Trainer, Owner Races Nip and Tuck
BY JIM WELLS The autumnal atmosphere that settled over Shakopee on Saturday hinted at a variety of things immediately ahead, none more pressing to the riders and horsemen than closing day. There are travel plans to be completed, respites to be taken and, for some, immediate hookups with trainers and agents where needed after the […]
22nd Annual Dog Days Handicapping Contest & more….
The 22nd annual Dog Days of Summer Handicapping Tournament takes place this Saturday and Sunday. The event dates back to the 90s before handicapping contests were as popular as they have become today. Dog Days is perhaps the first, but most certainly the longest running, live bankroll contest in the country. In the early years, […]
Bushrod Wins 1st Mystic Lake Turf Express
By Jim Wells Only in horse racing do the storylines sometimes seem to come out of a children’s storybook, heroes emerging from unlikely places under unusual circumstance; little guys being lifted to the level of those who dominate the world up above; heartwarming tales of the men and women who keep the world turning but […]
Wednesday Night Racing Joins Scene
BY JIM WELLS Something is about to happen at Canterbury Park that hasn’t taken place since the facility was known as Canterbury Downs. Wednesday racing. Wednesday cards were a regular occurrence in the Downs days, at least when the allure of racing and pari mutuel betting were new to the sports scene in Minnesota and […]
Belmont’s Size Makes It A Rider’s Race
BY JIM WELLS It is one-of-a-kind, the only racetrack in the United States with such vast dimensions, awe-inspiring if not intimidating to anyone who has not dealt with its sweeping turns and long straightaways. Its forbidding size can swallow a horse and rider whole if he’s not prepared, doesn’t calculate its differences and transfer them […]
Ry Eikleberry A Proven Winner At Canterbury Park
By: Rebecca Roush Jockey Ry Eikleberry won five consecutive races last Friday, with winners ranging in price from $3.80 to $15.60, and victories coming in sprints and routes on both turf and dirt. Ry knew from a very young age that he wanted to race horses one day. The fourth-generation horseman grew up in Cave […]
Key To Belmont Might Be A Fit, Rested Horse
BY JIM WELLS You are Bob Baffert and your barns are well stocked with expensive horses, but there is one of them asked about almost exclusively in recent days. The 3-year-old Chestnut colt under your care is attracting a lot of attention, questions about his health, his demeanor. Has anything changed since Pimlico ? Baffert […]
Painted Dynasty Fastest Qualifier for Gopher State Derby
Painted Dynasty, trained by Jason Olmstead and ridden by Ry Eikleberry, was the fastest qualifier from three 400-yard trials held today. The final will be held June 9 with a purse of $34,150. QUALIFIERS Painted Dynasty Olmstead 20.18 Marfilmio Hanson 20.22 First of 15 […]
Sunday News and Notes
Highlights After kicking off the 70-day live race meet at Canterbury Park on the weekend of the Kentucky Derby, it is only right that we take a look back on a successful start. -Canterbury is home to a very talented group of jockeys this season. Leading jockeys for this meet include: Ry Eikleberry with a […]
EIKLEBERRY FEELING RIGHT AT HOME
BY JIM WELLS Sometimes he catches himself in mid sentence and has to correct what he just said. Someone might ask, for instance, how long has he been riding horses for a living. “I’ll say six or seven years,” he said, “and then I’ll catch myself and realize it’s been a lot longer than that.” […]
