STARS SHINE UNDER SATURDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
BY JIM WELLS They might start referring to this August experiment as Saturday Night Lights, and thereby turn it into something permanent for future meets. Then again, the jury is still out with most of the month still ahead. Nonetheless, Saturday night’s mix of stake races and enticing repasts from a variety of concessionaires who […]
Dean Butler
By Kristin Bechthold Dean Butler is currently the leading jockey at Canterbury Park. He was Canterbury’s 2013 Leading Thoroughbred Jockey, a title he also held for 2011, 2010, and 2009. He spends the summer at Canterbury Park and the winter at Tampa Bay Downs in Tampa, Florida. Growing up in Saratoga Springs, New York, Butler […]
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 […]
Looking Back to Plan Ahead
By The Oracle Understanding statistics in horse racing is a valuable tool in the handicapping process. Having knowledge of historical results can add perspective and insight as we watch the current year’s races play out. Using prior year’s statistics, we can identify certain trends that we would like to take advantage of in 2015, and […]
Meet Not Nearly Over For Some Trainers, Riders
On a cool, autumnal-like evening in Shakopee Friday night horsemen discussed plans for their departures once Canterbury racing concludes next Saturday. With four days left in the 2014 meet in Shakopee, arrangements are being made way to ship horses to other racing venues, make arrangements for their arrival and to clear up outstanding bills […]
FINAL DAYS WILL DETERMINE RIDING CHAMP
The season is winding down, a mere 12 racing cards remain, and one of the most watched features of these final days is the race for leading rider of the year, the champion jockey of the 2014 meet. Will it be Alex Canchari, who came close last year but was handcuffed over the final days […]
2013 Meet Closes with Significant Increases
Canterbury Park’s 69-day racing season, the longest since 2006, concluded on September 14 with gains in average handle and attendance. Off-track wagering, dollars bet on Canterbury races at other tracks and through internet sites, increased by 46.7 percent while average daily on-track wagering was up 4.8 percent. Average daily attendance was 6,656, a Canterbury Park […]
2013 Champions Determined
The skies were forbidding and dark much of the day, but the finish was one of the most colorful in Canterbury Park history as the 2013 race meet came to a stirring conclusion. The weather was really not a factor until light rain began falling midway through the card. It was somewhat heavier by the […]
Relays & Riding Title Drama
The spectacle is every bit as good the second time around, although a miscue before the first heat of Friday night’s Indian relay racing shortened the field to three teams. A horse reared up while his rider attempted to mount and then disappeared into the gloaming of the overhead lights with an outrider in hot […]
2013 Festival Records & Repeats
The Festival of Champions has always been, from Day One, one of the best days of the race meet in Shakopee. Crowds, enthusiasm and competitive races are the order of the occasion. The Festival annually is one of the grandest days of the summer, including Sunday’s rendition that drew a crowd of 15,023 and record-setting off-track […]
