Hermann to Make History
Racing fans know her as the vivacious woman in the paddock, dispensing information with the rapid-fire delivery of a Gatling gun. She can overwhelm the cerebral senses with a volley of facts and details that roll off her tongue with the authority and understanding of someone who knows her stuff inside and out. Right or […]
Festival Roots Run Deep
Many of the same people have been part of this from the start and still celebrate this annual toast to the Minnesota thoroughbred and quarter horse, an idea spawned when international corporate interests were intent on changing the shape of horse racing in Minnesota. The Minnesota Festival of Champions is an afternoon devoted exclusively to […]
A Very Gray Kinda (Month) Day
The fourth race on Saturday’s card summed up the afternoon and most of the meet this spring/summer/fall at the same time. Very, very gray. The race drew an 11-horse field that included four grays. Four grays in one race? When is the last time you’ve seen that? Racing operations analyst and tote board messiah Andrew Offerman […]
Festival of Champions 2012: Sunny Days Ahead
It’s been twenty years since an unforgettable dark cloud hung over Canterbury Downs, a black funnel positioned to wipe out an entire industry and its primary place of business as well. Despite the hovering threat and very long odds of survival, horsemen saw a ray of hope. Nearly everyone expected a shutdown of this still […]
A Derby by Any Other Name is Just as Sweet
The sportscasts percolated with the details that evening and banner headlines blared the news the next morning. A longshot – 72-1 mind you – had won the inaugural running of the $300,000 St. Paul Derby, a race that became at first asking the crown jewel of Minnesota horse racing. The year was 1986 and the […]
