Closing Time
By Noah Joseph It is that time of year again. The days are getting shorter, a chill is in the air, and the kids are back in school. Autumn is on the way, and with it, the end of another season of live racing at Canterbury Park. This is closing weekend for the live race […]
Street Sense Colt Tops MTA Yearling Sale
The annual Minnesota Thoroughbred Association Yearling Sale was held Sunday evening in the Canterbury Expo Center with the hammer dropping on the sales topper for $82,000. Forty-eight Minnesota bred yearlings and one Kentucky bred yearling went through the sales ring resulting in gross sales of more than a half-million dollars. The sale topper was Hip […]
The “A Team” Making Memories
By Mari Ballinger The “A Team.” Canterbury’s 25-year announcer Paul Allen says it every time he and fourth-year paddock analyst Brian Arrigoni handicap Canterbury races for the public. The “A Team.” The Announcer and the Analyst. Allen and Arrigoni. The ultimate Canterbury duo. Whether they are playing blackjack before a long day of racing or […]
Who is the Horse of the Meet?
Twenty-eight races will be run over two days to conclude the 2019 live race meet. Within a season of races is the race for the top honor of being named Horse of the Race Meet. It’s not a monetary award, to gain that honor much money has already been made on the track, rather an […]
Boys To Men
By Noah Joseph Last Sunday, Mr. Jagermeister put together another dominating performance. He won the Crocrock Minnesota Sprint Championship to gain a third straight stakes victory on Festival of Champions Day. And while many people think Mr. Jagermeister may be the best horse to ever come from Canterbury Park, at one time it could have […]
Beginner’s Luck
By Mari Ballinger Despite their name, Beginner’s Luck Racing, they are far from rookies in the racing industry. Derek Drews, John Zobel, John Means, Drew Semenra, Dave Shannon, Joe Scurto, and Jeff Metz all have one thing in common: a love for horses and spending time at the racetrack. For 25-year-old Drews, his interest in […]
Festival A Family Affair
By Jim Wells The Festival of Champions has a family air about it, and always has. After all, it is about Minnesota horses, the farms they represent and the people who breed, own and train them. In many respects is has become the perfect sidekick to the Minnesota State Fair. The 26th running of the […]
Festival A Memory Maker
BY JIM WELLS Songs and poetry have used the term ad nauseum, sometimes incorporating it into titles or lyrics: “Memories” are made of this, a trip down “memory” lane. It might be put to better use in the identification of the annual celebration of Minnesota horses. How about this: Festival of Champions, a Memory Maker. […]
Butzows Have Been In For The Long Run
We’ve heard this one before: A guy buys a horse with friends. It wins easily. First time out. He ventures into new parternerships. Those horses win maiden starts, too. Notions take over: Horse racing is a piece of cake. A walk in the park. Like printing money. The hook is set. Reality will set in […]
Bell Still the Leading Festival Rider
By Jim Wells Nobody has ridden more Festival of Champions winners than Derek Bell, the Canterbury Park Hall of Fame rider who has been to the winner’s circle 24 times on this annual day of tribute to Minnesota horses. That total is six more than Dean Butler and 13 in front of Scott Stevens. Bell […]