WALKER, BATTLING ILLNESS, WANTS TO GO HOME
The jockey colony gathers before each day’s racing card to say a prayer together for their collective safety in the upcoming races. Often they include injured riders in those prayers, colleagues who’ve been hurt during morning workouts, during a race or even in the gate as the race is about to take place. It is […]
Record Crowd of 17,053 Enjoys 2012 Festival
The Festival of Champions began 20 years ago as a rebuke to track management at the time, as a demonstration by horsemen that the Ladbroke Corp.’s marketing strategies and ideas about live racing were wrong. They’ve been proving that nearly every year of live racing since, often most notably on Festival day, but never quite […]
Troubled Trip – Thepointman
Last thursday night saw a lot of trouble: The first Buck Night of the year, the turf racing and Thepointman – were all affected by the rain. In the third event, a rather inexperienced lineup took to the racetrack with two Tony Rengstorf entries. Lambda Nu and Thepointman appear to have worked together for a […]
12,120 Enjoy Father’s Day Stakes
As the second choice at 7-2, it was difficult to call this horse a sleeper. But that’s exactly what he is, anytime you visit him in the barn. Ask his owners, Al and Bill Ulwelling, Canterbury Park’s champion owners the last two seasons. “This horse sleeps all the time, but I guess that’s good,” said […]
The Crafty Cajun
Bobby Walker, Jr., made his way up the tunnel after a race last week, moving slowly and clearly in pain but intent on riding the next race nonetheless. It wasn’t going to happen. He simply wasn’t able, not after taking the head of an 1,100-pound thoroughbred directly to the groin. The question here doesn’t concern his […]
As Tough As Nails (With Video)
Say it to anyone around the track and you’ll get an immediate look of understanding or a nod of respect. He works the gate. Stories abound around any racing community about accidents in the gate, about horses stomping, tearing or kicking a member of the gate crew into the next county. “I’ve seen horses throw […]
2012 Jockey Rumor Mill Begins
You know the live race meet is near when the Canterbury stable begins coming to life. Trainers are now sending in their advance teams to prepare barns for the imminent arrival of horses this week. Lay down the mats, hang the tubs, bed the stalls, sharpen the pitch forks. The main track will open for […]
