Canterbury Park Hall of Fame jockey Luis Quinonez won the Southwest Stakes, a Kentucky Derby steppingstone, Monday at Oaklawn Park aboard Suddenbreakingnews for trainer Donnie Von Hemel.
Known as ‘Luis Q’ or simply as ‘The Q’ to his fans, Luis won five consecutive riding titles at Canterbury from 1995-1999. He has made the occasional stakes race appearance at Canterbury over the years but has not called Shakopee home since 2001. Luis has won 548 races at Canterbury, fifth most in the history of the track.
The Southwest (watch the replay here. Suddenbreakingnews is #2x) was Luis’ 13th graded stakes win. The 49-year-old has never had a mount in the Kentucky Derby. If Suddenbreakingnews runs well in the Rebel March 19, his next expected race, then he becomes a legitimate player in the Derby conversation.
HPWS Satellite Saturday
Canterbury will offer one final chance to win an entry plus airfare and accommodations for the 2016 Horse Player World Series at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Saturday’s HPWS Satellite allows entrants to make 10 mythical wagers on 10 races of choice during tournament hours. For each 25 entries, one player wins a trip to Vegas for the March 31-April 2 annual event that should award the winner more than $400,000. Entry to the Canterbury contest is $100. Find the rules here.
