Canterbury Park’s 2011 thoroughbred stakes schedule features 28 races worth $1.215 million in purses. The 62-day race meet begins Friday night, May 20 and concludes Monday, Sept. 5. The 18th Minnesota Festival of Champions, a day dedicated to the Minnesota breeding industry, is Sept. 4. Festival day’s seven stakes offer purses of $345,000.
This season, Canterbury Park will host an event new to the calendar. Fillies Race for Hope, July 31, is a breast cancer awareness fund-raiser that will benefit Hope Chest, a local organization whose mission is to help under-served or financially distressed individuals and their families touched by breast cancer. The day will feature nine races for fillies and mares including the Lady Canterbury, Hoist Her Flag, and Princess Elaine Stakes. “Canterbury Park has been active in the community through the Canterbury Park Minnesota Fund. This year we wanted to find a way to include our fans and horsemen and make an impact in others’ lives,” Canterbury President Randy Sampson said.
Absent from the calendar is the Claiming Crown. This is the third time in 12 years it has not been hosted by Canterbury. The event will be held at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans on December 3. Claiming Crown is scheduled to return to Canterbury in the summer of 2012.
Stall applications will be available February 21, the same day the first condition book will be online at www.canterburypark.com .
The entire stakes schedule can be found HERE.
