July 3rd Racing Preview
The five-day Independence Day racing week kicks off on Tuesday, July 3rd with a special 4PM Post Time. The day features some great racing including one quarter horse race (the Great Lakes Stakes) followed by 10 thoroughbred races (including the Blair’s Cove Stakes and the HBPA Mile Stakes). Two Pick 4s carrying a $.50 minimum […]
Great Lakes Stakes Preview
It is the height of stakes season here at Canterbury Park, where we are in the midst of four stakes races for quarter horses in less than two weeks. The highlight of last weekend was the Minnesota Stallion Breeders’ Quarter Horse Futurity, on Sunday, June 24th. A field of ten qualifiers ran 350 yards for a […]
Nik Goodwin – The Local Boy
Nik Goodwin got his first look at the backside of Canterbury Downs in late spring of 1986. His father, Duane, trained a single quarter horse and Nik, a fifth grader, spent the summer with him, cleaning stalls and hanging out on the backside. His father and grandfather had raced in the bushes and at small […]
“Q” Stakes Previews & Recaps
Summer is the peak season of quarter horse racing, and this year is no exception. Let’s recap a few of the recent major races and use them to identify future handicapping opportunities. June 9th brought us the Minnesota Stallion Breeders and North Central Derby, featuring three-year-olds running 400 yards for $12,500. Fastest qualifier and even-money […]
Saturday Stakes Preview
With all the news about I’ll Have Another’s attempt – ruined due to a scratch – to complete the Triple Crown, it may be overlooked that Quarter horses have an unofficial triple crown series, though the structure is a bit different. The quarter horse triple crown consists of three futurities, held at Ruidoso Downs throughout […]
Handicapping Young Quarter Horses
Springtime at the track assures one thing: two-year-old maidens abound. Though the AQHA and its regional affiliates promote racing for horses of all ages and often incentivize racing for older horses, the speed with which quarter horses mature and the money and prestigious races available enable many horses’ racing careers to begin early in their […]
