By JIM WELLS
Random thoughts and observations on a leisurely Sunday afternoon:
The winner of the first race on Sunday’s card brought together one of the track’s top two stables, the leading trainer and a Hall of Fame jockey.
Handicappers couldn’t overlook those factors in their analysis of the first race and give strong consideration to Carson’s Honor, a 3-year-old son of Honour and Glory, and didn’t. Jeff Maday, in his program analysis, pointed out that “(Jockey Scott) Stevens should be just off the early pace with a chance to win.”
Stevens and Carson’s Honor did just that, and for the second straight day the rider opened the card with a win, this time for Jer-Mar Stable and trainer Mac Robertson.
The Robertson stable accounted for the daily double, in fact, after defending riding champ Derek Bell brought in Alpha Tammy for owner Joseph Novogratz of Eden Prairie.
Trainer Tammy Domenosky walked past a group of people in the grandstand Sunday afternoon when a bystander reached out to touch her to determine if she was in fact “red-hot.”
“Don’t,” she said. “I don’t want it to rub off.”
The red-hot Domenosky stable had two more winners on Sunday, including Peptalk, a 4-year-old filly owned by Alan and Beverly Kasdan of Plymouth and ridden by Jose Ferrer.
Ferrer, who had three winners on the card, was on the winner of the fourth race, too, a 4-year-old gelding named Wild Brat out of the Jamie Ness barn.
Afterward, the usually talkative Ferrer was, shall we say, at a loss for words in the winner’s circle. “I have nothing to say to you,” he said in response to a question. “You need to give my man here, jockey room custodian/clerk of scales Jerry Simmons, a good story.”.
The fifth race produced some word-play from track announcer Paul Allen after Honky Tonk Slew and Playmeamelodi dueled head to head at about a mile on the turf.
Playmeamelodi and rider Ry Eikleberry were the upset winners at 7-1 for trainer Doug Oliver and owner Gordon Schuster of Edina, with Ferrer and Honky Tonk Slew next.
Ferrer was on Captain Canaveral in the sixth race, producing another winner for Domenosky and owner Scott Arlandson of Rosemount. The Captain outdueled Sax Notes, a 12-1 outsider owned in partnership by Tom Metzen and trained by David Van Winkle.
Owner Gerry Herringer was in the winner’s circle after race seven to celebrate a win by All Hallow’s Eve in her maiden start.
Herringer had high expectations for the filly and was glad the race was over. “I thought she would do well,” he said. “I knew she would run big.”
Rider Dean Butler watched a replay of the race as he removed a piece of protective tape from his nose, broken in a gate incident last weekend.
“The tape keeps the goggles from putting pressure on it,” he explained, then turning his attention to the race. “She didn’t know quite what to do (on the turn),” Butler said. “But she dug in there (outside the 1-16th pole). She’s a nice filly.”
Three Northlands Futurity Trial races concluded the card.
Tag Leggett rode the first winner, Hands Off Buddy for trainer Ed Ross Hardy, a partner in the horse.
Jason Olmstead was on A Sweet Gamble for owner/trainer Amber Blair in the second trial.
The winner of the final trial race, in a tight, tight photo, was Stolis Kool Chick, trained by Hardy and ridden by Leggett.
SOMETIMES THE FACTS ARE A LITTLE MURKY
One of the hot topics of discussion on Sunday was the big hit by Canterbury regulars the day before in the Hollywood Pick Six.
It was news to some people. Hearsay ruled the conversation in some cases. It sounded like a great retirement investment to others.
“Can you imagine that,” said public handicapper Kevin Gorg. “If you took that kind of money and invested it, a person could have a nice retirement nest egg.”
That “kind of money” was nothing to sneeze at. There was a carry over of $86,000 heading into Saturday’s play and another $469,000 was added to that amount at the windows.
One ticket at Canterbury had all six winners and claimed a return of $344,646.
“A woman on the first level of the grandstand professed to have inside knowledge of the winning bet.
“Yeah, it was one ticket,” she said, “but there were 20 to 30 people on it and they pooled several thousand dollars.”
The truth of the matter is there were two investors on the ticket and they pooled a few hundred dollars.
The local partners had the winning ticket to themselves after the favorite failed to come through in the final race of the pick six. They had two horses in the final race, the favorite and another named Coatcheck Girl, who returned $11.60 as the winner.
WHERE’S THE CHAPLAIN?
Quarter horse official Jim Olson was trying to track down Canterbury Park chaplain Tommy Bartram Sunday afternoon.
Olson received a check for $2,000 from Vivian Zimmerman, the window of Skip Zimmerman, for whom the Memorial Stakes on June 7 was named.
“Vivian said to use the money for whatever the new chapel needs,” said Olson. “I went back there and took a look in the window. There isn’t much back there. It seems as if they can use a lot of things. Maybe a pulpit or something.”
Bartram was galloping horses in the morning and working on the gate crew earlier this season. His whereabouts on Sunday afternoon were open to conjecture.
Olson was assured that the money will be put to good use, and that best way to reach Bartram might be through prayer.
