Finally, A Triple Crown Winner
A majority of the 12,226 in attendance Saturday at Canterbury Park came to watch a simulcast of the Belmont Stakes and American Pharoah become the 12th thoroughbred in history to win the Triple Crown, but the 10-race undercard of live racing provided its share of, if not history, thrills and generous pari-mutuel payouts. The only […]
Canterbury Connections – October 18-19
Friday, October 18: Canterbury Connections Hawthorne – Race 8 – Princess Dinah – We only saw one race out of this filly in Minnesota, but her first career start was a doozy for Clay Brinson. She beat a highly-regarded (and heavily bet) Mac Robertson firster named Where’s Alayna after breaking slowly from her rail draw. […]
Mystic Lake Derby Day Nears
Go ahead and pick up the champagne, dig out the attire you wore last year for the race, careful to assure everything is the same, not a single accoutrement out-of-place, cross your fingers and don’t say anything that might be construed as a jinx. “My dad’s superstitious,” said Lori Keith. “It will have to be […]
There’s No Place Like (Almost) Home
He last trained in the Sonoran desert but Robertino Diodoro has the characteristics of a long-time Minnesotan. He knows all about cold and ice. He grew up in it. He knows all about the game of hockey. He grew up playing it and is a National Hockey League fan. He doesn’t like it but shoveling […]
Vergara (Finally) Arrives in Shakopee
An owner once refused to let Daniel Vergara ride his horse because he found the jockey’s handshake unimpressive. A bit too lifeless. Then again, horses seem to like Vergara’s hands because they are gentle, imbued with finesse. Vergara, a native of Mexico City, has been in the United States for the past two decades, riding in […]
A Career Determined by Destiny
The next time someone tells you there is no such thing as destiny, that anyone who says “it was written in the stars” is one brick short of a full load or that a person’s bloodline has nothing to do with personal choices, talk to Dan McFarlane. The affable trainer from Phoenix, Ariz., who is […]
Agent & Rider Make a Team
Susie McBrayer had her jacket wrapped tightly around her against the spring cold as she walked the stable area Friday morning. A native of Southern California who arrived in Shakopee by way of Phoenix, McBrayer is still trying to acclimate herself to these new chilly surroundings. “I wear a jacket with a hood so I suppose […]
