Claiming Crown Horse Helping Kids

by JIM WELLS

Put aside your handicapping instincts for one race on Saturday and scream yourself hoarse for Antrim County. Never mind that he's the chalk in the $50,000 Claiming Crown Iron Horse and might not provide enough in change to plug the parking meter for an hour.

Forget for just this race on Saturday that finding the right combination for a nice exacta means anything. Forget about making a buck. If you can't do that, then make your wager and root for Antrim County anyway.

Root for this horse because he helps keep kids off the street in Louisville, Ky. Root for him because he's teaching these kids with parents who abused them or with no parents at all how to care for themselves. Root for this son of Giant's Causeway because he keeps certain youngsters away from the crack dealers and safe from the adults who sexually or physically and emotionally abused them.

Antrim County is a horse who cares and has people who care about him. Antrim Country is a life-changing horse, able to do what human beings sometimes cannot. This horse just might be able to heal hearts and mend damaged psyches, to restore a youngster's spirit and faith in a world that previously has done just the opposite.

In actuality, Antrim Country is part of the equine program at Boys Haven in Louisville, founded in the 1940s by Father James Maloney along the same lines as Boys Town, a place to help abused and neglected young men and women.

The equine program was the brainchild of a retired Louisville police officer who trains the horse and presented the idea to the Boys Haven board in October of 2006. "I never thought in a million years that it would fly,'' he said.

Jay Wilkinson is the trainer and retired cop who got this idea off the ground. There are 23 acres at Boys Haven devoted to this program. A 12-stall barn was built at a cost of $110,000 in March of 2007. There are 36 youngsters, six of them girls, in the program, which already has sent seven graduates who previously had no visible means of support into the thoroughbred industry as grooms, hot-walkers or exercise riders. "One kid is making $29,000 a year now,'' Wilkinson said. He had never made a cent before. "Now he has his own townhouse and pays his own bills.''

Wilkinson worked as a part-time volunteer for 10 years at Boys Haven. He went to work full time at the facility when he retired from the police force eight years ago. He knows kids and what makes them tick.

He figured that matching kids up with horses might work wonders. There are 36 kids enrolled in the program, six of them girls. Not all of them will wind up rubbing horses or cleaning stalls. Wilkinson figures that the discipline of the stables will help them in any endeavor they attempt. "They have to get up in the morning at 6 a.m. and we work until 6 p.m.,'' he explained. The discipline required to care for a horse will be a benefit in any occupation.

Wilkinson said that 750 kids will leave foster care this year in Kentucky. Only 150 of them will have the wherewithal to attend college. The other 600 will enter the community without family support. "A lot of them will end up on the streets or in homeless shelters or prison,'' he said. "If we can help even a small number of those it's worth the effort.''

Wilkinson started out as a harness trainer and driver in 1983 but abandoned the standardbreds after Churchill Downs purchased Louisville Downs in 1990. "I still had a ways to go until retirement so I didn't have time to travel the (standardbred) circuit,'' he said. He switched to thoroughbreds.

In the years he spent on the backside, Wilkinson saw numerous kids who came off the streets to find productive lives in the stables at Churchill Downs. That provided the idea he presented to the Boys Haven board two years ago.

Originally, the horses were worked over the fields on the Boys Haven acreage devoted to the equine program. Churchill Downs offered some stalls after learning of the program and some of the work is now done there.

"You know there are 100,000 jobs in the thoroughbred industry in Kentucky that these kids can fill. There is a future for them there,'' Wilkinson said.

An ownership group of eight Louisville business men claim the horses for Boys Haven. The program now has 10 horses. The youngsters in the program then receive 10 percent of whatever the horses earn, providing them with money to buy personal items for their apartments at Boys Haven.

When Boys Haven lost its first horse, Stanton, in a claim, the group used the money to purchase Antrim's County.

The horse is named for a small county in Kentucky. Wilkinson claimed him at Churchill Downs in May, figuring he might be a good one because veteran trainer Bernie Flint had claimed him, lost him and claimed him back. "If Bernie claims a horse more than once, he must have seen something,'' Wilkinson said.

Antrim County won two starts for his new owners at Churchill Downs. "Then we shipped him to Arlington Park and he ran third for $50,000 on July 9,'' Wilkinson said. "He's sort of a stalking horse. He'll run third or fourth. He's a true two-turn horse and I think the race on Saturday ( 1 1/16 miles) sets up nice for him. There's some decent speed in there.''

Antrim has a local connection. He is from the Fappiano mare Bright Feather. Fappiano was out of the Frances Genter Stable, which had a rich thoroughbred legacy and owned several great sires and racehorses, including 1990 Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled. Genter, who lived in Bloomington, is in the Canterbury Park Hall of Fame.

Antrim County has a record of six wins, four seconds and six thirds from 36 career starts with earnings of $156,780. He has won four of his eight starts in 2008 with one third.

Antrim County will have two of his grooms at his side in the paddock Saturday. Jeremiah Lentz, 19, and Herbie Felix,18, accompanied the horse. Lentz is from Louisville. Felix is from Lexington. The other 34 kids in the class at Boys Haven have a cookout planned for Saturday and will watch the race on television.

You can imagine the excitement they will feel as they watch their horse run at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., a place many of them had never heard of before. It might as well be the moon, but if you join the chorus for this horse on Saturday and hope for him with your heart and soul, you just might hear the sound of youngsters screaming their lungs out in Louisville, Ky.

Or think you do.

Claiming Crown News & Notes

by JIM WELLS

The former manager of a world championship baseball team and current owner of standardbred horses addressed a roomful of thoroughbred people on Wednesday morning.

Tom Kelly, who managed the Minnesota Twins to two world titles, was the featured speaker and assisted with the draw for the Claiming Crown races.

Kelly, introduced by radio personality and Canterbury Park Hall of Fame member Dark Star, told the gathering what he tells Twins minor league players every year.

"It is not enough to simply show up,'' he said. "You have to make something happen.''

Kelly stressed the importance of not only being part of an endeavor but of making a contribution above and beyond what is expected, of giving whatever you do your very best effort.

Kelly once raced thoroughbreds and later went into racing harness horses as well as greyhounds, which drew a snicker when it was mentioned during the introductory remarks.

Kelly acknowledged that reaction good-naturedly and then talked about how thoroughbreds, standardbreds and dogs were all athletes and that participation with any one of the three required a whole-hearted effort and dedication.

Canterbury Park president/CEO Randy Sampson expressed his pride that the Shakopee racetrack was where the Claiming Crown originated.

"It's hard to believe that this is the 10th rendition of the Claiming Crown,'' he said. "We're very pleased and proud that this is where it started.''

Canterbury Park has hosted seven of the previous nine runnings of the Claiming Crown, which annually draws one of its biggest crowds and handles. The card includes seven Claiming Crown races offering $600,000 in purse money and is sponsored by Canterbury Park in conjunction with the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Assn. and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Assn.

Media relations director Jeff Maday recalled the first running of the Claiming Crown and a horse named Aplomado, held together during the stretch run by Laffit Pincay, Jr., as they hit the wire first in the Rapid Transit. "That was the same year that a trainer nobody had heard of showed up for the Claiming Crown with one horse,'' Maday said.

The trainer was Scott Lake who became a household name in the thoroughbred world a few months later and has returned to the Claiming Crown year after year. Lake leads all trainers with eight Claiming Crown victories and has horses for Saturday's running in the $50,000 Iron Horse, $75,000 Daily Racing Form sponsored Glass Slipper and the $150,000 Jewel.

Sixty-four horses are entered in the seven races, highlighted by the Jewel, in which Lake has the 7-2 morning line favorite, Coyoteshighestcall. The favorite in the $100,000 Bremer Bank claiming Crown Emerald is Self Made Man, a 2-1 choice trained by Mike Maker, who saddled three winners in last year's Claiming Crown at Ellis Park.

Allnightdance, trained by Derek Ryan, is the 5-2 pick in the $100,000 John Deere sponsored Tiara. Inhonorofjohnnie, the 2005 winner of the Tiara, is a 4-1 choice.

The locally-based Eagle Storm, trained by Justin Evans, is the 7-2 favorite in the 13-horse field for the $75,000 Daily Racing Form Rapid Transit. Adore You will attempt to become the first horse to win consecutive races in the $75,000 Daily Racing Form Glass Slipper, but at 10-1 has her work cut out, particularly since she is up against 9-5 favorite Morghyn, trained by Tom Amoss.

Antrim County, trained by Cliff Wilkinson, is a 3-1 favorite in the $50,000 Iron Horse. Fireonthewire, trained by Kirk Zaidie, is the 7-2 morning line choice in the $50,000 Allied Waste Services-sponsored Express.

CHAPEL DEDICATED

THE Dean Kutz Memorial Chapel was officially dedicated in conjunction with the weekly Monday evening backside religious service, an event that drew more than 100 stable workers, trainers, owners and others interested in the building that was constructed to honor the memory of Canterbury Park's first jockey in the Hall of Fame.

Kutz, who won riding titles at Canterbury Downs in 1987 and 1988, died in September 2004 of cancer, some time after a failed attempt to resume riding in Shakopee.

The chapel was the brainchild of horseman and architect Steve Erban, who presented the idea to members of the Kutz family following funeral services in North Dakota for the rider. The 3,000-foot structure, located near the racing office on the backside, will be used for weekly services conducted by racetrack chaplain Tommy Bartram and for other activities, including backside community affairs, English lessons and equine training courses.

Monday's dedication was attended by Dr. Enrique Torres, executive director of the Racetrack Chaplaincy of America and Racing Hall of Fame rider Pat Day, who knew Kutz personally.
A dinner followed the dedication.

Hay, Oats and Water: The Gray Filly

By Sheila Williams

The luckiest man on Minnesota Derby Day.

The hazy evening was unfolding in the Ubetcha Bar on Saturday evening. Following a great day of racing, in which I did not cash one bet until I decided to box two of Justin Evans horses for a miniscule return, I focused my attention on the yearling catalog.
I dog-eared five pages I found interesting.

Every seat before the auctioneers was full. I commend the MTA and its volunteers-especially Kay King for putting together a well-planned event.

This year I was one of the gum chewers. It was great to see new breeders, owners and consignors, as well as so many of our 40 year veterans. Although I read that the sales numbers were down, I am convinced that the pedigree and selection improvement throughout the catalog will bring breeders and owners far better horses and sales in the future once we send that fool in the White House back to Texas.

I remember years when the catalog was filled with Mr. Nothing out of the dam Miss Nothing. That is no longer the case. And we have Curtis Sampson and the shareholders of Canterbury Park to thank. We no longer have to worry whether Canterbury Park’s doors will open every spring.

I came out to Canterbury on Saturday to see Minnesota racing’s future. For people who love movement, and balance--whether it is going to the ballet, seeing thoroughbreds or watching a German shepherd in their floating trot--such athletes take your breath away. It must be that way for baseball or football fans as well.

I wanted to see an animal with that potential. Then, in she came.

Gray filly, by Sweetsouthernsaint, out of Cee Knows. She walked in with her handler, neck arched, her wide forehead with an intelligent, yet soft eye. She gazed at the crowd until her handler stopped her gently with a firm, yet gentle hand.

Beautifully balanced, poised, no longer a baby, but not yet a racy filly—anyone could see how she would fill out. She was the color of gray pastel. She could have been a water color by Degas. Her pink nostrils breathed in the sweat, the beer, the thick, sultry evening and fresh cut prairie grass.

Her ears pricked and rotated to the sounds that seemed to interest her. The microphones and the YUPS of the bid spotters did not annoy her.

I imagine she is the type of girl who makes up her mind quickly and holds strong opinions. She nickered and loudly whinnied. Her silver tail, dipped as black as India ink on its tip, popped up and down. She pawed the clay gravel and dirt with her hoof.


Pruning my roses on Sunday, I kept thinking of her. I imagined her feeling the weight of her first saddle. I imagined her appreciating a thick blanket over furry winter coat—unless she is so lucky to go to North Carolina or Florida for the long, bitter winter.

I imagined she is the kind of girl who will take her sweet time learning every new task for becoming a racing filly. Not out of stupidity, but because she will accept new tasks when she is good and ready, and not before.

The bidding moved very fast, very determined. To $26,000. When the hammer went down, she stomped both her back feet, and her muscles quivered from her withers down and over her shoulders.

I saw the winning bid was Wayne Simon of South Dakota. I wonder what he will name her. I want to follow her progress until she foals her first born.

The luckiest man at the track on Saturday was Wayne Simon. Mr. Simon, she has her first racing fan in me. My hunch is she will have many, many fans in her future. You Wayne Simon were the luckiest man at the track.

####

By JIM WELLS

YEARLING SALES PLUMMIT

Ouch! That hurts.

Which probably understates the complete reality of Saturday night’s MTA Yearling Sale, which grossed less than half of last year’s total.

MTA executive secretary Kay King couldn’t do much better in her assessment. “The results are fairly dismal,’’ she said.

Given the dismal state of the nation’s economy and the impact it has had on every facet of the marketplace, a downturn was anticipated in the sales ring on Saturday night. The actual results were worse than many expectations.

Sixty-six of the 74 horses consigned went through the ring and only 30 of them sold for a gross of $189,400.

Forty-eight horses sold at the 2007 sale for a gross of $434,600. The figure was $405,800 in 2006 and $278,500 in 2005.

King said that since proceeds have been down across the nation, even at premier sales, the MTA auction was “pretty much in line with others. That’s fairly typical across the market,’’ she said.

The sales topper on Saturday was a filly by Sweetsouthernsaint out of Cee Knows that was consigned by B&D Thoroughbreds of Blooming Prairie. The buyer was Wayne Simon of Tolstoy, S.D. for a price of $26,000

Clearly the economy was part of the reason for Saturday’s results. “For a lot of people, owning a racehorse is a luxury item’’ King said. “When gas is $4 a gallon, the paycheck doesn’t go quite as far.’’

There is also the very nature of this particular business, which relies on numerous factors. “People familiar with the business know that it goes in cycles,’’ King said. “It has its highs and lows.’’

OAKS WINNER IN FINE FETTLE

A.J. Bakes was none the worse for the wear after proving herself outside of sprint company with a commanding win in the Minnesota Oaks on Saturday. She was a bit tired from her convincing romp and was lying down more than usual in the stall, but otherwise looked to be in good shape.

“She looks good to go,’’ said trainer Todd Hoffrogge, who did a masterful job of preparing this sprinter for a mile and 70 yards. “She came back from the race in good shape.’’

Next up?

Hoffrogge is eying either a sprint or the Distaff Classic in the Festival of Champions Aug. 17. “After the Oaks, I’m a little more confident in her ability to go long,’’ Hoffrogge said. “We’ll play a little chess game. I’ll visit with the owners and (jockey) Scott Stevens and we’ll talk it over.’’

DERBY WINNER WAS ON DEATHBED

For two months last year, Tony Didier wondered if the colt named for his beloved Chicago Cubs would pull through.

Cubfanbudman was being attended to by veterinarians in Lexington, Ky., where he was hospitalized for 60 days in November and December for a severe case of colitis. The colt, then two years old, also underwent surgery on his colon. “It was touch and go there for several days,’’ said trainer Bruce Riecken.

The hospital bill was more than $20,000, but Didier thought it was well worth the effort and the agony when Cubfanbudman came through with a big win in the $60,000 Minnesota Derby on Saturday.

Didier, who lives in David City, Neb., owns two grocery stores, one in David City, the other in Schuyler. He got into racing in 1984 when he asked Herb Riecken to buy a horse for him and currently has 10 with the younger Riecken.

Cubfanbudman, named for the expression used by Cubs announcer Harry Carey, returned from Saturday’s race in good shape.

“It took a little out of him, but he acted like it was no big deal,’’ Didier said. “He cleaned up his feed right after.’’

What Cubfanbudman will do next is undecided. Riecken said that one possibility is a Derby at Assiniboia Downs in late August.

NORTH CENTRAL QUARTER HORSE DERBY

Okey Dokey Irish had a habit of weaving like a car darting in and out of traffic. That is better suited to the asphalt autos than the dirt track quarter horses. Trainer Ralph Haglund straightened Okey Dokey out, Helen King kept him straight and the three-year-old colt won his first race of the year on Sunday, the $20,900 North Central Quarter Horse Racing Association Derby.

Okey Dokey covered the distance, 350 yards, in 17.886 seconds, finishing just in front of Wheely Quick and Paella Sunday.

Okey Dokey’s last start was on Jun 29 in the Canterbury Derby and he ran sixth.“He had a little problem running in a straight line. Now that he can, this is what happens,’’ said Haglund.

A 7-1 choice, Okey Dokey Irish is owned by Tom Pouliot of Loretto, Mn., and is his only horse in training with Haglund, although racing isn’t new to him.

His mother and father, Vernon and Betty, owned a horse named Razzle Dazzlum that won 13 straight races in 1980, the most of any quarter horse in the nation.
The Pouliots bought that horse at the Anoka County Fair for their son.

“Actually they bought that horse for me to barrel race with when I was 15 or 16, Tom said. “It won the Iowa Derby and I didn’t see it after that. In those days, you had to go to Oklahoma and places like that to race quarter horses.’’

Pouliot has a weanling at home in Loretto that will be into training in time and he’s getting into breeding, which will get some help from Sunday’s big win. “I can use that money for that,’’ he said.

Derby and Oaks Recap

By JIM WELLS

She erased all doubt, convincing the skeptics and making believers out of the uncertain by delivering a knockout blow to her eight three-year-old rivals on Saturday afternoon.

A.J. Bakes by a Scott County mile.

The 3-year-old daughter of Boundary from the Olympio mare Linens n Lace got a masterful ride from Hall of Fame jockey Scott Stevens and blew away her opponents in the $60,000-guaranteed Minnesota Oaks.

The race was worth an additional $20,000 as a bonus to A.J. Bakes since she was sold in the 2006 MTA Yearling Sale and also won the Northern Lights Debutante. She fulfilled the third requirement with Saturday’s commanding victory.

Prior to the race there were a number of questions about A.J. despite the fact she had many of the best stats in the race, including the heftiest bank account ($104,098) in the field.

A.J. had been impressive as a sprinter but could she handle a mile and 70 yards ?

There were also all of those uncertainties associated with a sixth-place finish in the Princess Elaine Stakes on July 4, a race in which she finished a 1 ¼ lengths behind Pretty As a Smile, who was also in the Oaks.

Stevens approached Robert Knox, one of A.J.’s owners in the winner’s circle afterward with this comment: “She’s back to her old self again,’’ he said.

Jane’s Gold ran off the winner’s shoulder down the backstretch and hooked up with her on the turn.. Stevens took one look at the horse beside him, loosened up his hold, and the race was over. A.J. drew off to a 9 ½-length victory over Pretty as A Smile, with Marina Nolan finishing third..

The winner paid $7.20, $3.20 and $3.20, with a winning time of 1:43 and 2/5..

You can get a feel for a horse during a morning workout, and more than once Stevens was convinced that A.J. Backes was back in the groove and ready to prove it on the racetrack in the last week...

“We took the blinkers off her and it definitely worked,’’ Stevens said.

Trainer Todd Hoffrogge was certain the filly was ready. . .“She’s in great shape and ready to go,’’ he said on Friday. He also made a strategic equipment change, removing the blinkers so she was more inclined to rate under Stevens.

“She just ran off with me the last couple of times,’’ said Stevens, the horse’s only rider for her eight career starts. “Todd removed the blinkers and she relaxed real nicely for me today.’’

The horse is owned by Knox in collaboration with his stepson, John Baker.

Baker and his wife Tammy have two children, Annie and Jack, whose initials were used along with a derivation of their last name to arrive at A.J. Bakes.

“To see her race like this was pretty exciting stuff,’’ said Jack Baker, 16.

“I expected it to be a lot closer than this,’’ said Annie Baker, 13.

A.J., Canterbury’s 2007 two-year-old champion, had other ideas on the subject and made that obvious. The sprinter proved she could also go a route of ground.

DERBY VICTOR A CUBS AND BUD FAN

The $60,000 Minnesota Derby drew a field of 12 and was generally considered a wide-open affair. That was an accurate assessment, considering that the winner was a 19-1 horse named Cubfanbudman, owned by Tony Didier of David City, Neb., trained by Bruce Riecken and ridden by Jose Betancourt.

Betancourt has had a good week, winning five races, and had to ride coolly to win this race. The winner stalked Brother O Mine on the turn into the backstretch, dropped back to third as The Real Story and Jesse Garcia moved up to challenge down the back and, with just enough in reserve, took command down the stretch.

Hunting Pride, ridden by Juan Rivera was second, and Silver Wilbur, ridden by Stevens, was third.

Didier comes from a community near Columbus, Neb., of about 2,500 and grew up a Cubs fan, hence the name for the winner in the Derby. “Harry Carey used to say that all the time,’’ he said. “A Cubfanbudman.’’

Didier’s a Cubs fan and also drinks Bud. “Bud Light,’’ he said.

Cubfanbudman paid a healthy $41.80 to win, more than enough for a case of Bud Light, with a winning time of 1:45 and 4/5.

CANTERBURY PARK DAY AT RACEWAY PARK

Here’s an opportunity to see a few Canterbury and backstretch employees compete with a different type of horsepower.

As part of Canterbury recognition night at the races, Raceway Park will present an employees race. Among the racing office employees who’ll put the pedal to the metal are racing secretary Doug Schoepf, quarter horse racing secretary Josh Van Oort, clerk of scales Jerry Simmons and clerk of course/placing judge Peggy Davis.

They should all be forewarned that the activity can become addictive.

Ask jockey agent Chuck Costanzo, who drove in this employees race last year. “I got hooked,’’ he said.

Costanzo will drive tonight as well and it’s for real. He’ll be in a 1979 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, churning up Raceway’s dirt track.

“I guess it’s my eighth or ninth time at it this year,’’ he said.

Minnesota Oaks and Derby

by JIM WELLS


A.J. Bakes.

Kind of sounds like a baseball player, doesn't it.

Has the same sort of ring as, say, J.D. Drew.

Except that A.J. and J.D. are worlds apart.

A.J. performs at Canterbury Park.

J.D., the former St. Paul Saint, plays for the Boston Red Sox.

There are other differences, too.

J.D.'s first name is actually David Jonathan, so the initials are reversed, presumably because he doesn't want anyone thinking plays music for a living.

A.J. , on the other hand, got her first name from the initials of the son and daughter of one of the horse's owners: Annie and Jack. Bakes is merely a reference to the kids' last name, Baker.

Now consider this:

J.D. might be a member of the World Series champs, but A.J., last year's champion two-year-old at Canterbury, is taking a shot at Saturday's $60,000 Minnesota Oaks.

She will be the favorite in a field of nine based on some splendid PPs, but presents a question nonetheless. The race could be a bit of a stretch for this girl. She's proven her worth beyond question at sprint distances, but today's contest is at a mile and 70 yards. Therein lies the rub for A.J., although her connections say she is good to go and benefit by losing the blinkers.

"She's been pointing to this race all year and has trained really well,'' said trainer Todd Hoffrogge. "This might not be her best distance, but she's as prepared as well as possible.''

A.J. Bakes is the morning line first choice in the Oaks, and by winning can pick up an additional $20,000 - $10,000 for the breeder and $10,000 for the owner.

"Oh, you don't have to tell me,'' said Bob Knox, who owns the horse in partnership with his stepson, John Baker. There are three conditions for that bonus to apply and A.J. has met two of them. She met the first condition when she was sold at the 2006 MTA Yearling Sale, and met the second by winning the Northern Lights. A horse meeting all three conditions earns $10,000 for the owner and the same amount for the breeder, in this case, Bert and Sandy Dahlberg.

The stable's biggest concern heading into the race is Pretty as a Smile, a 9-2 choice out of the Gary Scherer barn.

"That horse beat A.J. by a length on the turf, but A.J. beat her soundly on the dirt,'' said Hoffrogge

The advantage in that case appears to be A.J.'s. The Oaks is on the dirt.

A.J., who'll have regular Hall of Fame rider Scott Stevens on her back for the Oaks, has by far the best earnings in the field with $104,098 from seven lifetime starts that include four wins and two seconds. Pretty as Smile is next with earnings of $46,730.

Knox is responsible for getting his family involved in horse racing. He bought a horse in 1979 when he was still a resident of Seattle. His trainer was Kathy Hutchinson, who later trained at Canterbury Downs. That was the start of his fascination with the game and he invested in some broodmares as well, until his first wife passed away.

Knox relocated to White Bear Lake 10 years ago when he remarried. His wife, Mary, is mother to John Baker, Bob's partner in A.J. Bakes. John and Tammy Baker have two children, Annie 13, and Jack, 16.

Knox clearly has been around the game and knows some of its ups and downs.

"A friend of mine asked the other day if he should get into horse racing,'' Knox said. "I told that him if he wanted to get out of the game with a million dollars, he would need two million when he got in.''

Just the same, the Knox and Baker families clearly like this game will have their share of butterflies when they fill the paddock before the Oaks.

"We've never had a horse as good as this one,'' said Knox.

"Some people wait a lifetime and never get one like this,'' said Tammy Baker.

"She's in good shape and is ready to run,'' said Knox. "Now we'll see if she likes the distance.''

MINNESOTA DERBY

Baker and Knox also have a horse in the 12-horse $60,000 Minnesota Derby, Mr. Inquisitive, a 12-1 morning line choice. The Derby doesn't have a horse with credentials like A.J. Bakes and is a more wide-open affair.

The morning line favorite at 4-1 line in the Derby is He's No Piker, out of the Mac Robertson barn. That alone will garner plenty of support for the top choice in this race. Ry Eikleberry will ride. He's No Piker is owned by Pete Lyle and Jeff, John and Brian Drown.

Trainer Tammy Domenosky will saddle Sahan, a 5-1 pick, for Kissoon Thoroughbreds. Dean Butler has the mount.

Stevens will ride 6-1 choice Silver Wilber, also owned by the Drowns, out of the Doug Oliver barn, .

BENEFIT A ROUSING SUCCESS

The HBPA benefit staged this week raised $12,000 for three longtime horsemen who've been a part of Canterbury for many years: farrier Gary Ladd, who died recently from cancer, and trainer George Bango and steward Hank Mills who are both ill.

The benefit included a pigroast sponsored by Canterbury and the HBPA as well as an auction that raised funds for the familes of the stricken men.

"It was a fabulous turnout and a great job by everyone involved,'' said HBPA president Tom Metzen. "These people really responded. It was like a big family that reached out to help one another.''

Metzen was thrilled with the response from horsemen of all ilks.

"Barb Noll, Patrice Underwood, John Clark, Cam Casby, Roger Walker, Pat Ediger and Barb Minor did a fabulous job,'' he said.

Several horse owners, including Casby and Barry Butzow, made the winning bids on certain items and then turned around and donated them right back and they were sold again.

Metzen cited Doug Oliver and Scott Stevens among others who made substantial bids for items to help the effort.

Hay, Oats and Water .......

by Sheila Williams

Public Relations People Wanted
Requirements; must have racing, owning, breeding experience
Must not toot your own horn or promote your business
Must allow horses to be the spokesperson


Racing people know that the Barbaro’s and the Eight Belles tragedies can happen whether they are in their pasture or on national television in one of America’s greatest races.

I remember giving a tour to a group of college-level art students at Canterbury Park when a filly snapped her ankle just before the wire. The students were drawing her in pencil in her stall just that morning as a field exercise so at race time they were all rooting for her to win. I had more of an emotional attachment to that filly than they. But I came back to the track the next day, and the day after. I don’t know if any of those students did. There is no way to spin a positive story out of an event like that. So you face it—squarely.

We public relations people at racetracks do not have the resources that groups like PETA have. With boat loads of money and lobbying power, they could actually be a front for the Taliban for all I know. I am certain, however, that animal welfare is not their real agenda.

Case in point. My husband still breeds and shows German shepherd dogs. We used to attend a large winter show at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Happily, this kennel club holds this show at Canterbury Park in the fall now.

A few years ago, the PETA people came and released the crates of some toy size dogs to “set them free” onto Hennepin Avenue. We have German shepherd dogs. They didn’t open our crates.

Last winter in Palm Beach, PETA bought a show catalog—which holds all the exhibitors names competing at the dog show. That way they could harass the exhibitors at home and call the City of Palm Beach complaining about dogs in the city and where they lived.

As I told my fellow employees when I retired from Canterbury; we all have to be the public relations person at the track. Unhappily, Pat Reusse from the Star Tribune found Justin Evans. I didn’t see one opinion piece appear in the paper commenting on Reusse’s column.

Patrick was begging for rebuttal with that piece. That is not the public relations person’s job. It belongs to the real horseman, who doesn’t like to talk so he shies from the press. It belongs to the farrier who makes his living keeping hooves strong. It belongs to the owner of that graded stakes Quarter Horse, and the farm owner who buys a lot of hay and oats in Minnesota. If these people can’t write well, give it to me for an edit. I will help you.

We have to talk, write and video the horses that we love and save. Certainly, Timeless Prince, Canterbury Horse of the Year and now veteran Saint Paul police horse got more ink and video than Barbaro did. But we can’t just nag Jeff Maday and Randy Sampson to do the work. It has to come from the people whose lives and hearts are invested in these animals. And this holds double for the fans.

Before working for Canterbury I wrote troves of stories about racing and racing people.
I wrote about horses who survived amputation surgery, including a stallion who serviced mares after surgery.

My friend Holly sent me a little video of Molly the pony. Abandoned by her owners after Hurricane Katrina hit, Molly not only survived, but is a test case for future Barbaros, and a therapy horse for children who have lost limbs or are facing cancer.

We all know animals like Molly. I know many of you reading this have a Molly in your life. Get that Molly story out. Give the Molly story to Jeff in the press box at Canterbury.
Working yourself into lather because a columnist chooses to write about one of the “usual suspects” in racing is not enough. Become the public relations person for Canterbury and Minnesota racing.

Evans' Stable Prepares for Claiming Crown

by JIM WELLS

As the Claiming Crown approaches trainer Justin Evans finds that he's thinking more and sleeping less.

He no sooner falls into a nice slumber than some unaccounted for piece of business creeps into his consciousness and demands immediate attention.

"I've been getting about three hours sleep a night,'' he said. "I'll wake up in the middle of the night thinking about something.''

Yet, he wouldn't trade it for anything. In fact, he likes the added activity and the rush of adrenaline that accompany a task such as this one. Evans pre-entered six horses on Wednesday for the Aug. 2 event.

"This thing is real exciting for me,'' Evans added. "The whole barn is really excited. It's the closet thing we're going to get to the big time - the breakfast draw and all that stuff adds to it. Jeff (Maday) told me that TVG will be here to televise it. I wake up just thinking about it.''

Evans has had to curtail his barn's time off because of the the extra work involved. "We've all been really pumped up for a month now. I tell all the guys in the barn to make sure all the I's are dotted and the T's are crossed. We don't want to leave a single stone unturned.''

That approach lead Evans to curtail the barn's time off over the weekend. "They all wanted to take off on Monday and go to the lake. I said 'no' there will be plenty of time for that after Aug. 3. Somebody has to stay in the burn and make sure the president doesn't get shot.''

Evans' Claiming Crown team looks like this with the pre-entries: Eagle Storm (Rapid Transit), Chickster (Express) and Global Trader (Iron Horse). He also pre-entered Sneakin' By (Rapid Transit and Emerald), John Hennessy (Rapid Transit) and Dinner Magic (Express). The first four are owned by Curt and Sharon Johnson (SEJ Stable) of Detroit Lakes, the leading owners the past two seasons.

Evans saddled two horses in the 2005 Claiming Crown. Gospodin ran fifth in the Iron Horse. Run in the River was fourth in the Express. "We supplemented Runnin the River, so he made enough to get his money back,'' Evans said.

Evans likes his chances better this time, particularly with two of them.

"Eagle Storm is training better and better every day,'' he said. "He's one of those horses that just wants more and more.''

Then there is Chickster, five-for-five at Canterbury and nine for 11 overall this season and the North American leader in wins.

Evans wants his horses babied and treated like infants in the coming days, given even more attention than usual. He doesn't want anyone taking chances with any of the horses in the barn, much less those that will run for Claiming Crown purses.

"These horses are like strawberries,'' he said. "Good one day and spoiled the next.''

So schedules are important, doing the right things at the right times.

Eagle Storm will get a work on Friday morning. "Chickster, we treat him like a lion and only show him the light on race day,'' Evans said. "Global Trader works once a week.''

Evans will be joined in his barn soon by a training buddy from Lone Star Park, Chris Hartman, who will bring three horses to the Claiming Crown.

And Evans got a call the other night from a Claiming Crown regular, trainer Scott Lake. "He said he's arriving Saturday night and will be out here on Sunday,'' Evans said. "He'll be here all week. He acts like it's a vacation and he can't wait to get here. He loves coming to this event.''

Lake has won a record eight Claiming Crown races and has pre-entered four for the 2008 event. Steve Asmussen, the leading U.S. trainer in wins and earnings, has pre-entered two. Maggie Moss of Des Moines, Iowa, was the leading owner in wins last year and has pre-entered three horses.

Tom Kelly, former manager of the Minnesota Twins, will assist with the draw on Wednesday.

THE QUIET BEFORE THE STORM

Stall superintendent Mark Stancato has had a respite of sorts the past couple of days. No horses have shipped in from other tracks and he doesn't expect any. "That's a first this season,'' he said.
That will begin changing on Sunday night when the horses being shipped by van as opposed to being flown in will begin arriving for the Claiming Crown. Stancato can see the stable gate from his room on the backside so he can respond as needed when the claimers begin arriving from various tracks around the country.

News & Notes July 20 Extreme Day

By JIM WELLS

Extreme day reached its zenith Sunday in the closing moments of the $50,000 John Bullit Stakes, with Chicago shipper Tiganello and locally stabled Prospective Kiss going nose-to-nose from the 16th pole to the wire.

Track announcer Paul Allen called it the best fifty-grander of the season after it took a calipers to separate the two horses over the final 16th and at the wire in this photo finish.

When the results were posted trainer Hector Magana’s horse had separated himself by a nostril from Prospective Kiss.

“I just tried to push his head down at the wire and hope,’’ said winning rider Scott Stevens.

Prospective Kiss moved to the front heading into the stretch and Tiganello engaged him and then got his head in front approaching the 16th pole. Prospective Kiss is a fighter of the first rank and dug in, retaking the lead under Derek Bell before the eventual winner dug in himself and the two went eye-ball-to-eyeball past the wire, a bob of the head providing the very narrow difference.

“I made my move sooner than I wanted,’’ said Stevens, “but I was afraid someone was coming on the outside.’’

On hand to present the trophy was Clayton Gray, who made the trip from Winnipeg. The former trainer of John Bullit appreciated the race along with everyone else. “That was a horse race, a good one,’’ he said.

The win completed a solid week for Stevens, who had three winners the day before.

BRIAN BARENSCHEER JUVENILE STAKES

Paul Nolan, who had the most productive week in the jockey colony, rode Proud Jefe to an easy win in the $50,000 stakes and then set his sights on a similar finish in the John Bullit that followed.

His aim was simple, a trifecta for his wife, Sherry, as a birthday present. “I’ve won the Northbound Pride and the Hoist Her Flag, now I need the John Bullit,’’ he said. “Sherry galloped all three of those horses when they raced here.

Nolan had the mount on Switzerland in the following stakes but didn’t hit the board. Nonetheless, he had a great week, riding the winner of the 10th, Balsero, for his seventh win.

THE GATES DIDN’T OPEN

A crowd in excess of 15,000 on Sunday packed every area of the grandstand and the apron for much of the day.

Many of them were drawn by the novelty of ostrich and camel races in addition to the races not normally offered.

The only snag came in the sixth race, the battle of the sexes, matching fillies on the turf against colts on the dirt.

The gate opened on the turf several seconds after the gate on the dirt, however, and all wagers on the event had to be refunded.

“There’s no way that was a concern for me,’’ said Eric Halstrom, the track’s vice president of racing operations. “We practiced it 20 times without a problem.’’

ALL HE NEEDED WAS A CLEAN TRIP

Learders Brake has been bumped, he’s been run over and he’s been scared out of his wits by horses flipping in the gate next to him. How does a horse get a little peace and quiet while he runs a race?

One answer was the 250-yard Beat the Clock race that opened Extreme Day on Sunday. Eight quarter horses lined up for this 250-yard race, one by one. That’s right they ran against the clock only, one at a time.

No way Learders Brake couldn’t get a clean trip in this one and that meant he broke his maiden after five previous failures.

Sent off at 29-1, Learders Brake was the second of the eight horses to run and was clocked in 13.322, a time that stood up against the six remaining horses.

That meant a $61.20 payback to anyone who like this fellow from the barn of Bob Johnson, who got the 1,000th victory of his quarter horse career on Friday night.
Now it’s 1001 and counting.

“I’m glad I got it the other night, before this race,’’ Johnson said.

“This horse has had it all happen to him. This time he had to make his own mistake.’’

Extreme Day at Canterbury Park

by Jim Wells

You couldn't sell the idea to a Kentucky hardboot if you included a jug of something 120 proof, and the folks at NYRA roll their eyes and think Minnesotans must marry their first cousins. The Californians, well, who knows with them.

To those of us in the frozen northlands it all makes sense. We turn out in droves for anything that's free, a bit different or will entertain the kids and cut down on the cotton candy.

So the response was a surprise but it really wasn't, and that thought makes sense to Minnesotans, too.

The subject, of course, is Extreme Day at Canterbury on Sunday, the brainchild of madmen, crazy scientists and died-in-the-wool capitalists who revere P.T. Barnum, the man who said "there's a sucker born...''

Oh, yes, Extreme Day, the crazy, ridiculous notion that put more than 16,000 customers in the park last year and attracted on-track and out-of-state wagering of $809,000.

Put that in your rigid, judgmental pipe and smoke it.

The purists will still shake their heads and claim the racing world has gone insane. The innovators in the game - especially those who can't get help from the Minnesota legislature in the form of casino gaming - will carry on and do what it takes to keep the turnstiles turning.

So Extreme Day Two is upon us, and this time the camels have been spared the frightening thought of bearing the very stout Mac Robertson. You might recall that Canterbury's top trainer the last several years approached one of the beasts to climb aboard last year and the camel backed away. Chaplain Tommy Bartram, working the gates, hopped on in Robertson's stead.

Some of the horsemen were rumored to have eyed the Ostriches as their next pair of boots when the big birds finished their race, but, all in all, the day came off well and became an instant part of the racing calendar.

"I think we were all surprised,'' said Eric Halstrom, Canterbury's vice president of racing operations.

"When you get 16,000 plus people...''

Even more surprising was the busy day at the windows. "We weren't sure how people would react to the specialty races, but it went really well,'' Halstrom added.

The highlight was the race that put contestants on the dirt and the turf at the same time, running a race against one another on different surfaces.

"We started getting calls from TVG and HRTV wanting to know more,'' Halstrom added. "Especially, the dirt and turf race, everybody was intrigued.''

That race was been slightly modified this year because the turf is a bit faster than the dirt. In a complete disregard for equal rights, the fillies will run on the turf, the colts on the dirt.

Extreme Day's feature event this year was created under the full influence of hallucinogens and the full support of the always-excited-about-a-new-wager betting public.

In this race, contestants will compete - one at a time.

This should be really popular with the folks who can't wait for the swimming heats in the upcoming Olympic Games.

Eight quarter horses will run, one at a time, against the clock. The best time takes the pot.
Oh....the suspense.

"I really trust (announcer) Paul (Allen) to make this one fun for the crowd,'' Halstrom added.

This idea, submitted by Halstrom, was conjured up in a brainstorming session that included president/ceo Randy Sampson, media relations director Jeff Maday, the Darkman and marketing VP John Harty.

"There were a few adult beverages consumed,'' Halstrom confessed. One of the other ideas, to have fans throw tomatoes at losing jockeys, was dismissed. Halstrom did not admit to the tomato proposal but owned up to other rejected notions that might have dumped him from the Canterbury payroll had they been adopted.

"We could just see all those riders hightailing it for the tunnel,'' Halstrom added.

The turf/dirt race and other innovations of that sort have actually drawn accolades from the racing world at large.

Halstrom said that ostriches and camels clearly attract the crowd. The innovative races draw the players.

The ostriches and camels are back on Sunday and Halstrom said that a 3 1/2 furlong race is planned with the express idea of setting a track record.

Trainers Tammy Domenosky and Bobbie Grissom will ride two of the camels. Trainers Justin Evans and Troy Bethke will ride the others.

Jockeys will fill the seats on the big birds.

Naysayers convinced that the novelty of this event will wear thin, be forewarned.

"We're going to come up with a new idea for a race every year,'' said Halstrom. "I already have a great one for next year.''

STEVENS EXCELS WITH THE YOUNG ONES

Hall of Fame rider Scott Sevens chalks it up to good luck, something impossible to explain. Those who know him also know better.

The subject is Stevens’ delicate touch with two-year-old horses, his ability to take them to the winner’s circle or set them up for future success.

He demonstrated more of his aptitude with the babies on Saturday, riding the winners of the first and third races, both two-year-olds.

That made him seven for 17 at Canterbury this meet, a superb figure particularly considering that it applies to unpredictable and in some cases truly green young horses, still afraid of their own shadows in many cases.

“I don’t know what it is,’’ he said. “I’ve always had luck with two-year-olds. Almost every year.’’

Stevens was on Smuggler’s Hold, a two-year-old gelding who broke his maiden in the first race Saturday, and trainer Bryan Porter had an explanation for that victory.

“He handles two-year-olds really well,’’ said Porter, who trains winters at Turf Paradise in Phoenix where Stevens rides. “He’s very good at teaching a horse what it needs to know before it races.’’

Take the other morning, for example. Stevens worked Smuggler’s Hold for Porter and dropped him in behind two other horses for a spell.

“He let him get some dirt in the face,’’ Porter explained, “so that when it happened on the track it wasn’t a new experience to him. Scott’s been around. He knows what these horses need.’’

Porter, who also owns the horse, didn’t want to rush Smuggler’s Hold into action. “I told Scott we could wait a week or two if we had to, but he said no, that the horse was ready now,’’ Porter said.
Stevens acquired many of his skills on the ranch at home in Boise, Idaho, where he frequently rode the fear and anxiety out of horses by taking them over hill and dale and plenty of ditches as well.

Before the race on Saturday, Porter and Stevens talked. “I told him two of the best horses I ever had got beat their first time out,’’ Porter said. “I told him to win if he could but to teach him what to do. I didn’t want him to do it at any cost.’’

Stevens rode Pterodactyls Rule for Mac Robertson in the third race, and this maiden two-year-old filly wound up a winner, too.

Rider Paul Nolan, known variously as the Lawn Surgeon and Lawn Leprechaun, had a bit of information for Stevens after he won with those two horses on Saturday.

“I told him if I was the surgeon, then his success with babies made him the pediatrician,’’ Nolan said.

WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS

Just last weekend, Jaime Ness lost Best Westerner, a horse he considers the best on the backside, to a knee injury.

Best Westerner was in Winnipeg for $50,000 Derby Trial, taking on horses he had beaten at the same track this season in a stakes race. He was sitting an easy winner, Ness said, when he switched leads and, just like that, chipped a knee. Ness shook his head and said, “He’s done for the season.’’

On Saturday, Ness confirmed that Repenting, another star in his barn, was done for the season, too, the result of a broken ankle. “It can be fixed, but it takes time and he’s done for the year, too,’’ Ness said.

A conversation ensued about the vicissitudes of racing, and Ness took hold of a time-honored axiom

“The strong will survive,’’ he said.

NOTES:

Nolan was the star of the show on Saturday, winning half of the eight races in which he had mounts.

His first of four trips to the winner’s circle was aboard Wicked Pancho, and he made it two for the day with Early Arriver in the fourth race.

Nolan came right back with another winner, riding Mooji’s Sister in race No. 5. He made it four for the day aboard Princess Bianconi in race No. 7.

Nolan finished second on Ribot’s Rift in the sixth race.

It was a good day as well for Stevens, who completed the card with his third win, on Beau Named Sue.

Win, Place and Show?

by JIM WELLS

A ONE-TWO-THREE SWEEP

It's something you could imagine only in your wildest dreams - and certainly not talk about in public for fear someone might think you've lost touch.

Yet, there she was last Sunday, watching the first race at Canterbury Park and those very dreams become reality, right there on the computer screen. Moments later, her husband was on the cell phone from the track apron confirming this unlikely event.

"I was jumping up and down, screaming,'' said Joyce Osborne.

A little background:

Joyce and Rick Osborne, in conjunction with Rick's parents, John and Vera, breed thoroughbreds, then sell them as yearlings. The parents live on one part of the farm, Rick and Joyce on another. "We're right next to one another, just a pasture apart,'' Joyce explained.

The farm is just outside Cambridge and the operation is known as Osborne Farm.

What the Osbornes celebrated last Sunday evening was this unlikely occurrence:

They bred the first three finishers in the first race and the horse that finished sixth, too. All four fillies in the race were sired by Rick and Joyce's First Edition. All four dams are owned by John and Vera.

How's that for a family collaboration!

The order of finish in the six-furlong maiden claiming race: Storybook Doll, Most Useful, Bubbly Bubbles. And, in sixth place in the 10-horse field was Canterbury Rose.

"We've had several entered in the same race before and thought it would be neat if all of them came in, but it was just a dream,'' Joyce said. "We can't believe it happened.''

The thought crossed Rick's mind once or twice as the race approached. "I thought it would be a perfect day if we could finish one-two-three,'' he said. "But that's something you don't want to say out loud because you don't want to sound silly.''

Some additional background on the Osborne family: John and Vera were reared in Bowbells, N.D., 90 miles northwest of Minot. "My folks and her folks ran horses in North Dakota when we were kids, back in the archives of time in the bushes,'' said John, 82. "I rode racehorses for nine years and so did my wife.''

John and Vera relocated to Minneapolis about 60 years ago and then, in 1965, to rural Cambridge. The Osbornes, one generation or the other, have been breeding horses since.

The Osbornes raced a few horses in the early days of Canterbury but breeding was always the primary aim. Their best racehorse was Osborne to Run. "He was just a hard knocker,'' John said.

Osborne Farm has stood four stallions over the years. "Late Edition is the best,'' John added. They also had Charging Through as a stallion when his racing days for Frances Genter ended.

Late Edition has stallion company at Osborne Farm, which also stands Hero's Pleasure. "He won the Grade III Manitoba Derby,'' Joyce said. "We got him from Doug Oliver.''

Joyce enjoys talking about their unlikely purchase of First Edition. "We bought him in 2002 and where we got him is an interesting story, too.''

Late Edition is a Kentucky-bred son of Cryptoclearance out of a Storm Bird mare and was raised at Overbrook Farm in Lexington. He was stakes-placed with a second in the San Vicente at Santa Anita and a third in the Gotham at Aqueduct.

The Osbornes acquired him after he was shipped to a sale in Mandan, N.D. "It was my mission to find a quarter horse stallion at the sale to breed to a thoroughbred mare,'' Joyce said. "When I saw Late Edition, I knew that wasn't going to happen. He was all covered up in blankets, but I fell in love with his face and eyes. When I saw his pedigree in the catalogue, I simply couldn't believe a horse like that was at that sale.''

Twelve of the 18 horses in training bred by Late Edition have started, producing five wins and seven placements.

The dam of Late Edition, Marine Page (by Victor's Gent) never made it to the races. The Osbornes bought her as yearling from former St. Paul Pioner Press handicapper Phil Marudas. "We also got Osborne to Run from Phil,'' Rick said.

There are more Late Editions on the way. He has a crop, his largest yet, of 15 two-year-olds.

Three of his younger babies are on the market next weekend, in the Minnesota Thoroughbred Assn. yearling sale.


JOHNSON JOINS QUARTER HORSE ELITES


Bob Johnson was hardly out of the winners’ circle Thursday night when he got a call from his parents, John and Shirley, in Lemon, S.D. He had a conversation with his sister-in-law, too.

They were calling to congratulate the 49-year-old quarter horse trainer who had just saddled the 1,000th winner of a career that started 30 years ago at Centennial Race Track in Denver. "They live on different corners of the ranch,'' Bob explained.

Smashingly Classic won the second of the three trial races on Thursday's card. "That mare's really been consistent,'' Johnson said. "She's won four out of five.''

The 1000th win was beginning to seem kind of elusive. "That was an evasive number,'' he said. The win was just the third of the meet for Johnson.

The milestone puts Johnson in some rather elite circles among quarter horse trainers. The AQHA in Amarillo, Texas, had him listed on Friday as the 25th trainer to saddle 1,000 or more winners during a career.

"I'm tickled to death he did it here,'' said thoroughbred racing secretary Doug Schoepf, a long-time friend of the family.

"It's good for Canterbury that he did it here.''

Schoepf had a personal interest in the event as well, a long-time friendship. "I used to ride for his dad in South Dakota when I was a kid,'' Schoepf said.

So, how did Johnson celebrate?

When he answered his cell phone at 11 a.m. on Friday he was already in Fargo, N.D., with a load of horses. "I bombed out of there at 4:30 am. this morning,'' he said. "I'll be back there on Saturday.''

Johnson has been chasing futurities and derbies at quarter horse meets around the country for years. "He hauls those horses from one track to another,'' said Schoepf. "He's got some miles on that 49-year-old body of his.''

Hay, Oats and Water: Buying A Dream

By Sheila Williams


With the Minnesota Thoroughbred Association’s Two-Year-old in Training Sale in the books and the yearling sale just around the corner, I began to think about the best filly ever sold at a Canterbury auction.

The year was 1991, Ladbroke Racing and the Tyner Brothers owned our racetrack. Attendance had plummeted and purses were ham sandwiches.

Ladbroke did, however, host the first Two-Year-Old in Training sale, which everyone was excited about.

The sales topper that year was a filly consigned by Deon and Kathy Kissoon of Kissoon Thoroughbreds. Given a Hindi name in the catalog, the filly by It’s Freezing, out of the Bold Reason mare Reason with Me, was the talk of the backstretch.

Horsemen and women were trying to justify bidding on this filly for their owners at a time when the future of Minnesota racing hinged on “telephone” wagering. The legal battle for telephone wagering would take the track’s owners and the horsemen and women to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Trainer Joey Ruhsam liked the filly. Now, the knock on Joey Ruhsam’s training by some folks was that she never ran a horse. Unlike so many trainers, Joey would run a horse when they were ready to run--and not before. I can vouch for this because she was my trainer, and no better horsewoman has graced the backside of Canterbury Park or any other racetrack

She convinced one of her owners, Philip (Skip) Maas to buy this filly.

With Minnesota racing’s future hanging in the balance, let’s just say the bidding was less than enthusiastic. Most of those in the audience were gum chewers.

The bidding was slow. Eventually, Mr. Maas sitting straight in his chair, polo shirt and slacks neatly pressed, leaned over to hear the bid spotter say, “Listen. There is a $30,000 reserve on this filly. If you want her, that’s what it is going to cost.”

Mr. Maas told me this week that he fully intended to buy the filly on Ruhsam’s advice. He told the bid spotter to get a few people to bid her up. “I just thought it would be more fun if it looked like we were having an auction,” said Maas.

Up she went. To $30,000.

Renamed Luv Me Luv Me Not, the filly graced Ruhsam’s shed row, made her first start at Canterbury, and was handed to Glen Wismer in Kentucky.

Given, the audience reading this, I don’t need to tell you that Luv Me Luv Me Not went on the next year to win the 1992 Kentucky Oaks.



Luv Me Luv Me Not was retired and gave Mr. Maas and his family four foals. The first by Wild Again; the second by Gone West; the third by Rahy, and her fourth by Dynaformer.

I would love to say they were all as good as their dam. Not all. Her filly sired by Rahy was premature. Her bones and joints could not hold her up. She didn’t make it. Indeed, Luv Me Luv Me Not died after foaling her Dynaformer colt. She ruptured an artery and bled to death.

Breeders are the most optimistic people on earth. Given their dedication, a good breeder is rewarded. This is the case with Mr. Maas and his inheritance from his Luv Me Luv Me Not.

Her daughter Goodbye My Love broke her maiden at Keeneland, and an allowance race at Arlington International. In turn, she was bred to Johar and has a two-year-old filly named Maybe Baby. She worked her first half mile at Arlington early this week.

Put her in your “horses to watch” list.

“Luv Me Luv Me Not was our first attempt at the breeding aspect of the sport,” Maas said. “I love it. There is a lot of learning and it is quite a challenge.”

If you and your checkbook are going to the upcoming sale this month, use Mr. Maas’ experience from it. Even if she can’t run in Minnesota, maybe she can run in Kentucky.

News & Notes July 17

by JIM WELLS

JOHNSON SITTING ON MILESTONE

Bob Johnson can't remember the name of his first winning quarter horse. That was more than 30 years ago.

He'll remember the next winner he saddles, though.

That will be his 1000th.

It could happen tonight in one of the first three trial races on the Canterbury Park card, which would be OK with him.

"I was talking to (racing secretary) Doug Schoepf, and he said he'd sure like to see me do it here,'' Johnson said.

"I would, too. I've got a lot of friends here, and there's no racetrack I've been to in the U.S. that has treated me better than Canterbury Park.''

If it happens, Johnson isn't apt to forget the name of his next winner. It might be one of two horses in the first race, either Proud Royal Shakem or Flash N Passion. It might be Smashingly Classic, a 2-1 choice in the second race or Brother Vern, a 3-1 morning line selection in the third.
Tonight is likely his last opportunity to reach the milestone in Shakopee. "This will probably be the last race day for us here,'' he said.

Johnson doesn't recall the name of his first winner but he knows where he was at the time. "Centennial Race Track in Denver,'' he said. "I was 19 years old.''

Johnson is a native of Lemon, S.D., about 500 miles west of Shakopee on the North and South Dakota border.

He settled on training after learning young that riding wasn't a likely part of his future.

"The first race I ever won was horseback,'' he said. "It was at the Butte County Fair in Nisland, S.D., in 1967. I was nine years old.''

That career was short-lived. "It didn't take me long to outgrow that habit, '' he said. "By the time was about 16, I was too big.''

Johnson's opinion on Canterbury was developed after racing at several places in the country. "I guess it's easier to tell you the states I have been in,'' he said.

Johnson then fired off a few states: Louisiana, California, Oregon, Washington and New York.
Johnson had horses at Canterbury in 1985, the year the track opened, and has been training here regularly since 1990.

He's had only two winners at the current meet and didn't know he was so close to the milestone. "My dad called me (last week) and told me the AQHA had called him with the news,'' Johnson said.

Johnson is apt to make the next call when an update is required.

LONGTIME FARRIER PASSES ON

Gary Ladd, who trained a few horses in the early years at Canterbury but is best known for his work as a farrier, died last week in Louisiana.

Trainer Bill Bethke has known Ladd for years and considered him a good friend. "He was up here a few weeks ago and I knew then he didn't have long,'' Bethke said. "He brought a horse up here for me to train. I knew when he left that I'd probably not see him again.''

Ladd originally was from Northern Colorado, but had a farm in Louisiana and had been a regular on the Canterbury backside, Bethke said, since about 1986 or 1987.

"He was a good ol' cowboy,'' Bethke said. "He was a gunsmith when he was younger and all the big companies wanted him to work for them. He trained quarter horses all over the country.''
Bethke said that Ladd left a "nondescript Louisiana thoroughbred'' with him on his last trip to Minnesota but it isn't apt to run anytime soon. "I didn't have the heart to tell him,'' Bethke said.
Bethke knew it was the last time he would see his longtime friend and struggled to keep the tears confined when Ladd left.

"I guess I'll see you when I see you, buddy,'' Bethke said.

"Those were my last words.''

INJURIES HIT NESS BARN

Best Westerner traveled to Assiniboia Downs last weekend for the $50,000 Derby Trial , the last major prep race before the Manitoba Lotteries Derby the first week of August. Best Westerner was a decided favorite for the race. He had beaten many of the same horses in the Harry Jeffrey Stakes there earlier this year.

It appeared he would make it two in row at Assiniboia.

"He was sitting an easier winner ,'' trainer Jamie Ness said. "Then he switched leads and...boom.''
Best Westerner chipped a knee and is done for the season.

"It seems it's all hitting at once,'' Ness said. "I've got some others hurting, too.''

Best Westerner, ridden by Assiniboia's leading rider, Alan Cuthbertson, finished third.

SEJ Ready for Claiming Crown

By Andrew Offerman

Two-time defending champion owner, SEJ Stables (Curt and Sharon Johnson of Detroit Lakes, MN) has enjoyed a banner year in Shakopee, dominating the owners’ standings in nearly every facet. As of Saturday, SEJ had started 59 horses during the 2008 meet, 35 more than the nearest rival. Their 23 victories placed them in the lead by 16 wins; Jer-Mar Stable was ranked second with seven.

As many Canterbury regulars know, SEJ has excelled at claiming horses and running them in the right spots. SEJ’s ownership method has often led to large win totals, but that hasn’t necessarily translated into a lot of stakes victories. On August 2, 2008, that wait may be over.

Claiming Crown, to be held at Canterbury Park for the eighth time in ten years on August 2, could include three SEJ runners. Chickster, Eagle Storm and Global Trader are all being pointed toward different events in the $600,000 seven-race series.

Chickster, a probable starter in the $50,000 Claiming Crown Express, has won more races than any other horse on the continent in 2008. He’s started 11 races since January 1, 2008 and has won nine times. He won four races in six starts at Turf Paradise in Phoenix, AZ and has won all five of his starts this year at Canterbury Park.

SEJ Stables originally claimed Chickster for $3,000 on February 5, 2008. However, they lost him via the claim box the first time they ran him back. Two starts later, SEJ jumped back in and tagged him for $3,200. Since arriving in Shakopee, Chickster has steadily climbed the ranks, most recently winning an allowance race on July 11.

Chickster certainly has some back-class. Bred in California, he made his racing debut in 2004 at Santa Anita Park in a $44,000 maiden special weight race.

In all, Chickster has six of his nine victories this year in Curt and Sharon Johnson’s fuchsia colors. “It’s been awesome to watch him improve,” Curt said. “Owning the horse with the most victories in the country has been a lot of fun.”

Eagle Storm, claimed for $20,000 by SEJ from Will Carlson and Jerry Pint on May 31 at Canterbury, ran the fastest six-furlong time of the meet on Saturday finishing the distance in 1:09 and 3/5. He’ll likely be pointed for the $75,000 Claiming Crown Rapid Transit.

The final SEJ contender, Global Trader, was claimed for $30,000 at Turf Paradise and is scheduled to run in the $100,000 Claiming Crown Emerald, run at a mile and one sixteenth on the turf. He hasn’t had an out at Canterbury Park this year.

Whether its turf or dirt, sprints or routes, the Johnsons appear to be well placed to win their first Claiming Crown race in 2008.

Will they take a horse from Claim to Fame? Can Chickster continue to run the competition off their feet?

We’ll have to wait until August 2nd to find out!

A Rebuttal

By Dave Astar
Astar Thoroughbreds

An article by Sheila Williams (Hay, Oats and Water: Yearling Sales) really caught me and several other Minnesota horse men and women off guard. Ms. Williams comments regarding the MTA yearling sale conditions may have been well intended however, it seemed Ms. Williams was questioning the integrity of Minnesota yearling sale consigners. This is unfortunate and inappropriate. I know many of the fine consigners at the auctions, who frankly have done more to support the Minnesota thoroughbred industry than just about any other group. They should be applauded for their efforts, and not have their integrity publicly questioned two weeks before their annual yearling sale.

As you may or may not know, I have purchased more horses from the publicly held Minnesota Thoroughbred sales than anyone over the last six years. As a result, I assume you would consider me credible and I hope you would find my experiences bidding and purchasing in Minnesota to be somewhat more contemporary than the solitary 1989 Kentucky experience Ms. Williams related to in her blog commentary.

First and foremost, many of the Minnesota consigners are the finest people I have had the pleasure to meet in my life. My business has taken me all over this country and I have lived in some 15 locales. Simply, the honesty and integrity of Minnesota horsemen and women is exceptional. Their work ethic is admirable and they do an excellent job preparing their horses for the rigors of a public sale. I have never found them to not answer any question that I have asked at a sale. Those buyers who know how to ask the right questions, and properly evaluate yearling potential, have been well rewarded in Minnesota as evidenced by the continuing list of successful Minnesota Thoroughbred Association sale graduates.

Personally, I have had some public auction success which I believe is a direct result of the hard work consigners put in to caring for yearlings I have been fortunate enough to purchase. From our first stakes winner (The KB Kid), to our 2-year-old winners this year (Supreme Warrior, Ice Rocket and Silver Senorita), we feel fortunate to have first discovered these fine individuals presented at MTA auctions. I am not alone and as you know both 2007 2-year-old champions (A.J.Bakes and Wild Shifter), were presented at the prior MTA yearling sale.

I do agree with Ms. Williams that ongoing improvement in sale transparency and adoption of repository based health information would help buyers. Nevertheless, buyers who simply look at a yearling's physical conformation to make a purchase, without evaluating such mundane items as nicking, birth order, in depth pedigree analysis, past comparative foal success, physical growth potential, and real racing (not show) conformation, will be less successful than others. Good buyers also often pay for veterinary analysis including scoping, x-rays and tests.

In closing, good horse people know full well that it takes one good horse in the barn to support another six or so. That is the kind of performance variation that exists, and has existed for years, in the thoroughbred business. Consequently, an individual data point or an occasional experience means little. Buyers need to understand the extreme variation that exists in horse ownership and if they do, there is possibly no better place in the country to make an honest fair priced purchase of a thoroughbred than at the MTA public auctions.

Hay, Oats and Water: Goodbye Luke

By Sheila Williams

We said goodbye to another racing friend on Monday. Luke Kruytbosch, 47, announcer at Churchill Downs and Ellis Park for the past decade, apparently died of a heart attack—alone—in his apartment in Evansville, Indiana.

I won’t rewrite Kruytbosch’s obituary here. Instead, I marvel at the talent and passion he had for our sport. The screen on my computer makes the races appear about the size of a postage stamp. Therefore, I rely on the announcer’s voice these days to “show me the race”. I related my seeing the races he called with my ears to Trevor Denman when he visited Canterbury Park. He said, rather embarrassed, that my comment was the best compliment he ever received.

How lucky are we to have found Paul Allen. One of my future blogs this summer will regale you with how David Miller (DRF track man and my former assistant) and I spirited him away from Bay Meadows to come to the hinterlands of Minnesota.

Paul Allen is one of the top announcer’s in our industry. It amazes me that we have kept him so long. Of course, he has his Vikings gig off season, but I pray, now that there is a voiceless announcer’s mike at Churchill and Ellis Park, that we will keep Paul. Since the Sampson’s have adopted him (remember their gelding “Our Brother in the Booth”), I feel we have a good chance of keeping him for a while longer. And yet, who wants to hold back a man who can go anywhere he chooses?

My bucolic place at Canterbury Park is sitting alone on the benches near the paddock when everyone has scattered to the front of the grandstand to watch the race. I can sit there all alone and watch “with my ears.” I tip my hat to the Canterbury engineering guys for setting up a system that allows me to see the race this way.

Many of you may not realize that almost every manager’s office at Canterbury Park has a television turned on to the races (and other racetracks) throughout their workday. You learn to listen to the industry with one ear, while doing your job with the rest of your senses. Our boss, Mr. Randy Sampson, doesn’t allow it in the bookkeepers’ offices. (That’s because he was an accountant and he knows you need all your senses for figures and such.)

The track announcer not only brings on the cresendo of excitement in a race, but have the ability to create the buzz and create celebrities of horses.

When Terry Wallace guest-called at Canterbury Downs—who could ever forget his call on Nebraska’s greatest sprinter. I still remember the call. “…and it’s Who Doctor Who..Who I tell you? Who Doctor Who!”

Or Tom Durkin calling the 1989 Breeders Cup Classic; “…Easy Goer glides up to Sunday Silence…Sunday Silence finds another gear…he’s getting away!”

Or best known in racing history, Dave Johnson calling the 1973 Belmont Stakes “Secretariet is moving like a tremendous machine.” Footnote: here is a bet you can make for a beer at the Canterbury bar. It was not Chick Anderson calling for CBS that day. It was Dave Johnson.

These announcers have even influenced the names of my bitches in my German Shepherd Breeding program. Strangely, everytime I have named a girl after a filly or mare, they have become important bedrocks of the future of my kennel. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t name them things like Ruffian or Go For Wand.
I name them for the durable mares called by America’s best track announcers over and over. My “blue hen” so to speak at Lindenhill German Shepherd Dogs was named Dreamy Mimi.
I named her for this mare running in New York, simply because Marshall Cassidy said it so often, and so succinctly; “It’s Dreeemy MeeMee, in front.”###

A Sunday Synopsis July 13

By JIM WELLS

WHO NEEDS SLEEPING PILLS

The press box was buzzing after the fourth race in appreciation of the ride Paul Nolan put on the Troy Bethke-trained Booster. Nolan took the eight-year-old gelding wire-to-wire in a classic demonstration of how to put the rest of the field to sleep.

“That was absolutely fantastic,’’ said announcer Paul Allen. “It doesn’t get any better.’’

This was the racetrack’s version of reading a bedtime story to the kids, and Nolan had his opponents nodding off while watching him cantor along at an easy pace in front of them.
He guided Booster through soporific fractions of 24 for the quarter, 1:14 3/5 for six furlongs and 1:41.4 for the mile.

Uncle Brother, owned, trained and ridden by the Olesiak clan, engaged the winner on the turn, but Nolan simply let out a bit of rein and then added the right-handed stick 10 times down the lane. Booster responded to the reminder by digging into a deep reserve after an easy run. Booster, owned by Rodney Miller of Howard Lake, rewarded his backers with a nice payback of $14.80 to win.


IT’S TOO LATE TO CLOSE THE BARN DOOR NOW

Vince Reedy could only shake his head and wonder.
Reedy saddled the winner of the second race on Sunday, a 5-year-old gelding named Minnesota Slew who was ridden by Derek Bell, Canterbury’s leading rider.

Never hurts to get another win, particularly when you have a stable as small as Reedy’s.
So how small is small.

Minnesota Slew was claimed by trainer Mike Bolinger and that left Reedy with an empty barn.
Reedy arrived at Canterbury from Tampa, Fla., with four horses and they were all claimed during the meet. Minnesota Slew was the last.

What does a guy do next.

“I guess I’ll have to start looking for some horses,’’ Reedy said. “We don’t know what we’re going to do. I need to take a couple of days to get something together.’’
The win was the second for the Reedy barn from nine starts. There were also three seconds and a third for earnings of $19,080.

JAKE HAD A PLANE TO CATCH

Jake Mauer, a member of the Canterbury Park Hall of Fame, has been handicapping the horses and selling his tip sheets since the track opened in 1985, but he had to cut the day a bit short on Sunday.
He had a plane to catch.
Jake, for those who don’t know him, is a grandfather to Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, who is playing in the All-Star game Tuesday night in New York.
The game has a lot of historic significance. It is being played in Yankee Stadium, erected in 1923 and in its final season.
Jake and numerous other members of the Mauer clan are getting the royal treatment from Joe, who is treating them to a memorable getaway.
“We’ll have a limousine, all the best. We’ll have a wonderful time,’’ said Jake. That’s what you call trip handicapping.

IT’S A FIRST FOR THE FAUCHALD BARN

It’s been a while a comin’, as they say, but it’s never too late. P.C. Fauchald has saddled 15 horses this meet and he got his first winner on Sunday.

A most appropriate win at that.

Storybook Doll broke her maiden under A. Preto Espindola in the card opener. The horse is owned by Robin Fauchald of Monticello, P.C.’s daughter.

“We aren’t exactly blowing them away out here,’’ P.C. said. “But this makes it really special, since it’s Robin’s horse.’’

There are 15 horses in the Fauchald barn, and P.C. now has a win, a second and a third for earnings of $9,221.
A resident of New London-Spicer, he was headed home Sunday afternoon with no specific celebration planned.
“Going home is good enough,’’ he said.

NO BETTER WAY TO SPEND A BIRTHDAY

Wille Tuvey couldn’t think of a better place to be for her 100th birthday celebration on Sunday. A regular at Canterbury, Wille gets to the windows on her own and clearly loves the racetrack.
Wille lives in Watertown and graduated in 1925 from Waconia High School. The paddock was busting at the seams as family and friends gathered after the race to honor Wille.


NOTES AND QUOTES:

Belen Quinonez, younger brother to Luis, who won five consecutive riding titles at Canterbury, was in town on Sunday for the seventh race, an allowance optional claiming event at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.
Quinonez has a ways to go to catch his older brother, but nobody in Sunday’s seven-horse field could catch him before the wire. Quinonez took Ghazi Up, trained by Gary Paulson, to the winner’s circle for a $19.20 win.

Tequila Two Step, a four-year-old filly, broke her maiden in the eighth race under Adolfo Morales. It was the fourth winner of the racing week sired by 2001 Horse of the Year Shot of Gold.

News & Notes July 12

By JIM WELLS


There was a welcome change for the racing card on Saturday:
Low humidity and no thunderclouds.

That was a decided improvement over Friday night when thunderstorms and lightning stopped the show twice, extending it by more than an hour while the weather threat passed through.

Conversely, Saturday’s patrons were greeted with plenty of sunshine and downright balmy conditions.

There were other changes. The dulcet tones of Kevin Gorg, America’s favorite public handicapper, were missing. Gorg is gone this weekend for family activities. Media relations director Jeff Maday jumped into the void and filled in on six of the eight races with analyses from the paddock. Paul Allen stepped away from the press-box microphone and picked up the paddock mike for the other two.

The day clearly belonged to trainer Justin Evans and jockey Dean Butler, who had three wins apiece.

Also starring on Saturday, from the breeding shed at Dove Hill Farm in Farmington, was Shot of Gold, the 2001 Canterbury horse of the year and two-time champion sprinter.

Shot of Gold’s offspring have had a good week in Shakopee. Thursday night, With Envy, owned by Hall of Fame owners/breeders Art and Gretchen Eaton, hit the winner’s circle in one race. Shot a Go was the winner of another, in which Shots of Money ran third.
Saturday, Shot of Gold, left another impression. Not Just Any Gizmo, owned by the Eatons, won the fourth race for maiden sprinters and Colonel Joe, another Shot of Gold son owned by Bev and Dan Mjolsness, ran third.

Something else changed on Saturday. A couple of times, in fact.

Evans saddled the winners of the second and third races to pull one in front of Mac Robertson for the training lead. Robertson fired back with the winner of the fourth to forge another tie. Evans sent out Mary’s Secret for race seven and pulled in front once more. In the last race of the day, Robertson tied it up again with Zero Ego Lady.

Benefiting alongside Evans was SEJ Stables, the leading owner at Canterbury last year and well in front at this stage of the 2008 meet. Evans saddled two more winners for the Detroit Lakes stable, which now has 21 for the season, 15 in front of its nearest competitors.

Butler rode three winners on the card and pulled into second place in the riding standings, one win in front of Paul Nolan and 15 behind defending champ Derek Bell.

Oh, yeah, and Curlin maybe shouldn’t pack his bags for Paris quite yet after running second to Red Rocks in his Man O’ War turf debut.

Bob and Julie Petersen

by JIM WELLS

There was a time when travel for Bob and Julie Petersen meant daily commutes between Cokato and one of the seven bar/restaurants they've owned in the last 28 years.

At one time or another, they've had businesses in Buffalo, Elk River, Minneapolis, Winsted, Montrose, Osseo and Brownton. During one period they had places in Buffalo, Brownton and Montrose at the same time.

A phone call on a recent afternoon interrupted Bob at the family swimming pool, a location once considered a luxury. "We've had it 10 years and all I ever did before was pull weeds out of it,'' he said.

That hasn't been the case this summer. The Petersens sold the last of their restaurants in November, and life has changed in the ensuing months at their Cokato horse farm, For Amusement Only.

There has been opportunity this summer to visit the swimming pool and to spend more time, happily, with their racehorses. The Petersens have had primarily quarter horses since they got involved in racing two decades ago, but a thoroughbred now and then, too.

"We do have more time for the horses now,'' Bob said, still a bit flush from the thrill of Sunday's big win at Canterbury Park with Holland North, a homebred, in the Grade III Northland Futurity, a race worth $61,000.

The three-hour trip from Prairie Meadows to Canterbury last Sunday was a long one after the night before. The Petersens had won the last race of the day at Canterbury on Saturday with the Inclindinator and then headed to Altoona, Iowa, where a horse of theirs ran dead last.

Normally, the drive from Canterbury Park to For Amusement Only is about an hour and 15 minutes with only farm land to look at. "You can figure out what farmer's planting what along the way,'' Bob said. "But the Northland (win) made the ride home a lot easier.''

The victory was one more of many for the Petersens since they started racing at Canterbury Park in 1989. In the two decades since, they have left a mark on quarter horse racing in Shakopee. Heading into the 2008 meet, For Amusement Only horses had won 40 races, second all-time, and had earned a leading $332,836.

"We've been lucky,'' Petersen said.

Luck often comes to those who spend and participate as passionately as the Petersens.

"They spend money and they work hard at it,'' said Ed Ross Hardy, who's trained for them the last seven or eight years. "They have good mares and breed to good stallions. Every once in a while it pays off, like it did on Sunday.''

Hardy has eight horses for the Petersens in his barn at Canterbury Park. There is another one in Altoona.

For Amusement Only has had a number of good horses over the years, including the 2007 Quarter Horse of the Year at Canterbury _ Stone Cold Roller.

Bob didn't know much about horses until the late 1980s. Julie is the horseperson of the family. She grew up around horses and attended the races at the Anoka Country Fair as a youngster with her father. She has three horses she rides at the farm and has gone on weeklong trail rides in the hinterlands of Wyoming or North Dakota for several years. Their two children, Morgan and Grant, have had horses race in their names at Canterbury but are more inclined toward other things.

"If we gave them a choice of rollerblades or a pony as kids, they would usually pick the rollerblades,'' Julie said.

"Getting them to help with the chores was like pulling teeth,'' Bob added. "But they always jumped right in the car whenever we were headed to the races.''

Morgan, 19, is at South Dakota State University, studying agriculture education and dairy management. "It was as big a surprise to us as it is to everyone we tell,'' Bob said. "But she has always been in 4H and FFA.''

And Grant, the Petersens' 15-year-old son?

"Grant likes horsepower,'' Bob said. "Four-wheelers, motorcycles and the truck.''

For Amusement Only got its start in the late 1980s when the Petersens bought a mare, Billy Do Dash. "She was supposed to be in foal but wasn't,'' Bob recalled. "We took her back to Oklahoma and got her bred again.''

They started racing at Canterbury Downs in 1989 with a two-year-old they bought in Oklahoma called Hustling Dreams. "She won two out of three, but we took her to Prairie Meadows and she got claimed,'' Bob said. "So we went down to Weleeka, Okla., and got another one.

The Petersens' first homebred wasn't a winner. "We ran him two or three times,'' Bob said, "and ended up selling him to some ropers.'' Among the Petersens' best horses are Callies Corona, a yearling purchase at Ruidoso, N.M., who is still in the Petersens' stable. "He's won about $180,000,'' Bob said.

Then, of course, there is Southern Fun, who ran for a couple of years for the Petersens but started to go blind and was retired as a broodmare. The Petersens have four broodmares, three of them quarter horses: Southern Fun, Chick in Traffic and Inclinda, a homebred winner of the Minnesota Derby and Cash Caravan Stakes and the dam to Inclindinator, last Friday's winner.

Southern Fun is just a bit special, however. "She had trouble getting in foal two years in a row,'' Bob said. "She had a bad infection and they pulled an egg out of her and put it in a recipient mare. She got in foal, then, too.''

The result was twin sons. Southern Fun foaled a colt that was named Holland South. The recipient, or surrogate mare, foaled a colt named Holland North, the big winner for the Petersens last Sunday. They are hopeful of more to come yet this summer.

There is a long straightaway of country road that runs past the Petersens’ horse farm, and Bob had to excuse himself during a phone call the other day because of the noise from a passing car. "Motorcycles and fast cars like to open it up past here,'' he explained.

Fast automobiles or fast quarter horses, For Amusement Only has them both.