Canterbury Park, Shakopee, Minn logo

Fair Grounds : the start of the Road to Kentucky Contest

fair-grounds-map

Saturday’s entries for Fair Ground‘s 12-race program have been drawn. Those 12 races comprise the first contest in the annual $30,000 Road to Kentucky Handicapping Contest series at Canterbury.  First post Saturday (and contest entry deadline) is 12:30 p.m.  Each week there is $1,350 in prize money to be given away to the top five point earners. First prize is $500.

Simply select one horse in each race and earn points based on the mutuel payouts of your selections. You’ll find the contest entry cards at the third level MVP Center. The week’s featured race, the Lecomte Stakes, is a double-points race.

Following the 3-year-olds as they progress toward the Kentucky Derby is one of the pleasures of this sport and a chance to win money in a free-to-enter contest makes it even better.   Earlier this week The Oracle offered strategy suggestions.

First out winner Runhappy is entered in the Lecomte.  He broke his maiden at first asking at Turfway in December. Generally a maiden win at Turfway in the winter does not generate much interest but Runhappy ran an unusual and extremely green race abut still drew off to victory, earning a big Beyer Speed Figure that is seemingly competitive in Saturday’s Derby prep.  Have a look at his race here. Runhappy is #4.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mE0jGV45Ak&w=420&h=315]

 

 

Michigan’s Kyle Pallin wins his first ever Pro Open main @ Canterbury Racetrack’s PIRTEK Snocross National

Kyle Pallin actio (1)

by  Pat Schutte

PR Director, ISOC Racing

 

Two first-time pro class winners highlighted this past Saturday’s  main event action at round six of AMSOIL Championship Snocross, powered by Ram’s PIRTEK Snocross National, presented by Jimmy John’s.

Capturing the top spot in front of a packed house at Canterbury in the premier Pro Open class was Kyle Pallin (Mystic/Loctite/Polaris).

One of the best starters in the business, Pallin parlayed the Stud Boy Holeshot into the early race lead – much as he’s done in numerous main events the past two seasons. But this time Pallin had it in his head that tonight’s Pro Open main event would be his race, his to win – and he did just that, leading the event from start to finish in scoring his first-ever Pro Open class victory.

“Oh my gosh – I could not be more pumped,” beamed Pallin from the podium, flanked by his father, Steve, and Mystic/Loctite/Polaris team owner Levi LaVallee. “I got the holeshot and got out in front and just kept telling myself ‘This is my night and nobody’s going to take this lead from me.’ So the holeshot was huge and this was a great win for the Mystic/Loctite/Polaris team!”

Rocketing out of the start alongside Pallin was Friday’s Pro Open class winner Ross Martin (Judnick Motorsports/Polaris). Martin would show a ski to Pallin a couple times on the first lap, while also playing a bit of a cat and mouse game with line selection. But by lap two Pallin had opened up a 1.2 second lead on Martin, and would continue to build on that throughout the course of the contest.

Joining Pallin and Martin up front early on was Friday podium finisher Tim Tremblay (AMSOIL/Scheuring/Ski-Doo). The three would separate from the rest of the pack, clicking off fast lap after fast lap – all at pretty much identical times.

Stuck back in the pack after a self-described “terrible” start was Pro Open defending champ and overall point leader Tucker Hibbert (Monster Energy/Arctic Cat/Ram). Again the No. 1 qualifier, Hibbert was looking for his 100th pro win. But running in 7th place as the race neared its midway point, it certainly looked on paper like Hibbert would not have enough time to catch Pallin.

But damned if he didn’t try.

Moving up to 5th place by the end of lap eight, Hibbert was 9.5 seconds back of Pallin. By lap nine he’d made it up to 4th, getting past Hentges Racing/Polaris’ Kody Kamm. But that effort alone would take two laps, and it wouldn’t be until lap 12 where Hibbert would catch up to Tremblay – and make a pass for the podium.

“I rode really bad for the first five or six laps,” admitted Hibbert. “I gave it everything I had, but Kyle and Ross rode really well tonight.”

With Pallin’s pending victory never really much in doubt, Hibbert would catch – and pass – Martin on the white flag lap, but just flat ran out of time in his pursuit of Pallin. Rounding out the top five tonight were Tremblay in 4th and Kamm in 5th.

Canterbury Saturday Pro Open Results

 

1 – Kyle Pallin, Ironwood, MI, Polaris

2 – Tucker Hibbert, Pelican Rapids, MN, Arctic Cat

3 – Ross Martin, Burlington, WI, Polaris

4 – Tim Tremblay, Ste Jeanne D’Arc, Quebec, Ski-Doo

5 – Kody Kamm, Kenosha, WI, Polaris

6 – Adam Renheim, Sweden, Ski-Doo

7 – Corin Todd, Otego, NY, Polaris

8 – Justin Broberg, Mukwonago, WI, Polaris

9 – Jon Stenberg, Sweden, Ski-Doo

10 – Logan Christian, Fertile, MN, Arctic Cat

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmWNkaFQprg&w=560&h=315]

 

Overall Pro Open Points (6 of 16 rounds)

1 – Tucker Hibbert, 253

2 – Kyle Pallin, 213

3 – Tim Tremblay, 209

4 – Kody Kamm, 186

5 – Logan Christian, 156