Hold for More won the $55,000 MTA Stallion Auction Stakes by 7 1/4 lengths Sunday at Canterbury Park. The prohibitive favorite in a field of seven, Hold for More sat just off the pace in the early going of the 6 1/2 furlong sprint under leading jockey Dean Butler. On the turn the duo shot to the front by three lengths and drew off effortlessly in the stretch. Hold for More is owned by Dale Schenian of South Saint Paul, Minn. and is trained by Francisco Bravo. The final time was 1:19.24 over a fast main track.
“He was just the best,” Butler said. “Francisco has done such a good job with this horse.”
The 3-year-old gelding, bred in Minnesota by Wood-Mere Farm, entered the MTA Stallion Auction Stakes with four career wins, a number equal to the sum of victories tallied by his six opponents. Now with five wins from six starts, including the 2014 Northern Lights Futurity and this year the Victor S. Myers Stakes, he has earnings of $161,900.
“You have to have the horse,” Bravo said. “Don’t let anyone tell you that the trainer makes the horse. The horse makes the trainer.”
Plenty of Sun finished second and Bold Entry was third. Hold for More paid $2.10 to win. He is expected to compete Aug. 8 in the $80,000 Minnesota Derby.
