By Noah Joseph
It is that time of year again. The days are getting shorter, a chill is in the air, and the kids are back in school. Autumn is on the way, and with it, the end of another season of live racing at Canterbury Park. This is closing weekend for the live race meet, and while it’s a shame that it has to end, there were many great moments from this 25th anniversary season to look back on. And of course there is simulcast racing action every day offering us a chance to follow our favorite horses.
This year featured several dominating performances by many different horses. There was Hot Shot Kid winning five races this season, including four stakes. He’s a leading candidate for Canterbury’s Horse of the Meeting. Then there’s the feel-good story of Ari Gia. Once a $6,250 claimer, she’s now a Canterbury fan favorite. With five wins from seven starts in Shakopee this summer, including two stakes scores, she’s also in the running for Horse of the Meeting. And despite only running once, Mr. Jagermeister continued his dominance with a win in the Crocrock Minnesota Sprint Championship Stakes. There was Sniper Kitten invading from out of town to win the Mystic Lake Derby, Mister Banjoman recapturing his two-year-old glory in sweeping the Victor Myers Stakes and Minnesota Derby, and Ready to Runaway winning the Frances Genter Stakes, Minnesota Oaks, and the Glitter Star Minnesota Distaff Classic.
Canterbury Park also celebrated massive crowds with multiple days where more than 10,000 fans came to the track. Those days included Kentucky Derby Day, Mystic Lake Northern Stars Racing Festival, Corgis and Cupcakes, Festival of Champions Day, the Indian Horse Relay weekend, 4th of July weekend, and Labor Day.
So now the season is coming to an end, but the memories will last through the winter. Memories of another fantastic year of racing at Canterbury Park.
Thank you for reading. It’s been a great year!
