Bernell Rhone entering this racing weekend on a hot streak – 5 wins from 5 starters. After scratches he has two runners on Friday, so he has the opportunity to increase that streak. In race 5 he has Not Justa Somerset with Orlando Mojica aboard at 10/1 and in race 6, Sabotage under Jareth Loveberry at 12/1. It will be exciting to see how far he can extend his consecutive win streak, as he is only two behind David Van Winkle’s record of seven consecutive winners.
With the completion of the Will Rogers Downs live race meet in Oklahoma, multiple stakes winning jockey Lori Keith has rejoined the Canterbury Park riding colony for another summer. So far in 2017, Keith has an impressive seven wins, two seconds and three thirds from just 20 starters.
The six furlong, $50,000 10,000 Lakes Stakes for Minnesota-bred three and up will be run as the third race of the nine-race card on Saturday. It is highlighted by a Minnesota favorite, Hold for More, who will be ridden by Orlando Mojica. He is currently third in line for the title of leading money earner in Canterbury Park history with earnings of $293,200. The 5-year-old, Bravo-trained gelding, however, is not the favorite in the race, after a 6th place finish in the Paul Bunyan Stakes at Canterbury Park on opening weekend. Hold for More is the 3-1 second choice behind Mac Robertson’s Bourbon County, to be ridden by Alex Canchari, who is 9/5. Seven-year-old Bourbon County has won the last two editions of the 10,000 Lakes Stakes, but has not run since late last August. Third choice morning-line at 7/2 is another Bravo trainee, Smooth Chiraz, to be ridden by Dean Butler. The 4-year-old gelding is a multiple stakes winner who already won an allowance optional claimer at Canterbury on opening weekend.
Interestingly, Hold for More is not the only one vying for the leading money earner title at Canterbury Park. Three of the horses running in the 10,000 Lakes are on the top ten list of purses earned at the track. AP Is Loose is 6th on the list with $283,553 and Bourbon County is 7th with $280,617. Depending on the results of the 10,000 Lakes, Any one of those three horses could move up into second place behind current leader Crocrock.
The six furlong, $50,000 Lady Slipper Stakes for Minnesota-bred fillies and mares three and up will be the 4th race on Saturday. The 6/5 morning line favorite in the race is Biehler-trained Rockin the Bleu’s, who will be piloted by Orlando Mojica. The 6-year-old mare has run at Canterbury 16 times, and has only finished off the board in five of those starts. In her only race to date in 2017, Rockin’ the Bleu’s was victorious in a $51,000 stakes race at Will Rogers Downs in Oklahoma in April. A close second choice at 9/5 in the morning line is Honey’s Sox Appeal, who is trained by Mac Robertson and will be ridden by Alex Canchari. The four-year-old stakes winning filly has run at Canterbury eight times, with a record of four wins, three seconds and one third.
