Canterbury’s 2012 Claiming Series got underway last night with the first of three qualifying races for fillies and mares (the next two are scheduled for June 28 and July 12). Boneafide Cat looked tough on paper and proved tough on the racetrack running away to a three-length victory under Adolfo Morales for trainer Clay Brinson (Brinson is off to an impressive start winning 7 races from 10 starts).
Through the first race for fillies and mares, here’s a breakdown of the leading female point earners in the 2012 Claiming Series:
Boneafide Cat – 8 Points
Gracias – 7 Points
Rasin a Delight – 6 Points
Havasu – 5 Points
Dakota Song – 4 Points
Samba’s Run – 3 Points
Lovely Tak – 2 Points
Dangerous Peg – 1 Point
The top 12 point earners will qualify for a $25,000 Championship Race which will be held for Fillies and Mares on August 2.
Surprisingly, there were only three claims dropped in the race (2 for Boneafide Cat and 1 for Lovely Tak). It was expected that there would be a lot more claiming activity given the fact that these runners will have a chance to run for big money come August. However, this series is new to Canterbury Park in 2012 and it may be that some trainers and owners are still trying to figure out the process.
Boneafide Cat was claimed for $3,500 by trainer Larry Donlin for Metzen, Kaplan & Strangis.
Lovely Tak was claimed for $3,500 by trainer Clay Brinson for the Canterbury Racing Club.
The colts and geldings get their first turn at a qualifying race next Thursday night.
Look for many of these fillies and mares to run back two weeks from yesterday on Thursday, June 28 as they will continue to try to earn points to qualify for the August 2 Championship.
For more information on the Canterbury Claiming Series, please visit www.canterburypark.com.
The 2012 Canterbury Claiming Series is sponsored by Continental Diamond.
This blog was written by Canterbury Park’s Live Racing and Digital Media Coordinator Andrew Offerman. Offerman has served in this role since returning to Minnesota in 2010 after earning his Master’s Degree from the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program.
