A Feeling You Never Forget

BY JIM WELLS

Time passes, empires rise and fall, familiar scenery falls victim to the vicissitudes of progress and memory but feelings often remain constant.

So it was that Janice Chumas stood in the winner’s circle after Sunday’s second race, reveling in the afterglow of victory that during the mid 1990s was so familiar.
“It feels good to be back here,’’ she said. “It’s been a long time.’’

Jan and her husband, Connie, are from Eau Claire and once visited the winner’s circle in Shakopee with regularity, campaigning Valid Leader, a Canterbury Hall of Fame horse, and Dr. Trotter among others.

In those days, Valid Leader supported the Chumas stable on his own.
Now they have a single horse in training with Doug Oliver, who has conditioned their horses from the start. That horse, a 4-year-old named Metro Molly, broke the maiden ranks Sunday and produced some nostalgia for the owners.

Metro Molly, you see, is by Mutakddim from the Pleasant Tap mare Tap Three Times, once campaigned with success at Canterbury by Jan and Connie.

Jan has a theory on the filly Metro Molly she hopes holds true. Tap Three Times was a fourth foal and Metro Molly is her fourth foal. “That’s my theory. We’ll see,’’ Jan said.
Part of that theory is based on the lack of success Jan and Connie had with another Tap Three Times foal _ Tapestry in Motion, who finished his racing career last season and is now in a new line of work.

“We gave him away as a hunter and jumper,’’ Jan said. “He should be good at that; he used to rear up in the gate.’’

The win was not only special to Jan and Connie but to Oliver, too.

Metro Molly provided Oliver, Canterbury’s leading trainer three straight years, culminating in 2001, with his stable’s first win of the season.

GEORGE BANGO AND THE BACKSIDE DENTAL PLAN
In addition to a four-leaf clover on his silks, jockey Scott Stevens had a patch with the initials GAB as he headed to the paddock for Sunday’s sixth race to ride Hills of Ireland.

The shamrock is part of the colors of Dana Isaacson’s stable. The initials GAB are a memorial to George Bango, a long-time trainer at Canterbury who died a few months ago.

Stevens, Bango and Isaacson teamed up to win the 2004 $50,000 Claiming Crown Iron Horse with Superman Can.

Isaacson, a Bloomington dentist with Point Family Dental, opened an office on Friday in the backside quarters previously occupied by the track chaplain. He donates his services from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays. Scott Rake, an oral surgeon from Dakota Valley Dental, will offer his services on Wednesdays.

With Isaacson in the paddock before the race were representatives of the Argosy Dental Hygiene Clinic who will provide dental assistants to the backside clinic.

A SALUTE TO THE STANLEY CUP
Ry Eikleberry and veteran Jose Ferrer had three wins apiece on Sunday’s card, not all that unusual unless you consider that the wins for both riders were consecutive.

Eikleberry rode the first three winners on the card and was later asked if he had heard the term “pure hat trick.’’ “Oh, yeah,’’ he said. “I’ve done this once or twice before.’’

Ferrer, a veteran of East Coast tracks, rode the winners of races six through eight. He has ridden three winners on a card several times.

His best efforts, he recalled, were five races on a single card. He did that three times. “In 1984 I was the first rider to do it at the Meadowlands,’’ he said. “I did it two days in a row once at Garden State.’’

CANADA OH CANADA
Trainer/owner Bryan Porter, who campaigns the popular Senor Smiley at Canterbury among others, collected a nice check for his stable on Sunday at Woodbine Racetrack in Rexdale, Ontario.
Yukari finished second in an optional allowance/claiming with a purse of $77,000, earning $16,000.

MINNESOTA STALLION BREEDERS’ AND NORTH CENTRAL DERBY
Holland North, the winner of last year’s Grade III Northlands Futurity, added another stakes win on Sunday under Dylan Williams, who recorded his first quarter horse stakes win.
The winner is trained by perennial quarter horse training champ Ed Ross Hardy and is owned by Bob and Julie Peterson of Cokato, Minn.

“We had some problems with him earlier,’’ said Hardy, “but he came out of the gate strong and was still running that way at the finish.’’

Shake Em Diva, with Jerry Vaughan up , was second. First Hand Luke, trained by Hardy, ridden by Eikleberry and owned by Rod Von Ohlen of Alpha, Minn.was third.

SUNSHINE, GOOD FOOD AND HORSE RACING

BY JIM WELLS
On a glorious May day, the first level of the grandstand was empty most of Saturday afternoon.
Minnesotans don’t waste weather like Saturday’s hanging out indoors. Industrious souls work on the lawn or clean out the garage. The rest of us choose the lake or backyard barbecues, maybe the golf course or , in Canterbury Park’s case, the grandstand apron.
If you like racing, there is no better spot to watch it on a magnificent afternoon. Unless you prefer the outdoor extension of the second floor.

The temperature was near 70 degrees, accompanied by low humidity and light breezes and the paddock viewing area was filled race after race with health conscious individuals hoping to bolster their vitamin D levels.

Even a modest card such as Saturday’s is irrelevant under such conditions for the majority of folks who revel in people watching, admiring shiny, smooth thoroughbreds or quarter horses and like to eat.

John Nerud, the revered Hall of Fame trainer who was once the president and general manager of William McKnight’s Tartan Farms, recently addressed the subject of thoroughbred racing and the current economic crisis.

Nerud, 96 years of age, has experienced the best and worst of America’s economy during his life.

“Racing will survive in this economy,’’ he said recently. “Where else but the racetrack can a man with $25 get an entire afternoon’s entertainment any longer for that kind of money.’’

The point has been well taken by the crowds that have visited Canterbury since it resumed live racing on Preakness Friday eve. It was again the case on Saturday afternoon.

On an afternoon devoted to maidens and claimers, with some modest level allowance races thrown in, the majority of Canterbury’s crowd seemed to care less.

They enjoyed the food, the camaraderie and the horse racing.

Canterbury’s media man Jeff Maday put together a group of 60 owners with a three-year-old filly named Tahitian Queen, who broke her maiden on opening night in Shakopee and made it two in a row in Saturday’s opening race under Jose Ferrer. She also provided sizzling trainer Tammy Domenosky, trainer of the week twice already this meet, with another win.

Cousin Sue, trained by Vic Hanson and ridden by Anne Von Rosen, held off Aloha Richter’s stretch challenge to win the second race on the card, a six-furlong claiming dash.

“Finally, we get one not willing to give it up,’’ said Hanson. “We’ve been searching for one like that.’’

Bernell Rhone, who trains Aloha Richter, hopes his horse will be more like Cousin Sue next time out.

“She wasn’t as fit as (the winner),’’ he said. “This race will help.’’

Hall of Fame rider Scott Stevens appears to be reaching his stride. His goal is to ride a winner a day. So far, so good this week.

He had one Friday and on Saturday took Zack Cape wire to wire over six furlongs for trainer Mac Robertson and Jer-Mar Stable.

The hottest jockey on the grounds this week is Juan Rivera. He had a racing hat trick with three winners on Friday’s card.

Saturday, he rode two more. He stunned seven rivals in the fourth race by guiding IIlikechocolatemilk, at 12-1, to a (about a)mile victory on the turf for maidens.
“He didn’t like the dirt in Phoenix and so we tried him on the turf,’’ said Rivera. “He didn’t win in two tries but ran green and showed he liked the grass,’’ Rivera said.
Saturday, Ilikechocolatemilk got a clean trip and was a clear winner. “I knew he was ready to do it today,’’ Rivera said.

The winner is trained by Canterbury Hall of Fame trainer Dave Van Winkle and owned by Rodney Miller of Howard Lake. Miller was at a wedding and missed seeing his 3-year-old gelding break his maiden .

The winner of the fifth race at a mile and 70 yards was a seven-year-old gelding by Gulch named Chasm, trained by Troy Bethke and ridden by Tracy Hebert.

Owner Carin Offerman was told before the race that everything seemed in order for her horse to come through. Even if the stars are all aligned, Offerman cautioned, a person still needs luck.
She had all she needed in Hebert, who has demonstrated his talent in the saddle every day he’s ridden at Canterbury this spring.

Chasm withstood a challenge in the stretch drive by Top Authority and briefly by 3-5 favorite Tytus because of Hebert.

When Chasm was challenged, the rider revealed one of his major strengths, the ability to keep a horse within himself and save something for such occasions. It was almost as if he simply shifted to another gear. After nearly a mile Hebert had unused horse for the final 1/16th and that earned the Offerman stable and trainer Troy Bethke a victory.

There is more of the same, with even warmer weather included, at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.

GRADUATION NIGHT AT CANTERBURY

BY JIM WELLS

Residential streets throughout the Twin Cities were lined with the automobiles of people attending high school graduation parties Friday night.

Those festivities undoubtedly cut into attendance (3,925) a bit, but Canterbury Park hosted some graduation parties of its own.

The evening got under way with Recording Contract, a 3-year-old filly, graduating from the maiden ranks in a mile event for fillies and mares.

Cam Casby of Shakopee owns the winning filly, and Gary Scherer trains her. Recording Contract provided their barn with a much needed shot in the arm.

“We’ve had some horses who ran in tough company at the Fairgrounds go south on us here,’’ Scherer said. “We needed this.’’

Recording Contract, a daughter of Rossini from Post it, was the first of three winners on the card for Juan Rivera.

In the card’s only race on the grass, Canterbury Park Hall of Fame rider Scott Stevens rode Sirrah to the winner’s circle in the (about a) mile event. The 3-year-old Broken Bow filly graduated from the maiden ranks in her fourth try at her fourth race track. She failed to break her maiden in previous attempts at the Fair Grounds, Hawthorne Race Course and Prairie Meadows Racetrack.

Two other graduates Friday night:
*Laura’s Jinsky closed quickly and was the first of two winners on the card for defending riding champion Derek Bell in the eighth race, a maiden special weight event at six furlongs.

*The card closer was a 300-yard quarter horse race for maiden claimers won by Holland By, a 4-year-old gelding trained by Amber Blair and ridden by Jason Olmstead.

A four-year-old gelding named Pivot Pad made his fifth appearance at Canterbury in the third race and won for the fourth time.

Pivot Pad is owned by James Brown and Joe Keenan of Bloomington and trained by Hall of Fame conditioner David Van Winkle, who hoped to do even more for Brown and Wendy Moen who ran Forest Echoes in the seventh race. “That would be nice to get another win there,’’ said Van Winkle.

Forest Echoes was an impressive winner in that race as a matter of fact, finishing in 1:10 and 4-5ths for the six-furlong event, providing Rivera with his third win on the card.
The meet’s leading owner, Jer-Mar Stable, and trainer, Mac Robertson, struck in the fifth race with Mister Merz turning in an impressive mile and 70-yard win under Dean Butler.
Duke Deluxe, ridden by Bell and trained by Red Rarick, caught Lyka Card Shark in the final strikes with a closing rush for his fifth win at Canterbury. In 11 starts in Shakopee, he has finished first or second eight times.

OVERHEARD IN THE PADDOCK, RECEIVING BARN OR FIRST FLOOR MEN’S ROOM

Some of the best quotes of recent days:
*Quarter horse trainer Jerry Livingston was part of a group that lobbied at the legislature this spring for casino gaming at Canterbury Park.

Livingston was standing with a group of horsemen and jockeys when Governor Tim Pawlenty emerged from his office one day to address reporters. Moments later, some Native American men left the same room, and that caught Livingston’s attention.

“The last time there were that many Indians in one place was at the Little Bighorn,’’ Livingston remarked.

*During a recent conversation on the main level of the grandstand, it was pointed out that HBPA president Tom Metzen hadn’t weighed in with his opinion on the matter under discussion.

“There will be no more quotes from me,’’ said Metzen, “and you can quote me on that.’’

A Pat On The Back For Canterbury

BY JIM WELLS

Canterbury Park and its popular race caller got unexpected kudos this week, from a horse owner and racing enthusiast who has never been to the Shakopee track but plans to visit soon.
Greg Geiser has never been to Shakopee, Minn., but he has a horse who has.

Geiser is partners with two other men in a horse that made a winning Canterbury debut last Sunday. All three men are from the Seattle area. Geiser watched the race at Turf Paradise in Phoenix. One of his partners, Fred Desimone watched the race at Emerald Downs in Seattle, convincing operators there to pull the Canterbury signal up for this single race.

"He knows some people there and got them to put the signal up for 10 minutes or so, but then they took it right back down,'' Geiser said.

Gesier sounds like a man who might be a great good will ambassador for Canterbury, even though he has yet to visit the Minnesota track. He has a certain familiarity with Minnesota's thoroughbred/quarter horse palace nonetheless, after watching numerous races via simulcast and meeting horsemen familiar with the facility.

"Canterbury is just gorgeous,'' Geiser said. "It looks absolutely great on TV. I have a couple of buddies who are racetrack announcers, and I just love that guy you have there (Paul Allen). He throws a lot of funny stuff out during his calls.''

Told that Allen is also the voice of the Minnesota Vikings, Geiser said he already knew that. "I heard his name associated with (the Vikings) one time,'' Geiser said. "I thought 'that sounds familiar.' ''

Geiser, Desimone and Bob Cappelletti formed a partnership called The Sons of Sacred Heart and own other horses on their own. They race primarily in Southern California and at their home track, Emerald Downs.

Cappelletti is also the racing manager for Dr. George Todaro, who has horses with trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, including Breeders' Cup starter Hystericalady among a stable of 140.

The Sons of Sacred Heart claimed a horse called Thelifeoftheparty at Turf Paradise in Phoenix on April 15 with the express purpose of sending her with trainer Wade Rarick to Canterbury. Rarick saddled the horse in Sunday's fifth race and Ry Eikleberry, the leading rider in Phoenix this season and the leading quarter horse rider at Canterbury last spring, took her to the winner's circle.

Thelifeoftheparty, a 3-year-old filly by Cat Dreams from the Dynaformer mare Martinis Atmidnite, won for the second time in five career starts, this one at six furlongs.
The trainer and the jockey provided Geiser with positive reviews on the Minnesota track before bringing the filly north.

"I talked to Ry before he went up there and he told me that he just loves the place,'' said Geiser. "He says that the people are down at the rail, yelling and hollering and everyone has a good time. At Turf, there might be five guys hanging on the rail and that's about it.''
Rarick is in his second season on his own (his father Red also has a stable) at Canterbury and provided a similiar review.

"I haven't heard one bad thing about Canterbury, from a trainer or anybody else who's been there,'' Geiser said. "I just wish they had a broader based signal so more tracks could see their races. I'm looking forward to seeing it,'' he added.

That could be soon.

Rarick plans to start Thelifeoftheparty sometime within the next three weeks. Geiser, Cappelletti and Desimone hope to be in the grandstand that day.

Perhaps they will have another horse on the grounds by that time. Rarick says the group intends to claim a horse in Shakopee once he finds one they like.

"I can't wait to get there,'' Geiser said.

Jockey Joubert Scores Rare Triple

While much of the racing world is focused on Calvin Borel’s possible sweep of the Triple Crown with multiple horses, Mid-Atlantic based jockey Jenna Joubert of New Prague, MN registered an uncommon riding triple of her own on May 14, tallying wins at three different racetracks in that single day.

Joubert started things off with a victory aboard Chloe’s Song in the second race at Pimlico for trainer Dane Kobiskie. Joubert then traveled to Penn National where she guided Prove Mcguilty to win that track’s opening race, again for trainer Kobiskie. Then it was back in her car for a ride to Charles Town and yet another victory, this time on Cover My Six in the ninth race for trainer Justin Nixon.

While rare, Joubert’s feat is not unprecedented. It was last accomplished by fellow Mid-Atlantic jockey Jonathan Joyce who rode winners at Pimlico, Delaware Park and Penn National on August 20, 2005.

Moralist - Honor the Hero Turf Express Winner

Moralist won the Honor the Hero Turf Express on Monday. This the first Shakopee stakes win for both trainer Tammy Domensoky and jockey Jose Ferrer.

News and Notes

BY JIM WELLS

Thelifeoftheparty, a four-year-old filly, proved to be a reason to party for her new owners on Sunday.

The three-year-old filly won the fifth race on the card, an allowance sprint at six furlongs on the Shakopee card, but her thrilled owners did their rejoicing at home in Washington state or on hiatus in Phoenix.

No one at Canterbury, other than her trainer, really knew who these fellows were, however. The program and the Racing Form listed the winning stable as The Sons of Sacred Heart. (although a typo resulted in Scared Heart).

Were the owners of this filly a religious order, a group of Catholic priests, a country/gospel band?

Perhaps Thelifeoftheparty, an $11 winner, had a bit of a boost along the lines of, say, divine intervention while winning for the second time in five career starts.
"She probably did the way she ran,'' said Bob Capelletti, one of three owners of Thelifeoftheparty.

Trainer Wade Rarick claimed this Cat Dreams filly from the Dynaformer mare Martinis Atmidnite at Turf Paradise in Phoenix, Ariz. on April 15, and sent her out for the first time in the colors of the new stable.

Who are The Sons of Sacred Heart?

They are Capelletti, Fred Desimone and Greg Geiser, three Seattle area men with a common interest and a common background.

They were brought together some time ago by their love of racing and horse ownership. That initial introduction provided the basis for a bond that grew even stronger when the three men discovered years later that they were all adopted orphans.
All three have been involved in racing for years and owned horses, but Thelifeoftheparty is the first horse they have owned together

They mulled over what to call the stable. "We thought about calling it Orphan Stables,'' said Cappelletti.

After rejecting that idea as a bit over the top, the men settled on Sons of the Sacred Heart. Cappelletti's adoptive parents sent him to a grade school associated with an orphanage in the Seattle area by that name.

Geiser spends part of the year in Phoenix, Ariz., where he had a horse with Rarick. Once the idea of owning a horse in partnership took hold, Geiser invited the other men to meet Rarick. "We decided to give Wade a shot. He's a good young horsemen,'' said Cappelletti. "A week before the meet ended there, we claimed that filly.''

The three men race horses in Southern California and at Emerald Downs in Seattle, although Cappelletti is involved in an additional way as the racing manager for Dr. George Todaro, who has horses with trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, including Breeders' Cup starter Hystericalady.
Geiser said that all three owners plan to be at Canterbury the next time their filly runs, sometime in the the next three weeks in all probability.
He and Desimone had a horse together 20 years ago, before discovering their common background, something that doesn't seem all that unusual to Geiser any longer.
"My girlfriend is adopted, too,'' Geiser said. "Another fellow and I claimed a horse together six or seven years ago that won a stakes race. He was adopted, too.''


LOOKING FOR SUGGESTIONS
Patrice Underwood is looking for input from horsemen that can be used in the HBPA's trainer of the week selection.

Underwood has printed up a number of Trainer of the Week Nomination forms that are available outside her office on the backside.

Underwood said this will give horsemen a chance to have their voices heard by nominating someone to the weekly award.

The award recognizes trainers who have contributed to Minnesota racing in various forms, by helping other horsemen, by their horsemanship and sportsmanship or by helping with fundraisers or legislative matters.

Winning races, of course, is a factor and can't hurt.

A LITTLE REST GOES A LONG WAY…

By JIM WELLS

The paddock is always a special place before a stakes race. Big or small, these races bring out the competitive spirit in owners, trainers, riders and the horses themselves.
Thus was the case on Monday before the $35,000 Honor the Hero Turf Express.
Doug Oliver, who once trained Honor the Hero, had Bobadieu, a 10-1 morning line pick and 6-1 choice by the fans.

Oliver was feeling special on Memorial Day because he, too, is a veteran _ of the Viet Nam war.
He and his wife, Elaine, were dressed in the red colors of their stable. Two places down in the paddock, in the No. 8 assignment, was Chasin Mason, a 6-year-old mare owned and trained by Steve Erban and family members Dorothy and Mason. Steve Erban was dressed in his customary sky blue sports coat for the special occasion. Take a guess on the naming of this horse.

No matter where you looked, the paddock bore small signs of racing pageantry.
At the wire, after a furious stretch rush in the five-furlong dash on the grass, Moralist, a 4-year-old gelding trained by Tammy Domenosky, ridden by Jose Ferrer and owned by Miracle Logistics, Inc. of Lakeville, pushed a head in front of Talk Circuit, with A.J. King in third. Bobadieu was fourth.

“I thought he’d (Moralist) get there,’’ said Domenosky, for whom the stakes win was the first at Canterbury. “Jose’s a good rider. The horse broke bad, but Jose just stayed there and waited. He had to come out wide but he finished strong.’’

A side note: Moralist and Talk Circuit are nominated to the Claiming Crown on July 25.
Bill Koska of Lakeville, Greg Peterson of Coon Rapids and Stan Krupke of St. Francis are the owners of Miracle Logistics, Inc., and of Moralist.

Domeonsky picked out the horse for them, dependent upon their approval. “We checked out about 10 of them and she just wasn’t really happy with nine of them. She saw something about this one.’’

Still, there were obstacles to overcome. Things were so bad at one point, Peterson said that he’d bet whether they horse would fall or not coming out of the gate.

That was a stretch, of course, but there was a world of difference between the horse at Hawthorne Park last January and the one the owners saw in March after after several weeks rest.

“I don’t know what Tammy did with this horse during that time, but it was magic,’’ said Kroska.

Domeonsky claimed the horse at Hawthorne for $10,000 last October. After his comeback at Hawthorne March 8, Moralist won twice and finished second in most recent outing, on April 19.
“I didn’t do much but rest him,’’ Domenosky explained about the improvement. “We walked him a lot and let him start feeling good again. I think that’s all it was. He just needed a break.’’

AN EYE FOR A WINNER

The race wasn’t anything special, a maiden claiming affair at six furlongs for Minnesota-bred fillies and mares. The purse was $9,920.

Maiden claimers are among the commonest equine flesh at a racetrack, but there was something uncommon about the winner of race No. 2 on Monday.

Bobbi Jo’s Hope, a 4-year-old filly by Captain Bodgit from the Clever Trick mare Freeway Trickster, was born with one eye.

“Her rail eye,’’ explained trainer/owner Kevin Danger.

Danger and co-owner Jim Denney of Stillwater were cautioned about making a race horse out of the filly, but are glad now they did.

“Having only one eye never bothered her,’’ Danger added. “She knows how to compensate for it.’’

When Bobbi Jo’s Hope needs to survey her surroundings or size up something on the left side, she simply cocks her head and takes a look with her functioning eye.
“She was born with one eye and doesn’t know anything different,’’ Danger said. Bobbi Jo’s Hope did require some surgery, however. She didn’t have a left eye but she did have a tear duct that operating and needed to be removed.
Danger not only believed in this filly, he named it after his daughter, a recent graduate of UW-River Falls.
Bobbi Jo’s Hope validated her owners’ efforts and faith on Monday, winning in her third attempt.

ORANGE IN THE PINK AGAIN
The orange shirts of the Will Carlson and Jerry Pint Stable were in the winner’s circle for the second time this weekend.

Couple Whiles, trained by Bernell Rhone and ridden by Dean Butler used a stretch burst to overtake pacesetting Fabulous Babe, the 4-5 favorite, in a 7 ½ furlong allowance race on the grass.

Couple Whiles, second choice at 5-2, is an eight-year-old mare by Storm Creek, and won for the fourth time on the Canterbury turf in 12 starts.

The winner’s circle was filled with orange shirts afterward, worn by the mare’s backers. Carlson and Pint resumed the practice of distributing shirts in their stable’s orange colors last season to backers of their mare.

A COUPLE OF LEFTOVERS
There were still a handful of cars parked in the acreage north of the stables on Monday, leftovers from Sunday’s big rap/hip-hop concert.

The concert drew a turnout of 15,000 and 2,500 from that number bought tickets that entitled them to a party in the grandstand after the races.

Clearly, there were revelers who reveled too much and needed to retrieve their autos at a later, more appropriate time.

FIRST ONE OUT OF THE GATE, FIRST ONE HOME

BY JIM WELLS

Pineapple Joe wasn’t supposed to be on the lead in Sunday’s sixth race, but there he was at the front of six rivals out of the gate, down the backstretch and at the top of the lane.
Trainer Coty W. Rosin, who told the horse’s rider, Tracy Hebert, to keep the horse close never expected a frontrunner.

“He had never shown speed,’’ Rosin said. “When I saw that I just kept saying, come on wire, come on wire.’’

Hebert has a reputation as one of the best riders anywhere for getting a horse out of the gate, putting a horse on the lead who doesn’t belong there and then getting that horse to finish.
That’s exactly what he did with Pineapple Joe, a 6-1 outsider, to give Rosin his first professional win as a trainer.

“Tracy’s among the top 10 percent. Scratch that. Among the top 10 in the country out of the gate,’’ said his agent, Chuck Costanzo.

The win was the third on the card for Hebert, who has introduced himself to the Canterbury Park crowd in impressive fashion this spring.

“I told him to just try to stay close,’’ said Rosin. “You don’t have to say much to a rider like him. He knows how to audible out there.’’

Canterbury’s patrons got their only previous look at Hebert last Aug. 2 when he arrived to ride Quiet Queen _ the winner of the Lady Canterbury on the afternoon of the Claiming Crown races.
Kentucky fans were familiar with him long before.

Hebert was the leading rider for the racing season three times in Kentucky, beating perennial champion Pat Day each time.

Hebert had to stop to recall the dates on Sunday. “It was…1993, 1997 and 1998,’’ he said, hesitatingly. “Yeah, 1993, 1997 and ’98.’’

Presque Isle’s loss has become Canterbury Park’s gain this spring, and Herbert couldn’t be happier with the transition.

Hebert, a journeyman rider with a solid reputation, didn’t catch on at Presque Isle. He arrived with days to serve and wasn’t able to get more than a mount or two when he started riding again.

“I didn’t get it,’’ he said. “It just wasn’t working out.’’

Then he got a call from Costanzo at Canterbury Park. “He told me he had lots of horses and I decided to give it a try, ‘’ Hebert said.

So far, so good.

Costanzo met Hebert, now 46, in 1989 on the backside of the Fairgrounds in New Orleans. “I was a green gallop boy willing to ride for free to get a job,’’ Costanzo said. “Tracy was already among the top of the Fairgrounds riders. “He showed me how to break horses from the gates. Like I said, he’s one of the very best at it.’’

Hebert arrived at Canterbury Park with 3,241 career wins, 2,795 seconds and 2,552 thirds from 22,486 mounts, with total earnings of $40,155,698.

“He broke the record for wins at Delta Downs in 2007. That’s a tough, tough meet with mostly Cajun riders,’’ Costanzo said. “He’s been the leading riding at 27 meets during his career.’’
He’s given every indication he’ll contend for another in Shakopee. His three wins on Sunday moved him into second place with eight, behind Dean Butler.

“It’s working out. I’m glad I’m here,’’ Hebert said.

MAC AND JAMIE SHOWED HIM THE ROPES
Coty Rosin wanted to start Pineapple Joe a week ago, but the horse was sick the night before the race so he scratched him.

“He didn’t eat up the night before, so I didn’t want to run him. Then this race came up, so I tossed him in.’’

Not pushing a sick horse was something Rosin learned from Mac Robertson during the half dozen years he worked in his barn.

“I’ll give him credit for that,’’ said Rosin, 22. “He treats his horses well. You’ll never see the ribs on a horse he trains. He’ll never run a horse that’s not sound or has an injury of any kind.’’
Rosin spent the last two years working out of the Jaime Ness barn and picked up additional training there.

He has had his trainer’s license a mere 2 ½ months and got his first win on Sunday with the ninth horse he’s saddled. “I had a second, a third and a fourth. Now a win,’’ he said.
Resin grew up around horses in Wautoma, Wis., and helped his dad, Tim, at the bush meets and fairs in Wisconsin. He began coming to the races at Canterbury when he was 13.
He and his dad had something to celebrate jointly on Sunday. Coty was the winning trainer in the sixth race. Tim was the winning owner.

HER GRANDMOTHER AND GREAT AUNT WOULD BE PROUD
Dean Butler brought in his second winner on Sunday’s card in the seventh race, a claiming event at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, a six-year-old gelding named Beau Name Sue.
Owner Bev Mjolsness of Red Wing was there to represent herself and husband, Dan, who had another commitment.

Beau Named Sue is by Lakeshore Road from the Blumin Affair mare Blumin Sue.
Blumin Sue was a full sister to Hoist Her Flag, a two-time Horse of the Year at Canterbury Park who was campaigned by Bev and Dan Mjolsness.


A BIG TURNOUT
It was necessary to surround a drink in hand with whatever part of your body was free when walking the first level of the grandstand Sunday afternoon.

It was like picking your way through an obstacle course as patrons swarmed to the mutual windows, concession stands or made their way to the paddock.

A conversation in some parts of the first level was impossible without raising your voice.
Then, as if a tornado inhaled everything and everyone is sight, the level was nearly vacant and whisper quiet at post time of any given race. The obstacle course moved onto the grandstand apron to take in a gloriously sunny, comfortable afternoon. Some sun worshippers applied protective lotion to exposed areas of their bodies. Others, oblivious to the preaching of dermatologists world-wide, stretched out on the apron benches and took in the sun’s fully glory.
Management was looking for a crowd of around 5,000.

Instead, the turnout swelled to 8,179.

A View From Above

BY JIM WELLS

If you had the right vantage spot you knew who the winner was in the first grass race of the season on Saturday in Shakopee.

The view from above was perfect. It was another matter on the grandstand apron.
Hence, Jerry Pint, seated in the horsemen’s section on the second level of the grandstand, knew that Heza Wild Guy caught Pursue a Dream in the final jump of the 7 ½-furlong allowance sprint on the turf. “I knew he had it,’’ Pint said.

Colleagues down below weren’t so sure.



Another spot with the perfect view was in the saddle of the winner. “I knew at the television screen (inside the 1-16th pole) that we had it,’’ said winning rider Dean Butler.

A field of six lined up for the opening of the turf season and Heza Wild Guy, trained by Bernell Rhone, was sent off at 8-5. “I knew we had it,’’ Butler added. “He just seems to know where the wire is and how to get there.’’

Heza Wild Guy was a neck in front of Pursue a Dream, an 8-1 longshot who finished a half length in front 7-5 selection Lovango, trained by Mac Robertson and ridden by Derek Bell. Pursue a Dream, conditioned by Mike Biehler, was ridden by Tracy Hebert, who brought in the daily double on Saturday’s card.

Afterward Pint, who is partners with Will Carlson, pointed out that the colors of their stable are back in force. The winner’s circle was filled with orange-colored shirts.
“We’re back,’’ said Pint. “And so are the shirts.’’

A REASON TO CELEBRATE

You could tell there was something special by the greeting.
“Curt, Curt, congratulations,’’ Cam Casby yelled across the floor.
Curt Johnson’s eyes searched the main level of the grandstand for the source of the greeting and finally located Casby.

“Hey, how did you like that filly,’’ Johnson asked rhetorically.
You might typically not expect such a show of emotion over a 3 ½-furlong dash for 2-year-old Minnesota-bred maiden fillies.

This was different.

First of all it was the first win of the season for Johnson’s SEJ Stable, the leading owner at Canterbury last three years. If felt good again to be back in the winner’s circle where he has spent so much time the last three meets.

That perhaps was reason enough for Casby to congratulate Johnson, but she had additional motives behind her enthusiastic greeting after Downerbythemeadow with Juan Rivera up won the third race on Saturday’s card..

She bred, raised and raced Rock Climb the sire of the winning filly, his first racehorse..
“This is so exciting,’’ Casby said. “This is what it’s all about.’’

Casby likes to find meaningful names for the horses she breeds. Thus, a horse from a hyper sire became Unexpected Angel because of her easy-going temperament. Another one with a quick temper became Fire When Ready.

Rock Climb?

“I don’t know. I guess I just liked the name,’’ Casby said.
“What are you going to do with a Gulch from a Lyphard mare?’’
Hopefully Rock Climb’s first racehorse will get a better shake of the dice than he did.
“He was un unlucky horse,’’ Casby explained.

How so?

Well, one time he came to an unceremonious stop when he took a sudden spill near the rail, dropping the rider in the process.
On another occasion he did combat with the starting gate. “He knocked his teeth out that time,’’ Casby added. “He just wasn’t very lucky.’’
Maybe his daughter can turn things around for the family legacy.
She got a good start in her maiden appearance.

ONE THAT ALMOST GOT AWAY

The winner of the opening race on the card was a 2-year-old colt named Sugar Storm owned by Curtis Sampson, Canterbury’s chairman of the board.
Sampson was eager to see what the horse could do in the 3 ½-furlong maiden sprint for Minnesota-bred maidens.

There were reasons to wonder.

“He’s a character, a little fractious,’’ Sampson said. “He tears apart those bungee cords they put on him in the stall. He just chews on them until they unravel.’’
That’s not the colt’s only idiosyncrasy.

“He has a ball in his stall with a loop on it,’’ Sampson explained. “He grabs that loop with his mouth and bounces the ball up and down in his water, splashing everyone and everything around him.’’

Saturday, the only thing he bounced was the opposition. Hebert took the son of Tropical Storm to an easy win, easing the colt past the wire.

And to think Sampson almost let this one get away.

“Dad has a lot of these 2-year-olds. He wanted to sell this one in the 2-year-old in training sale,’’ said Russ Sampson
“I’m glad we still have him. He might be a good one.’’

A PULLED SUSPENSORY, SURGERY AND SCOTT STEVENS...

The events of that painful afternoon are still vivid in Scott Stevens' mind: Aug. 1, the day before the 2008 Claiming Crown at Canterbury Park.

A Canterbury Hall of Fame rider, Stevens had several mounts in the big event and was looking forward to the next day. All of that changed in an instant. The horse he was on had just crossed the finish line and pulled a suspensory while galloping out. Stevens dismounted on the first turn and took hold of his mount while veterinarians set about putting a brace on the injured leg.
They hadn't finished when the horse turned skittish and kicked, whacking Steven's left knee with the loose brace. It was like getting hit with a baseball bat. "I thought my leg was broken,'' Stevens recalled.

He would come to prefer a broken leg.

Stevens was initially diagnosed with a sprained MCL. Later examination revealed additional damage, a ruptured ACL and shredded miniscus. Doctors told him that years of riding had strengthened his legs to such an extent that muscle was the only thing holding his knee in place.
"I didn't break a bone, but it felt like I did and I would have been better off if I had,'' Stevens said this week.

Stevens underwent extensive surgery on Sept. 26 after returning home to Phoenix, Az. Surgeons inserted a donar ACL, attaching it at the top to the femur and at the bottom to the tibia, using screws designed to dissolve in six months. "Then, they trimmed up the miniscus best they could,'' Stevens said.

Stevens, 48, has been riding since the mid 1970s and wasn't new to injury on the racetrack.
In 2002, he broke 14 bones in a spill at Turf Paradise in Phoenix; included on the list were his pelvis, collar bone, heal and three ribs. Doctors said he'd be off eight months. He was back riding in 4 1/2 months.

The very next year, his tibia and fibia were broken in a gate accident in Phoenix, and Stevens was sidelined four months. The knee injury last summer at Canterbury kept him from riding for seven months, the longest period of inactivity and the most painful recovery of his career.

"During the first part of January I didn't know if I would ever ride again,'' Stevens said. "The knee got infected and I was having so may problems getting it stretched out.''

It took determination and a willingness to endure the worst therapy he can recall.
"The therapy took six hours a week and was brutal,'' he said. "I really wondered if I would ever get back.''

Yet in late February, he started galloping horses, and for the next month wore a brace to protect the repaired knee.

He rode his first horse on March 26 at Turf Paradise. Still, he wondered if he would regain his stamina, his ability to make race-riding worthwhile. He got his first winner with his second mount and wound up riding 92 horses with 16 winners for the remainder of the meet. "I did pretty well,'' Stevens said.

Stamina?

Stevens rode seven horses on the last day of the meet, the last race at a mile and 7/8ths. He arrived in Shakopee eager to ride again and looking forward to the meet now under way.
"I think the layoff helped,'' he said. "I have a good attitude. I want to do this and I'm still having fun.''

Yet, the layoff hurt business. He lost many of the owners and some of the stables for whom he rode regularly, but understands that's part of the process. "I couldn't ride (in Phoenix). Juan (Rivera) picked up some of the mounts I used to have and has done a good job, so it's up to me to build some new relationships now,'' he said. "But it's tough at times.''

Stevens first rode at Canterbury in 1989 and was the leading rider three straight years, from 1990-1992. He just missed making it four in a row, losing the title in 1989 to Chris Valovich by a single win. He has won just about every stakes Shakopee offers at one time or another.
Now he is back, ready for another meet.

"I'm glad to be here,'' he said. "The knee feels strong. I feel great. Now I just need to ride some winners.''

The bet here is that he will.

The Pool Party

While attending the Horse Player World Series in February at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas I was fortunate to spend all three days of the event at a table with Ross Gallo, creator of the Ultimate Handicappers Invitational, and Mike Mayo, a Texas-based horseplayer and tournament veteran.

They were just then formulating an idea to band horseplayers together to show the industry that players can and should impact what happens in this business. We have seen a few ideas like this before and they generally take a negative approach, like let’s boycott this or not bet on that for an entire day. Instead, and what is unique about this idea, is that Mike and Ross were taking a positive approach to get industry attention. They decided that doing what they do, which is bet on the horses, would work. The idea was to form a group of players, select one race per week, and wager on that race. Having a large group wagering $20 to $100 on a single race in the middle of the week might be noticed. They started out using tracks such as Will Rogers Downs (which was noticed for sure) and Beulah.


This Saturday they will be wagering on Canterbury’s 8th race.


You can read more about this idea and about Horseplayers Association of North America (HANA) on their website. LINK HERE.

At Canterbury, I have always felt that we respect our players and listen to what they have to say. And that isn’t just the company line. Of course not everything is possible and I am sure that some items that HANA wants to accomplish won’t fit the current business model. But I do believe that they, and I can say without a doubt this includes Ross and Mike, have the best interests of this industry in mind.

This is the best game in the world and we all need to work to keep it that way.

jm

Barn Notes

HE'S A TRAVELIN' MAN

Percy Scherbenske has 16 horses at Canterbury Park, and another 18 in Chicago. He was in the racing office the other morning, but planned to jump in his truck and head east that afternoon.
Scherbenske was going to stop home at his Castle Rock farm and have an early dinner before making the trip to Arlington Park where he has horses running in four races this weekend. His trips back and forth to Chicago are numerous and add up to around 60,000 miles a year and a lot of wear and tear on his vehicles.

"A truck lasts me about three years,'' he said. "It's a lot of miles.''

Scherbenske has a number of tales about his vehicles and his commutes between Minnesota and Illinois. One in particular he'll never forget occurred in 1996.

He got only as far as La Crosse before a breakdown sidelined him and derailed him plans.
"I had a brand new Dodge truck, just 400 miles on it,'' Scherbenske recalled. "I to to La Crosse and the transmission went out. I was stuck there on the interstate with six horses.''

Scherbenske's immediate concern, of course was for the horses he was hauling.That concern was alleviated during his ride into town in a patrol car. "The officer told me to call a local veterinary clinic. The people there picked up the horses and cared for them the next 10 days,'' Scherbenske said.

Scherbenske's wife picked him up and they returned to Castle Rock, and Dodge picked up the faulty truck.

Yes, the warranty was in effect and he got a new truck shortly thereafter, in plenty of time to drive back and forth between Chicago and Shakopee several times that year.


TEENAGERS ARE EASIER THAN BABIES
Heather Hanly was on the trainer's viewing stand on the backside one morning this week with a group of students from Forest Lake High School.

Hanly is with Canterbury Park's marketing department and was conducting a tour for some 20 juniors and seniors who are studying animal science, horses and horsemanship in Forest Lake.
The morning was moving along swimmingly and Hanly thought she knew one reason for the smooth sailing.

"I had a group of little kids here once last year,'' she explained, ''and there were a lot of 2-year-olds working over the track (horses not children). I kept trying to watch these kids and kept thinking to myself 'don't move, no one move.' ''

As trainer Troy Bethke later pointed out upon hearing the story, "You can be as careful as can be. But if a horse gets loose, it gets loose. It will go where it wants to.''

In any event, Hanly was relieved to be with the Forest Lake group. Some of them have horses of their own and understand the dangers associated with rank or frightened horses.

A couple of young ladies in the group were quite familiar with the erratic behaviors of horses. "I have my own horse,'' one of them said. "They are a lot of work. I love horses. I love my horse, but there are a lot of days when you hate them, too.''

A comment such as that was undoubtedly soothing to Hanly. One could deduce that anyone familiar with this love/hate relationship might also know enough to jump one way or the other if a horse was on a rampage.

ERBAN GETS IN HIS TWO CENTS WORTH
Trainer Steve Erban was on the viewing stand at the same time and, upon hearing that the group was made up of students from Forest Lake, couldn't help but point out the athletic rivalry between the Rangers and Stillwater High School's Ponies.

Erban's daughter is a sophomore at Stillwater, and her father decided to have a little fun with some of the young men in the tour group, one lad in particular who was wearing a University of Minnesota wrestling shirt and looked big enough to fill a spot on the Gophers' offensive line.
Erban had some fun sparring with some of the Rangers over Stillwater's athletic prowess, and then confirmed for the group that his daughter would have fit in real well with them.

She helped deliver her first foal recently, he told the group.

ERBAN MIGHT CHANGE HIS COLORS IF....
Erban is a life-long Green Bay fan and was wearing a Packers sweatshirt on the viewing stand this particular morning. But he has been upset with the Green Bay braintrust since they showed Bret Favre the door last year.

Coach Mike McCarthy and his accomplices let their egos get in the way of retaining the Green Bay icon as Erban sees it, and the consequences couldn't have been worse.

"They would have had a Super Bowl year with Favre there,'' Erban said. "If he ends up with the Vikings, I'll be rooting for Favre.''

Not for the Vikings, mind you, only for Favre.

"Can you just image some team trying to put nine in the box with Favre in there,'' Erban said.

"Favre and the Vikings are a marriage made in the heaven.''

And when the Vikings and Packers square off?

"Let me make this clear,'' the Stillwater horse trainer said, "I'll root for Favre, even against the Packers.''

."That doesn't mean I'm rooting for the Vikings.''

Whoa, now! What would people think about another example of that reasoning, say, for instance:
"I was rooting for Calvin Borel in the Preakness Stakes last weekend, but not for Rachel Alexandra.''


SENOR SMILEY ALMOST READY
Remember Senor Smiley?

Both of them?

Yes, there is a horse stabled at Canterbury Park named Senor Smiley, named for jockey Juan Rivera, who was given the nickname Senor Smiley by track announcer Paul Allen.

Senor Smiley rides Senor Smiley at Canterbury.

Fans will get their first look at Senor Smiley the horse sometime perhaps in the next couple of weeks. Trainer Brian Porter planned to work the horse this week and says the 3-year-old son of Bold Anthony from On Her Merit will run proably with in the next couple of weeks.

Senor Smiley ran twice at Canterbury Park last summer and failed to break his maiden. He did that on April 9th in a $39,000 maiden allowance race at Oaklawn Park. Previously, he was second in a maiden allowance at Oaklawn and second in a stakes at Louisiana Downs.

"He picked up a bug on the trip here and we kept him in the barn for awhile,'' Porter said. "He's doing fine. Just fine.''

We Got A Bad Ride

In my opinion....

Regardless which side of the aisle you lean to, you got less than you deserved if you favor the Racino proposal. The Democrats had a chance to partially fill the large budgetary gap by taking a look at this proposal but again let lobbyist money dictate policy. Many said privately that they would vote in favor were they given the chance. By not taking a stand they ensured they never had a chance to vote on it and can return to their constituents and blame it on someone else.

If you are on the right, Gov. Pawlenty did you no favors. He repeatedly said that there was too much opposition on both sides and that he was not interested in a gambling bill. This gave the far right wingers cover and also gave the left an easy out. A recent poll suggests that 79% of Minnesotans would like to see gambling as an option to generate tax revenue.

Mr. Governor that sounds like interest to me.

We don’t get angry in this country. We need to ask the right questions. The Governor is poised to veto a bill that might provide relief to the terminally ill. There was no clamor for it, yet he will sign a primary seat belt law. He knows what is best for us. An idea that 79% of the public favors can't even reach his desk?

Politically speaking, maybe the governor is right. There is not enough support from the officials we elected to represent us (but enabling them was not the solution) and he won't dirty his hands right now when there are bigger things for him on the horizon. Or , optimistically, maybe he has something planned for 2010.

Racino has had overwhelming public support for years yet it can’t muster a gallop in St. Paul.

If you are a Racino supporter, ask your legislators, both Republican and Democrat, why they remained quiet. Why they cut programs when there was another option. Don’t let them pass the buck. And go to the polls when you are given the opportunity.

Racino supporters, we got a bad ride.
jm

Playin' In The Park

Be sure to watch Playin' In The Park each Saturday at 11:00 am on Channel 45.

Locals React To The Preakness

By JIM WELLS
The biggest race in the country on Saturday was still getting reaction on Sunday.

As far from Pimlico Race Course as, say, even Canterbury Park.

Rachel Alexandra’s sparkling effort in the Preakness Stakes confirmed her validity as the “real deal,’’ and Mine That Bird vindicated himself as something quite different than a “fluke.’’
There were accolades aplenty for both 3-year-olds from anyone who witnessed Rachel’s ability to hold off a furious closing rush from the Kentucky Derby winner.

“That filly was really great and she ran a great race,’’ said trainer Bernell Rhone. “Now I just hope they don’t run her in the Belmont Stakes.’’

As good as Rachel Alexandra was in the Kentucky Oaks and previously, as good as she was in winning Saturday’s Preakness Stakes, Rhone believes that asking this filly to run the 1 ½-mile Belmont Stakes against the boys is simply wrongheaded.

“They need to keep her where she belongs,’’ he said.

For a couple of days, Rachel Alexandra belongs on the throne she assumed by finishing a length in front of Mine that Bird and various other distances in front of 11 other rivals in the 134th running of the Preakness.

“She’s the real deal,’’ said jockey agent Richard Grunder. “The Derby winner surprised me, too. “That wasn’t just a freak race he turned in.’’

Trainer Tammy Domenosky was chatting with Alan and Beverly Kasdan, the owners of All Joking Aside, the winner of the sixth race at Canterbury on Sunday. “Look at those fractions _ 44.4, 56 and 4. That’s trackin’ ‘’ Alan said about his winner.

“He’s never ran that fast before,’’ said Domenosky as she watched a re-run of the race. “He’s real relaxed out there.’’

The conversation shifted to Rachel Alexandra when the Kasdans departed.

“She’s a very nice filly. Of course I was rooting for her,’’ Domenosky said. “It was a fun race to watch. It was nice to see because they always say the fillies can’t beat the boys.’’

Domenosky saddled the winner, Steven R. Cholity’s Backwoodsmoking, in the fifth race as well, beating Stitchntwine by a bob at the wire.

“Percy, you’ ve got to teach that horse when to have its head down at the right time, horse owner Jack Walsh told Percy Scherbenske, the trainer of the Stitchntwine.

“That’s horse racing,’’ Scherbenske said. “I’ve won a few that way, too. Famous last words of a trainer, right.’’

Scherbenske is another trainer who gives Rachel Alexandra her due, but seriously questions her place in the Belmont Stakes.

Track president Randy Sampson didn’t think you could script a race better than the Preakness Stakes. .

“It was a hell of a race,’’ he said. “I thought Friesan Fire and Pioneerof the Nile would be bigger factors, but you couldn’t have asked for a better race, the filly proving her stuff and the Derby winner coming at the end.’’

Few people could have liked the Preakness Stakes any better than owner Bob Lindgren of Prior Lake. “So what did you think, Bob?’’

Lindgren reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of bills so thick he couldn’t keep them folded, with hundred-dollar bills dominating the roll.’’

Lindgren explained his windfall in the face of the favorites finishing one-two.
“I had the superfecta four times,’’ he said.

He was able to pocket $11,600 as a result but even this tale of success included a bit of woe.
“I decided to bet the superfecta 20 times, but I was eating a big ice cream cone when I made the decision to hit the windows again and couldn’t finish it in time,’’ Lindgren said.

Lindgren wasn’t getting sympathy from anyone who heard the tale.

The Rachel Show

Two weeks ago I was admittedly bitter about an "impossible" result in the Kentucky Derby that ended with Mine That Bird running away from the field in the final 16th to win by the biggest margin in over 50 years. From a handicapping perspective the result made no sense.

The bitterness is now gone thanks to Rachel Alexandra, who validated her favoritism status with a strong front-running victory in today's Preakness, and Mine That Bird who proved that two weeks ago was no fluke with a solid second place finish despite a much wider and less perfect trip than he had in the Derby.

Both horses ran very strongly today, and Rachel Alexandra's victory was all the more impressive after jockey Borel stated after the race that she didn't handle the track nearly as well as she had previously handled the harder surfaces at Churchill and the Fair Grounds. That is really saying something if true (and I guess he should know).

Hopefully, the Mine That Bird naysayers (me included) will now face reality that this colt simply matured and improved tremendously with the change in running style. The Derby was not a fluke and he is better than these other colts at the present time.

Without Rachel Alexandra in the race today, would we be looking at another possible Triple Crown on the line in three weeks? It appears so from my perspective. That would have created quite a story if The Filly would have waited until the Belmont to put it on the line against a Triple Crown seeking Mine That Bird.

She has become horse racing's top attraction. Enjoy her while she lasts, she is an elite filly and her level of excellence is rare indeed.

One more thing: if you don't want to bet on her, don't bet against her. Just enjoy the race. I look forward to her next Tour de Force.

The Oracle

Bell and Robertson Win Both Stakes

by Jim Wells

If you won’t wear one cowboy belt buckle, what on earth will you do with two?

That was the least of Mac Robertson’s concerns on Saturday after sweeping both stakes races on the card, the $35,000 Lady Slipper Stakes with Bella Notte and the $35,000 10,000 Lakes with Sir Tricky.

In addition to the trophy that goes to the winning connections, the winning trainer got an engraved buckle made just for the races by Maynard Buckles, Spurs &Silver out of Thoreau, N.M. The company made the buckles specifically for the two races in return for setting up a booth at Canterbury this weekend featuring their western silver and turquoise jewelry.

The buckles are probably more suited to a quarter horse trainer’s tastes, at least in Robertson’s case. “My wife will probably like this. She was into that rodeo stuff,’’ Robertson said after track president/general manager Randy Sampson showed him the Lady Slipper buckle.

Robertson requested that Sampson keep the buckle for him until later in the day. “I might lose it,’’ he said. He needed to saddle Sir Tricky for the following race.

Twenty minutes later he had another buckle for his spouse.

The winning rider in both races was Canterbury Park’s defending riding champ Derek Bell, who would like to claim a seventh title this meet.

Bell was certain he had a winner with Sir Tricky (pictured) at the 3/8th’s pole. “Everybody else was already riding,’’ he said. Sir Tricky won this race in 2007. He is owned by Barry and Joni Butzow of Eden Prairie. Sir Tricky finished in front of Captain Canaveral. The win was Sir Tricky’s 10th from 31 starts.

The race was Bella Notte’s first since a six-furlong event at Hawthorne Race Course on April 10 and second since last Feburuary26. “My big concern was that she’d get tired, but I got more tired than she did,’’ said Bell.

Bella Notte, a home bred from Art and Gretchen Eaton’s Randolph farm, is a five-year-old mare by Quick Cut from Just One Rainbow and won for the fifth time from 10 career-starts. She finished in front of Thanks for the Tip.

The Eatons turned her over to Robertson last year. “He’s very hands-on and his help is awesome,’’ Gretchen said. “He’s made a difference.’’

Robertson was hoping for something that will make a difference as well. He was still feeling a bit punk on Saturday from a bug he’s had the last few days.

The two stakes wins will help some.

We should all do so well when we feel so bad.

DEADLINE FOR SLOTS NEARS
There was a table set up just inside the main entrance to the grandstand the last two days where Canterbury customers can sign their names in support of casino gaming for the racetrack. In addition, there were recruiters with clipboards strolling through the crowd for the same purpose.

While Tom Metzen, Jr. and Jim Olson have been representing horsemen’s interests at the legislature this week, others have been soliciting signatures.

One of them on Saturday was Patrice Underwood from the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Assn. “We turned over 1,100 signatures (from opening night on Friday) to the Governor’s office this morning,’’ she said. The recruiters had collected another 650 signatures by mid afternoon on Saturday.

Of those involved, Metzen is the most optimistic that the legislature will act favorably on a bill Canterbury has sought since the mid 1990s. “When we started 90 days ago I thought our chances were 100-1,’’ he said. “Today, I’d say they’re more like 7-2.’’

Canterbury’s pursuit of gaming to help bolster purses has been an ongoing process since the Sampson family purchased the track in 1994. The legislative session winds up at midnight Monday so time is running short to convince lawmakers to vote in the affirmative.

There has never been a time since Canterbury reopened in 1995 that racing needed new forms of revenue as badly as it does now.

With the state badly in need of revenue, the idea seems like a no-brainer to horsemen. “The situation would seem to set up good for us,’’ said track president/general manager Randy Sampson. “There is still some hope….some.’’

Opening Night Notes

BY JIM WELLS

So, what else is new?

Jer-Mar Stable’s Jerry Myers and trainer Mac Robertson got to the winner’s circle first to initiate the 2009 race meet on Friday night, picking right up where they left off last season.
They were accompanied by Mister Merz, a 4-year-old colt by Black Minnaloushe and rider Dean Butler, who had a simple explanation for his winning ride.

“When you ride the best that’s what happens, “ Butler said. “All I had to do was point him in the right direction.’’

Mister Merz got the new meet rolling with a four-length victory over Soul Singer and returned $3.20, $2.60 and $2.40.

Nice way to start, eh, Jerry?

“Yeah, it’s the best way to start,’’ Myers responded.

Jer-Mar Stables is annually among the top stables on the grounds, and Robertson has been the track’s leading trainer four consecutive meets.

There is no reason to think they won’t be dominating factors again this summer.

The race was marred by the breakdown of Golden Prancer, ridden by Adolfo Morales. Erinn and Aaron, ridden by Brian Hollingsworth, was taken out of contention trying to avoid Golden Prancer. Morales and Hollingsworth bounced to their feet after the mishap, but Morales took off his remaining mounts on the card. Erinn and Aaron was Hollingsworth’s only mount of the night.
The 15th season of live racing at Canterbury Park got under way on an inauspicious note with rain and overcast conditions, but the skies cleared and the empty grandstand apron filled with fans from a crowd of 7,482 eager to get their first whiff of live racing since last September.

It is likely that today’s card, featuring the Preakness Stakes and the much ballyhooed filly Rachel Alexandra will seem more like the meet opener. Cooler weather with bright, sunny skies are forecast, promising elements for a turnout of 8,000 or more.

Canterbury’s media man Jeff Maday put together a huge delegation of owners of the third-race winner, a 3-year-old chestnut filly, Tahitian Queen. Trained by Tammy Domenosky and ridden by Jose Ferrer, Tahitian Queen delighted her new owners as a 2-1 winning favorite. Ferrer did his best afterwards to shake or slap hands with as many of the 60 owners as possible.
So was it a harbinger of bigger things to come?

“Let’s hope so,’’ said Domenosky. “Yeah, it is.’’

Domenosky reconsidered her declaration. “No, scratch that,’’ she said. “Didn’t we say something like this before?’’ Assured that was never the case, Domenosky let her prediction stand.
The winner of the fourth race, Engaging Lover, broke a string of chalky winners. The 5-year-old gelding, owned by Susan Berg of Milltown, Wis., and trained by her dad, Harvey Berg, won his first race since August of 2007 under Louis Medina. The payoff? A WHOPPING $55.20, $21.40 and $10,80 across the board.

The precocious Dylan Williams is riding in the Canterbury colony again and he sweetened the evening and the meet for owner Jack Walsh of Somerset, riding Sweet Ole Somerset to the winner’s circle at 7-1 in the seventh race. All of Walsh’s horses carry the name Somerset in some form or fashion, raising an intriguing question _ what would happen if Walsh moved to Baldwin or New Richmond?

“I’m not going to,’’ he said, ending the matter once and for all.

What isn’t certain any longer is this: At one time, a person could hear the name of a horse that included Somerset and know it belonged to Walsh. Not any longer. “Jeff Hilger has one he named Somerset Jack,’’ Walsh said, “and Bruce Malkerson has one he plans to name Somerset Jackie.’’

SNIPPETS AND MUSINGS FROM THE FIRST DAY OF RACING

The pressing question heading into today’s Preakness Stakes concerns Rachel Alexandra and rider Calvin Borel’s decision to take off Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird to ride the filly who won Kentucky Oaks, also with him aboard.

Did he make the right decision, giving up the colt to ride this precocious filly?
“I don’t know. She’s a really a nice filly they say,’’ said jockey Juan Rivera. “It’ s tough, real tough. I just don’t know.’’

Others weren’t stymied by the issue in the least.

“ Calvin knows what he’s doing, absolutely,’’ said journeyman rider Jose Ferrer, who joined Canterbury’s jockey colony this spring. “That’s an impressive filly.’’

Butler agreed, without labeling the filly a sure thing..

“Calvin’s doing the right thing,’’ he said. “She’s a real nice filly but she has a new trainer (even though it’s Steve Assmussen) and she wasn’t really tested (in the Kentucky Oaks against six rivals). We’ll see what happens.’’

*Paul Nolan brought in Touchmewithmagic for trainer/owner Franciso Bravo in the fifth race, continuing a prosperous year for the Aubrey, Texas trainer. “It’s been a good year,’’ Bravo said, “but it’s going to come to an end. Nobody’s breeding horses right now, so there’s going to be a shortage.’’

*Circle Me Bert, ridden by Ferrer, finished second to $24 winner Sam Green and Scott Stevens in the card finale for maiden Minnesota-breds but was placed fourth behind Tahkodha Bill for interference with that horse at the eighth pole.

*Defending riding champ Derek Bell got his first win of the meet in the sixth race, bringing in 5-1 choice Go by Gold, trained by Red Rarick. Bell lost four mounts on the card at the entry box, but picked up Go by Gold after Morales went down.

Barn Notes

BY JIM WELLS

The admonition about the "grass is always greener" might actually apply to Canterbury Park this spring. Minnesota's only thoroughbred/quarter horse track prepares to open for live racing Friday night without some of the problems plaguing other racing jurisdictions.

Opening night and the next few weeks of racing should demonstrate if there is truly a difference between the Minnesota model and the rest of the country.

Across the nation racetracks are experiencing declines in attendance and wagering and, just as notable, in horse populations. It doesn't take Scotland Yard to locate the culprit: the economy, depending on the source, hasn't been in the dumps like this since the Great Depression or at least for the last 25 years.

Either way, it is responsible for a drastic decline in consumer spending, particularly with the entertainment dollar.

Canterbury is opening two weeks later than usual in an effort to keep purses at previous levels and is eliminating some races as well. Horsemen seem prepared to live with that and begin the meet with a hopeful if not optimistic attitude.

Their leader, local HBPA president Tom Metzen, seems to fit the optimistic example.

"Some people don't know how good this is compared to a lot of places,'' Metzen said. "The people I've talked to are very glad to be here.''

There is one obvious reason for Metzen's optimism, particularly concering the contract with management. "I have to think it was a good idea because I signed the contract,'' he said.

Metzen views the late start to the season as a good tradeoff for keeping purses intact. "When you realize that we only run two days each of the first two weeks but that employees have to be paid for an entire week _ the gate crew, the grounds crew, the ambulance people _ it makes sense not to run,'' he said. "It costs the track a lot of money for four days of racing and by cutting them we saved cutting our purses, which we felt was as or more important than those four days.''

Canterbury president/CEO Randy Sampson was concerned on Wednesday as he prepared to reveal a 20 percent decline in revenue for the first quarter, but remains hopeful about the upcoming meet nonetheless.

"I guess the overall answer to this is that in terms of the number of horses on the backside, the jockeys we have and how things are coming together, I think we'll have a very good race meet,'' he said. "We should be fine in getting people out to the races.''

There is a concern about wagering revenue, on the races and in the card club, and that will determine the always crucial part of a race meet _ maintaining purse levels.

"We're trying to manage our purses (with a reduction in race days and some races) and we hope the revenue is adequate so that we don't have to make purse cuts, something we have never done in the history (since 1995) of Canterbury Park.''

Sampson isn't concerned about attracting people to Canterbury. He maintains that lower gas prices this season and the track's appeal to families will continue to attract crowds. Getting those people to the windows is the challenge.

Here is where horse population plays a part. Many tracks, even the icons of the sport, are experiencing shortages of horses, another aspect of the economy. Breeders have cut back, many owners and trainers are not shipping great distances because of cost, and shorter fields translate into reduced wagering and a decrease in revenue.

Canterbury does not appear to have such a problem heading out of the gate.

"California might be the best example of a lack of horses,'' Metzen said. "Hollywood Park is running all kinds of five-horse fields. Golden Gate recently carded a bunch of five-horse fields.There are just not that many around.''

That doesn't appear to be an issue _ at least not yet _ in Shakopee.

Stall superintendent Mark Stancato was hoping for 1,000 horses on opening day and counted 1003 horses on the grounds on Wednesday, with more coming.

"I think we're luckier than heck,'' Metzen added. "But it's the treatment people get when they come here. They are hunting for horses in Iowa and their purses are twice ours, but people prefer to come here because of the way they are treated.''

Canterbury's opening card for the 2009 season features eight races with 10 horse fields in five of them, a 12-horse field and six and eight horses slated to line up in the other two.

Saturday's nine-race card includes eight horses for the $35,000 Lady Slipper Stakes and 10 for the 10,000 Lakes. One race features 11 horses, four races have eight-horse fields and two have six horses.

Sunday's nine-race card has 12 horses in a Minnesota-bred Allowance feature, two 10-horse races, one nine-horse race, one with an eight-horse field, three with seven and one with six.

No one is happier to be back in the saddle than defending riding champ Derek Bell, although he'll get limited opportunity on the opening card with only two mounts.

"I got hosed at the entry box,'' he said. "They called off four races, all Mac Robertson horses. They wouldn't let (those races go) with only five horses.''

Bell has ridden only once since the 2008 meet at Canterbury. He rode a Robertson horse to a second-place finish at Prairie Meadows two weeks ago.

He had hoped to ride for the Robertson barn last winter but Oaklawn Park wouldn't permit him to ride. Canterbury Park is the only place he's been allowed to ride since his suspension with eight other jockeys more than two years ago at Tampa Bay Downs as an on-going investigation continues to deny him and some of the others of ordinary rights assumed by most Americans.

Bell spent the winter exercising top-flight horses and breaking babies at Vinery Farm in Ocala, Fla. "I'm ready to go. I'm anxious,'' said Bell, who won an unprecedented sixth riding title in 2008.

Hall of Fame rider Scott Stevens rivals Bell for enthusiasm about the upcoming meet. He left Canterbury with a broken leg last season, underwent surgery in Phoenix, wondered in January if he would ever ride again, resumed riding at Turf Paradise on March 23 and brought in 16 winners by meet's end.

"Oh, yes,'' I'm glad to be back,'' Stevens said.

So, too, are several stalwarts from last year's training ranks: Robertson, Tammy Domenosky, Mike Biehler, Bernell Rhone, Dave Van Winkle, Troy Bethke and Todd Hoffrogge to name a few.

So...let the 15th season of live racing at Canterbury Park begin.

NTRA Thoroughbred Notebook

News and notes from around the Thoroughbred racing world, compiled by NTRA Communications.

DERBY WINNER TO TAKE ON OAKS WINNER IN SATURDAY’S PREAKNESS
Mine That Bird became the toast of the American sports scene following his 50-1 last-to-first, upset win in the May 2 Kentucky Derby. The gelding graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, and jockey Calvin Borel visited the couch of Jay Leno on last Tuesday’s Tonight Show. But Mine That Bird has once again returned to his familiar role of underdog as he looks to capture the second jewel of Thoroughbred Racing’s Triple Crown, the $1.1 million Preakness Stakes from Pimlico in Baltimore. (NBC 4:30-6:30 p.m., ET)

Not only is Mine That Bird listed as the co-third choice in the morning line at 6-1 for the mile and three-sixteenths classic, he has lost his jockey to the early 8-5 favorite, the filly Rachel Alexandra. The day before the Derby, Borel guided Rachel Alexandra to a runaway, 20 ¼-length win in the Kentucky Oaks, which is the three-year-old-filly counterpart race to the Derby. Then Rachel Alexandra was privately purchased by a group led by Jess Jackson, who decided that his new purchase had the stuff to take on the boys, and Borel obviously agreed, choosing to keep the mount on the filly rather than the Derby hero. As a result, Mine That Bird becomes the first-ever Derby winner to lose his jockey to another horse in the Preakness. Hall of Famer Mike Smith, who shares New Mexico ties with Mine That Bird’s owners and trainer, will now inherit the Preakness mount.

“Calvin did a great job, but he also gave Mike…something to go by, because that’s the trip we’ve been looking for all along,” said Mine That Bird’s trainer Chip Woolley of his horse’s furious rally from the back of the pack. “Now, they see that he’s fired his very best races when he’s run that way, so it gives him something to gauge by going into this race.”

A large field of 13, including the top four finishers in the Derby, will compete in the 134th Preakness. Mine That Bird drew post position two, while Rachel Alexandra drew the far outside stall with post position 13. No horse has won from post 13 in 11 tries since 1909. Rachel Alexandra, with a win, would also be the first filly to win the Preakness since 1924, when Nellie Morse became the third filly to capture the “Run for the Black-Eyed Susans”. Fillies are 3-for-52 overall in the Preakness, with 49 of those starters having participated prior to 1940.
It is not at all uncommon for females to run against males in modern American racing, however. In 2008 alone, 254 female horses took on males in stakes events, with 29 of them emerging victorious.

The complete Preakness field, in post position order, is: Big Drama (jockey: John Velazquez, morning line odds: 10-1); Mine That Bird (Mike Smith, 6-1); Musket Man (Eibar Coa, 8-1); Luv Gov (Jamie Theriot, 50-1); Friesan Fire (Gabriel Saez, 6-1); Terrain (Jeremy Rose, 30-1); Papa Clem (Rafael Bejarano, 12-1); General Quarters (Julien Leparoux, 20-1); Pionerrof the Nile (Garrett Gomez, 5-1); Flying Private (Alan Garcia, 50-1); Take the Points (Edgar Prado, 30-1); Tone it Down (Kent Desormeaux, 50-1); and Rachel Alexandra (Calvin Borel, 8-5).
Post time for the Preakness is slated for 6:15 p.m. (ET).

SEATTLE SMOOTH SEEKS FOURTH STRAIGHT IN SHUVEE
Seattle Smooth will try for her fourth straight stakes victory in Saturday’s 34th running of the Grade II, $150,000 Shuvee Handicap for fillies and mares going a mile on the main track at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. Last August, the Quiet American filly won the Go for Wand at Delaware Park; the following month she scored in the Grade II Fitz Dixon Cotillion at Philadelphia Park, and last month she ran away with the Grade II Bed O’ Roses Handicap, winning by more than five lengths at Aqueduct. The only question remaining for trainer Tony Dutrow is whether she’ll tackle the course at Belmont with the same zeal.

“The `Big Sandy’ is not for everyone,” Dutrow said, referring to the Belmont dirt surface. “But she handled Saratoga well, she handled Aqueduct well, she handled Delaware and Philadelphia well. I’ve been very happy with her so far, I just hope she likes it.”

Although just six fillies and mares will go postward for the Shuvee, Dutrow doesn’t expect the short field will hinder his filly.

“She went seven-eighths last time in a short field,” Dutrow said of Seattle Smooth, who will carry top weight of 120 pounds. “I was taking a ‘Let’s just see how this goes,’ approach and she was in striking position the entire race. With a short field going a little longer, I don’t feel it’s an issue.”

Barn Notes

by Jim Wells

A stiff wind greeted horsemen on the backside Tuesday morning. Riders, trainers and grooms alike had their collars turned up in self defense.

"That wind is just vicious this morning,'' a horsemen remarked as he strode through the racing office. "'It's not cold, but it's constant and it hits you right in the ear.''

There were opinions of various sorts depending on the source and location. "It's a good thing it's a south wind and not a north wind,'' said trainer Todd Hoffrogge as he departed the horsemen's viewing stand en route to the barn. ""All you Arkansas guys say that,'' responded Dave Astar, Hoffrogge's companion from Astar Thoroughbreds.There were smiles, handshakes and good wishes wherever one ventured on this particular day, leading up to the season's first draw in the racing office.

"You wintered good, did ya?'' one fellow asked of an acquaintance he hadn't seen in months.

Canterbury president/CEO Randy Sampson took note of the prevailing attitude on the backside. "The mood seems very upbeat,'' he said. "Most of the trainers and jockeys are back and looking forward to the meet.''Despite the positive glow that generally surrounds opening week at the race track, there were minor complaints and concerns.

Revenues are down 20 percent for the first quarter and that creates numerous questions for the 2009 meet. Horsemen had their problems on this windy day as well.

A mounted rider exited the track wearing tennis shoes. "Last time I do that,'' he said. "The jockey didn't show up this morning.'' Clearly, this fellow had been pressed into service at the last minute and wasn't happy about it. Some horsemen expressed mild disappointment at the late start this season, but attempted to be understanding of the economic forces that shaped this year's meet. "I suppose somebody had to make a decision,'' one fellow said.Jockey Paul Nolan had a tale of missed opportunity. He had been at Prairie Meadows the day before to ride a single horse. His mount spooked during the post parade, dumped him and ran off. The horse was scratched and Nolan returned to Minnesota with nothing to show for his investment of time, energy and gasoline expense, which served as a good analogy for his winter to hear him tell it. Nolan departed Canterbury last autumn as the track's second-leading rider. He rode at Hawthorne Park until January, wound up at Fonner Park and is glad "to be home.'' Fonner's bull ring did not suit him.

Trainer Bernell Rhone, the North Dakotan turned Minnesotan turned Floridian, spent the winter at Tampa Bay Downs. "I didn't work too hard,'' he said. "I was good at eating and drinking and living the good life.''

Claiming Crown boss Nat Wess was greeted in the racing office with shouts of "happy birthday'' that soon turned into a roast of sorts. There was concern from some folks that Nat had his pants pulled up too high. Age? One wag suggested that Wess was revered for his reports on the Civil War during his newspaper days.

Canterbury's preeminent trainer Mac Robertson nearly had a Kentucky Derby starter this year but scratched Win Wiley on Wednesday of Derby week because of concern following an x-ray. Nonetheless he was at Churchill Downs and got plenty of attention from the media.
"Some of it was even good,'' Canterbury's four-time training champ quipped.

Stall superintendent Mark Stancato is annually approached for his travel reviews upon the return of horsemen. He generally departs Canterbury Park in the fall, embarks on a European trip with his elderly mother and then heads to Mexico by himself for a monastic winter of pina coladas, yoga and deep thought.
Last winter was more travel-filled than usual for Canterbury's nomadic stall boss. He began with a trip to Russia with his 85-year-old mother, later hiked into the Grand Canyon and back and then departed for his idyllic beach in Mexico.

Here then is Stancato's report on his travels in the land of the czars and in the ancestral canyon home of the Havasupai: The Moscow subways are something to behold. "They are clean with beautiful artwork and mosaic tile everywhere,'' said Stancato. "The subways are well lighted and on time. There is no graffiti. The rest of Moscow is just a big dirty European city.''St. Petersburg is something altogether different. "It's a pedestrian city. Everyone walks...everywhere,'' Stancato said. "In Amsterdam, you might get run over by a bicycle, but St. Petersburg is a wonderful walking city, although quite expensive.''

Examples: $7 for a cup of coffee; $25 for a glass of average wine.

"The food isn't very good, either,'' he said. "Except for the borscht, and you get tired of that after a while.''Stancato did plenty of walking during his St. Petersburg visit and that got him in shape for an October trek to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, with an overnight stay at the historic Phantom Ranch at canyon's bottom. There was some concern about getting a meal at the ranch because Stancato had not made reservations, but the cooks there wrangled up a steak dinner so he had plenty of fuel for the hike to the top the following day.

Now, you will find him where he has been the last many years _ at his desk in the racing office, dispensing keys for dorm rooms, assignments for stalls and advice for anyone who cares to listen.

Canterbury Park Track Profile

There are many handicapping factors to consider when evaluating a horse race and selecting win candidates. The track profile is one of those factors, as it can help us to narrow down our contender group and focus on the horse whose running style most closely fits the track profile. The following analysis is based on races run at Canterbury Park over the past 5 summers. Races are broken down into three categories: dirt sprints, dirt routes and turf routes. Let’s take a look at some statistics for these different distances.

Dirt Sprints: Early speed has been a dominant factor in sprint races at Canterbury Park over the past five seasons. In a sample size of 781 sprints, the winner was on or within 1 length of the lead at the first call 52% of the time, and on or within 1 length of the lead at the second call 61% of the time. Conversely, the winner was more than 5 lengths back at the first call only 15% of the time, and more than 5 lengths back at the second call only 12% of the time. Deep closers in sprints are at a severe disadvantage on this race track.

There has been a slight post position bias towards the inside post positions in sprints, as 44% of the races have been won from post positions 1-3 since 2004, compared to 47% winners from post positions 4-7.

Dirt Routes: The surface has played pretty evenly for dirt routes over the past five seasons, as the numbers don’t indicate a long-term track bias at the route distance. In a sample size of 322 dirt routes, the winner was on or within 1 length of the lead at the first call 41% of the time, and on or within 1 length of the lead at the second call 61% of the time. Conversely, the winner was more than 5 lengths back at the first call 24% of the time, and more than 5 lengths back at the second call only 11% of the time. This data suggests that while horses haven’t needed blazing early speed to win route races here, they do need to make up ground and be right in contention by the second call (6f) of the race. The mid-race move has been effective at this distance in the past.

There is a distinct inside post position advantage in dirt routes. Post positions 1-3 have won 47% of the route races, and post positions 4-7 have won 43% of the route races since 2004. A horse with tactical early speed and an inside post is your meal ticket!

Turf Routes: The historical track profile for turf routes at Canterbury Park favors closers. Early speed is NOT an advantage on the turf. A sample size of 144 turf routes run since 2004 show the winner on or within 1 length of the lead at the first call only 18% of the time, and on or within 1 length of the lead at the second call 33% of the time. Conversely, the winner was more than 5 lengths back at the first call 40% of the time, and more than 5 lengths back at the second call 21% of the time. Again, a mid-race move fits the winning profile on the turf. Faint-hearted front-runners that are able to carry their speed on the main track will not succeed on the turf course. Only the strongest front running horses can wire the field on the turf.

Post positions 1-3 have won 35% of the turf routes since 2004, and posts 4-7 have won 50% of the turf routes, a slight post position advantage to the middle posts.

The Bottom Line: Keep your eye on where the winners are coming from at all distances and surfaces. Look for trends that either match the historical profile or contradict it. Either way, don’t fight the bias! Incorporate the track profile into your handicapping and select more winners! Good luck in 2009!


The Oracle

Jockeys

The jockey colony looks quite similar to last season with eight of the top 10 riders returning. Derek Bell, six-time leading rider, is back and will be handled by agent Chad Anderson who also books the mounts of Canterbury Hall of Famer Scott Stevens.

Other riders include Dean Butler, Jose Bettencourt (sidelined for another week with a shoulder injury), Paul Nolan, Jordan Olesiak, Nik Goodwin, Juan Rivera, and Andrew Erwin.

Agent Richard Grunder has Adolpho Morales and Dylan Williams.

Anne Von Rosen is back as well after a successful Turf Paradise meet. Ry Eikleberry won the Turf Paradise riding title. He was QH champ here last summer, setting a single season win record.

New faces: Luis Medina. Most recently he rode at Will Rogers Downs and will be represented here by Barb Noll.

Jose Ferrer, an accomplished journeyman, will ride here this summer. He has hired Pete Antonucci as his agent. Ferrer has won 3,582 races in a career that began in 1982 and has taken him up and down the eastern seaboard and to the Midwest as well. Ferrer has ridden 24,648 races with purse earnings of $56,719,489.

NTRA Thoroughbred Notebook

News and notes from around the Thoroughbred racing world, compiled by NTRA Communications.

RACHEL ALEXANDRA SOLD TO JACKSON; PREAKNESS NEXT?
Rachel Alexandra, the three-year-old filly who won the May 1 Kentucky Oaks by 20 ¼ lengths, has been purchased by a group led by Jess Jackson’s Stonestreet Stables. As a result of the sale, care of the filly has been transferred from trainer Lon Wiggins to Steve Asmussen, who campaigned 2007 and 2008 Horse of the Year Curlin for Jackson and his partners following a private purchase in early 2007.

“Rachel Alexandra is one of the best horses in racing today,” said Jackson. “She is fast, strong and durable —- the traits we should all be breeding into all future generations of race horses. Her beauty and athleticism will thrill thousands of fans. ”

The main questions now circulating in the racing world is when that next display of athleticism will take place, and who will be on her back when it does.

The regular rider of Rachel Alexandra has been Calvin Borel, who is also the rider of Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird. Should Rachel Alexandra’s new owners decide to wheel her back in the May 16 Preakness for a showdown with Mine That Bird, Borel and his agent Jerry Hissam would be faced with a difficult decision. Borel has previously proclaimed that Rachel Alexandra is the best horse he has ever ridden.

“It’s a possibility; it could happen,” said Mine That Bird’s trainer Chip Woolley about the prospect of losing Borel to Rachel Alexandra. “But I don’t think I will have a hard time finding a rider if it happens.”

Jackson says his purchase of Rachel Alexandra does not guarantee that his new filly will run in Baltimore in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown”

“The ink is not even dry yet,” Jackson said. “The only decision was to bring her to Steve’s barn. No decision has been made on any race or a rider.”

Jackson did indicate that when Rachel Alexandra’s racing career concludes, he will breed her to Curlin.

“We are tremendously excited by the prospect of one day seeing the offspring of Curlin and Rachel Alexandra,” said Jackson. “But for now, the story of this filly is still being written.”

KENTUCKY DERBY IS MOST WATCHED “RUN FOR THE ROSES” IN 20 YEARS
NBC Sports' coverage of Saturday's Kentucky Derby was the most viewed Kentucky Derby in 20 years according to data provided by Nielsen Media Research. The race portion of the telecast (6:09-6:57 p.m. ET) averaged 16.3 million viewers, two million more than last year's 14.2 million (up 15 percent) and the most since 1989 when Sunday Silence won the Derby (18.5 million).

"In this time of a fragmented television landscape, amassing this large audience is a real accomplishment, a testament to the common vision we share with Bob Evans and his team at Churchill Downs and a shared strategic approach between partners to execute that vision," said Dick Ebersol, Chairman NBC Universal Sports and Olympics.

Saturday's race coverage notched a 9.8 national rating and a 23 share, the highest rating in 17 years and an 11 percent increase over last year's race (8.8/21) that featured an impressive win by Big Brown.


HEEEEEERE’S CALVIN
Fresh off an appearance on this week’s cover of Sports Illustrated perched atop Mine That Bird, jockey Calvin Borel is now slated to head West to visit The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Borel is scheduled to join Dennis Miller and singer Kelly Clarkson as Leno’s guests on the Tuesday, May 12 program on NBC.

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno airs nationally after the late, local news. Check local listings for times in your area.

DERBY SUPERFECTA CHANGES THE LIFE OF SAN ANTONIO AREA MAN
Calvin Borel, Chip Woolley and Mine That Bird are not the only newly-minted media stars resulting from the 50-1 upset at last Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.
So is Bowen Ross Wallace, a 41-year-old Thoroughbred owner and trainer from Tilden, Tex., who was one of 23 people to cash a winning Derby superfecta ticket worth $278,503. Interviewed Monday on CNBC, Wallace said he placed a five-horse superfecta box at Retama Park, and used Mine That Bird because he did not want to leave Borel out of his wager. “Calvin Borel is a very good jockey,” he said to CNBC interviewer Darren Rovell.
Wallace, whose biggest prior betting score totaled $1,900, says he plans to buy a few more horses with his winnings and perhaps provide some competition to those Derby owners and trainers whom he has, up to now, only watched on television.

Improbable But Not Impossible

by Andrew Offerman

A lot of people, myself included, have been left confused, frustrated, irritated and a whole host of other words that can’t be used on this blog as a result of the Kentucky Derby. Mine That Bird, the public’s choice to finish last, somehow shocked the wagering public and ran to one of the most impressive Derby victories in years. However, there are a few things about this race and this story that a majority of handicappers and racing enthusiasts have ignored.

First, the horse wasn’t as god awful as people want the public to believe. Sure, his lifetime speed figures weren’t overly impressive; however, his Thoro-Graph numbers suggested that the horse would be more likely to run in the middle of the pack than he would have been to finish dead last. Additionally, Churchill was only the second real dirt track that the horse had ever set hoof on.

Second, Beyer’s Speed Figures have been taken as gospel for a long time within this industry. Oftentimes they’ve been cited as evidence that trainers must be cheating and as “evidence” that a horse improved more than anyone thought possible. However, it’s starting to become readily apparent that they are more of an art and less of a science in today’s racing world, especially when synthetic surfaces are involved. Numbers are “adjusted” all the time and many times horses performance when switching between racing surfaces doesn’t transfer as expected (I Want Revenge; Career Best BSF 92 on polytrack and he ran a 113 in his next race at Aqueduct). Maybe Mine That Bird was more talented than people realize when he won four consecutive stakes at Woodbine as a two-year-old.

Furthermore, people have not taken a close enough look at the fact that Advice came out of the Sunland Derby and won the Lexington Stakes, improving his Beyer by 17 points in the process. Mine That Bird defeated Advice by a length and three quarters in the Sunland Derby and a similar improvement in his Beyer Speed Figure would have resulted in a 98 in the Derby, not too far off from the 105 that he actually earned. Granted, Advice ran poorly in the Derby, but that may have been a result of him running a career best race in the Lexington and coming back on only two week’s rest.

Third, if you discount the Speed Figures and location of Mine That Bird’s last two races, his racing pattern revealed that the horse was basically running himself into shape. First start off the layoff the horse was turned loose on the lead, probably because he was a little rank after four months off, and lost by a desperate neck. In his next start, he makes a huge premature move, actually takes the lead, and then tires late. This was probably a result of a little bit of a bounce and a lack of a solid conditioning base. Many handicappers would agree that this horse should then be primed for a top effort where he’ll likely be able to sit off the pace and sustain his run throughout the stretch, exactly what he did on Derby Day.

Fourth, Calvin Borel has now pulled off an amazing move in the Derby two times in the past three years. The charge into the first turn of the Derby has undoubtedly ruined the chances of numerous Derby competitors that were not ready to deal with the traffic and unable to settle down throughout the race. Borel has now taken two horses well off the pace, basically put them into a comfort zone early, and has unleashed an amazing run though the stretch. Is it possible that keeping a horse, any horse, relaxed towards the back of the pack saves more energy that anyone has previously realized?

Obviously, the result is still puzzling, and one simple factor can’t account for this win, but it’s important to realize that a large part of the shock may be simply because he was running in New Mexico. Maybe the trainer has just been blessed with a horse who has trained himself into shape, was much more talented as a two-year-old than the public believed and was ready to run the best race of his career while taking advantage of a substantial bias.

It is sad that many stakeholders within the industry immediately question the legitimacy of his race and want to chalk up his effort to the use of performance enhancing drugs. Churchill has put in an extreme drug testing procedure to ensure that any illegal substances will be found and everyone is innocent until proven guilty. The sport needs to adopt these policies at additional racetracks in order to change public perception so that this is no longer many handicappers’ first reaction. How will the public ever improve it’s perception of the industry when any better than expected performance is immediately tarnished by suspected drug use by those within the industry?

One thing is for certain, his performances throughout the remainder of the Triple Crown Series, as well as the remainder of his career, will be watched much more closely than anyone could have ever imagined a few days ago.