Many of the richest Minnesota-breds in racing will line up in Wednesday featured stakes. The $50,000 Lady Slipper, which begins the $1 Pick 6 as the fourth race, attracted seven fillies and mares while the $50,000 10,000 Lakes stakes, race five, kicks off the 10% takeout Pick 5 wager that has a $91,333 carryover. The 10,000 Lakes has a field of eight, all stakes winners. Both races are at the six furlong distance.
Ready to Runaway is the 8/5 morning line favorite in the Lady Slipper. The 5-year-old mare was
a neck away from a perfect five for five 2020 Canterbury Park season. The reigning horse of the meet won the Lady Slipper last summer along with the Glitter Star Stakes and the Bella Notte Minnesota Distaff Sprint. Trainer Mac Robertson has named Roimes Chirinos to ride. Ready to Runaway has two 2021 starts at Oaklawn. Both were non-threatening off-the-board finishes with speed figures well below her 2020 ability.
The field also includes 2020 Minnesota Oaks winner Hotasapistol; multiple stakes winner Firstmate; Rush Hour Traffic winner of the 2019 Northern Lights Debutante; Clickbait, another Robertson trainee who won the Princess Elaine Stakes last season; Diva de Kela, the only non-stakes winner in the field; and 3-year-old Star of the North will face older fillies and mares for the first time.
Star of the North won last year’s Northern Lights Debutante and in 2021 won a pair of stallion stakes at Sam Houston Race Park. The last 3-year-old to win the Lady Slipper was A. J. Bakes in 2008, who also won the Debutante in her 2-year-old season.
Ruben Fuentes will have the mount, substituting for regular rider Ry Eikleberry who is serving a three-day suspension stemming from an incident at the end of last season. Francisco Bravo trains the daughter of The Hunk for owner Michael Grossman.
The 10,000 Lakes is star-studded as well. The two richest Minnesota-breds in the history
of racing, Hot Shot Kid and Mr. Jagermeister, will meet in this stake for the third time. Mr. Jagermeister defeated Hot Shot Kid in 2018,skipped the race in the 2019 rendition which Hot Shot Kid won and last year was run down by a fast-closing Hot Shot Kid. Both have earnings of more than $600,000.
Each of the eight entered in the 10,000 Lakes is a stakes winner. Drop of Golden Sun ran out $120,327 in purse money in a 2020 campaign that saw him winning the Wally’s Choice and Blair’s Cove Stakes, both routes. Tonight’s sprint distance may not be his best and his propensity to go for the lead could result in a pace battle.
First post on Wednesday is 5:10pm. The $1 Pick 6 carryover is $7,714.
