OPENING NIGHT A WARMUP FOR KENTUCKY DERBY
BY JIM WELLS Opening night at Canterbury Park Friday gave a crowd of 7,569 a chance to sharpen their handicapping skills and flex a few wagering muscles as a warmup to the Kentucky Derby. By the time they filed out of the parking lots, former Canterbury riding champ Ry Eikleberry had left an early impression […]
KENTUCKY DERBY STANDS ALONE
BY JIM WELLS On the first weekend of May it might yet be possible to find vestiges of the season past in nooks and crannies untouched by the warming sun, a sight made possible by one of the longest winters in recent Minnesota memory. Seventeen inches in late April? Yet, there is no siren call […]
JUST WHEN AAA WOULD HAVE COME IN HANDY
by Jim Wells Two riders who’ve made names for themselves at Canterbury Park had similar problems on their vehicles Wednesday on their way to or from Shakopee. Hall of Fame rider Scott Stevens had to pick up a new tire for his motor home in New Mexico on Wednesday after discovering one had gone bad […]
EIKLEBERRY CLAIMS A SMALL PIECE OF CANTERBURY HISTORY
BY JIM WELLS Ry Eikleberry had not been on a quarter horse that he could recall, and yet Jerry Livingston wanted him to ride for his barn. It was 2006 and Livingston, without a rider, pursued the young jockey through his parents. “I was pretty much like a lot of people who don’t know,” […]
EIKLEBERRY WEAVES THROUGH THE TRAFFIC
BY JIM WELLS Patrons who contributed to the congestion that surrounded all entrances to Canterbury Park on Sunday got a rare glimpse into the past, into the halcyon days of Minnesota horse racing when such scenes were daily occurrences. There were even “cops” directing traffic based on the destination of a vehicle’s occupants _ […]
YOU’RE NOT A WINNER UNTIL YOU GET A WIN
BY JIM WELLS Ask any rider or trainer and you will get the same reply. They might express it differently but the thought is the same nonetheless: There is an invisible wall that has to be scaled before he or she truly feels part of the action, a real participant, an authentic factor. […]
Ry Eikleberry
By Kristin Bechthold Ry Eikleberry was Canterbury Park’s leading jockey for 2014 with 327 starts and 64 wins, giving him a total of $1,184,650 in earnings. Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Eikleberry rides at Zia Park and Sunland Park in New Mexico in the winter and at Canterbury Park in the summer. Eikleberry’s passion for horse […]
IT’S TIME TO SADDLE UP
IT’S TIME TO SADDLE UP By JIM WELLS The morning scene is no different than last year, the year before that or, for that matter, even in 1985, when Minnesota’s first pari-mutuel horseracing facility joined the state’s sporting scene. The diurnal rhythms of barn life continue, one generation to the next. Stablehands unload their wheelbarrows […]
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 […]
Jockeys Still Making Moves
In mid-April it was reported here that Ry Eikleberry, last year’s leading rider, would not return to Shakopee to defend that title. He did leave wiggle room though: “Things can always change…….,” Ry said. Apparently they have, as he is now expected to arrive here early in the week according to agent Chad Anderson, who […]
