by Annise Montplaisir
Sumo Wrestling
As the old saying goes, go big or go home. And Canterbury Park does just that with sumo wrestling every Thursday night. Last week’s duel was one for the history books- a match between Director of Media Relations Jeff Maday and announcer Paul Allen. The two fighters showed good form as they punched and pushed each other in cumbersome fat suits- all in good fun of course. The brawl emitted laughs from the crowd and many a good blackmail photos. The rivalry was resolved when Paul Allen emerged victoriously. For a man of many talents, who knew sumo wrestling was one of them.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMVJ3aOZNa4&w=560&h=315]
Canterbury Park Employee Scholarship
Canterbury Park may be well known for fantastic horse racing, but it takes impressive employees behind the scenes to make a race meet run successfully. In order to give back to its outstanding employees, Canterbury awarded four $1,000 scholarships to individuals who take part in community service, demonstrate outstanding achievements, and uphold excellent academics- in addition to a strong work ethic. The 2014 recipients are Aysia Meyers of Food and Beverage, Rebecca Ramm of Guest Services, Connor Theis of Mutuels and Jacob Fox of Guest Services. Congratulations to these individuals, and thank you for your hard work and commitment to Canterbury Park! A big thank you to our generous scholarship sponsors, Canterbury Park Holding Corporation, Curtis Sampson & Dale Schenian and the Sampson Family Foundation.
Iowa Invader
A salute goes out to Flashy Em, winner of Thursday’s fifth race- the Iowa/Minnesota Challenge race restricted to Iowa and Minnesota bred horses. In the eight horse field, Flashy Em was the sole Iowa bred, surrounded by a sea of Minnesotans. Navigated by jockey Alex Canchari, Flashy Em pulled ahead in the stretch to win by three-quarters of a length. Owned by Ripple Stables and trained by Brad Hemba, Flashy Em finished the six furlongs in 1:12.78.
