canterbury’s leading rider Leandro Goncalves has the mount.
Shrewd Move, winless in two tries on the turf, finished fourth in a Canterbury allowance race July 16 before shipping to Arlington to run second in the Bruce D. Memorial Stakes in mid-August. Shrewd Move is trained by Dan McFarlane.
Another local trying the turf for the first time is Space Mine for leading trainer Robertino Diodoro. Space Mine is the most lightly-raced entrant with just four starts. He has three wins and a second-place finish, all while sprinting on the dirt. Two wins came at Canterbury while his most recent was in an allowance at Prairie Meadows.
The remainder of the field includes 5 to 2 morning line favorite Barbados, winner of the Grade 3 Hutcheson Stakes in January; Gallery, trained by Mike Dini; and Nun the Less, also owned by Lothenbach.
1 FLASHY JEWEL Goncalves, Leandro Lothenbach Stables, Inc. Brinson, Clay 10 to 1
2 BARBADOS Rocco, Jr., Joe Suzanne Stables LLC Tomlinson, Michael 3 to 1
3 SYNTAX (IRE) DeCarlo, Chris Schera, Matthew Mott, William 5 to 2
4 SHREWD MOVE Franco, Geovanni Hopwood, Peggy and Yeamans Racing LLC McFarlane, D 12 to 1
5 GALLERY Marquez, Jr. Carlos Ballybrit Stable, LLC Dini, Michael 5 to 1
6 NUN THE LESS Geroux, Florent Lothenbach Stables, Inc. Block, Chris 5 to 1
7 SPACE MINE Carreno, Jorge Mercedes Stables LLC Diodoro, Robertino 4 to 1
In 2012, Canterbury Park and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, owners and operators of Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, entered into a cooperative marketing and purse enhancement agreement that calls for SMSC to contribute $75 million to horsemen purses over 10 years. With the bolstered purses, now more than double what they were in 2011, came enhanced stakes purses including the Mystic Lake Derby.
While the culminating event of the weekend is the Mystic Lake Derby, other festivities, beginning Thursday, Aug. 27, are planned to celebrate the partnership between Canterbury Park and SMSC. Indian Horse Relay, a daring display of bareback racing showcasing 14 teams representing various American Indian nations competing for $50,000 in prize money, will be featured on Thursday and Friday with two trial heats each night. The top eight teams from those trials advance to the Canterbury Park Indian Relay Championship Saturday.
SMSC Youth Royalty will perform traditional dance styles Saturday. Also that day will be a traditional arrow throwing competition.
The Indian Market, with more than 30 vendors offering unique Native American arts and crafts, will be open daily during the races.
Post time Thursday and Friday is 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, Mystic Lake Derby Day, has a special 4:00 p.m. first post.
For additional information visit www.canterburypark.com .
