How Bout That Curt won the $51,500 Victor S. Myers Stakes by three lengths Sunday at Canterbury Park making him the likely favorite for the $75,000 Minnesota Derby Aug. 15. The 3-year-old stalked in third behind pacesetters That Type Ofa Deal and Benz Lake Echo before swinging wide on the turn of the six-furlong race and forging to the lead at the quarter pole, racing unchallenged to the finish line.
How Bout That Curt was ridden by Constantino Roman, is trained by Tony Rengstorf and owned by Sampson Racing Stables, LLC.
“We didn’t really want to be in front,” Rengstorf said. “We wanted to sit right where we were so it worked out pretty well.”
The Derby will require the Minnesota-breds to stretch out to one mile and seventy yards. How Bout That Curt is by Mo Town out of the mare Double Bee Sting who won the Minnesota Oaks in 2017. “I think it’s more about his mom,” Rengstorf said. “His mom was a better route horse. That’s what I’ve been telling [the Sampsons] all along. We’ll see in 13 days.”
Navarre finished second and That Type Ofa Deal held on for third. Final time for the Myers was 1:11.45. As the prohibitive favorite, How Bout That Curt paid $2.40.
State-bred fillies prepped for the Minnesota Oaks in the $51,500 Frances Genter Stakes, also at six furlongs. Summer Winner was sent off as the 1 to 5 favorite in the four-horse field and looked like a good thing in the early stages until Heavenly Captive, who has been tracking the favorite, engaged on the turn. Heavenly Captive, with leading rider Manuel Americano aboard, dueled with Summerer Winner and jockey Alonso Quinonez and then gained the advantage entering the stretch. The filly, trained by Mac Robertson and owned by John Mentz, drew off to win by 2 1/2 lengths in a final time of 1:11.66. Summer Winner did finish second well clear of Flatter Me Billy and fourth-place finisher Private Speaker. Heavenly Captive paid $14.80 to win.