By popular demand, Heartland Poker Tour announced a tour stop in the company’s home state of Minnesota. The nationally-televised poker show will film two episodes at Canterbury Park Racetrack and Card Casino in Shakopee April 20-30, 2012. The event, which could offer the largest poker tournament prize pool ever in the state, is open to the public.
Players can take a shot at “life-changing” money for as little as $65. The two-day Main Event begins April 28 and concludes on April 29 when the field is reduced to six, with qualifying rounds beginning April 20th. The remaining six players will advance to HPT’s TV production set, assembled on site, on April 30. Thirteen high-definition cameras will capture all of the No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em action until a champion is named. To date, 582 poker enthusiasts have played their way to national television exposure on HPT.
Since humble beginnings in Moorhead, Minnesota, HPT built a nationwide following of poker enthusiasts with the mission, “Real People, Unreal Money.” Because the buy-ins are reasonable and the prize money is substantial, HPT tournaments appeal to players at every skill level.
“We see Cinderella stories at every stop,” said HPT Executive Producer Greg Lang, referencing retired police officer Craig Casino who recently won $293,270. “Anyone can have a shot at that life-changing moment on a national stage,” he added. Since 2005, 97 champions have experienced the thrill of an HPT victory. The tour has awarded over 32 million dollars to date.
HPT is expected to continue an upward growth swing in Season 8. For the poker tour that began in one of the most unlikely places, Fargo, North Dakota, 2011 was a year of new heights. The season began with a sellout event in Las Vegas and went on to break attendance records in many markets, including Colorado, Michigan and New York. The tour recently celebrated its first million-dollar prize pool in Colorado with 668 players.
While growing the brand nationwide, Lang said, loyal Minnesota players campaigned for a tournament at home. “They shouted, we listened,” said Lang. “We’re looking forward to seeing many familiar faces in April.”
Located near the Mall of America and downtown Minneapolis, Canterbury Park Racetrack and Card Casino will see a bump in business while the tour is in town, as will other businesses in Shakopee, as players travel from across North America to participate. A top Twin Cities’ gaming destination, Canterbury Park provides 18,000 square feet of casino-style action around the clock for all levels of players. The card room features 34 tables of Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo and Seven-Card Stud.
”We are excited to host Heartland Poker Tour at Canterbury Park,” Michael Hochman, Senior Director of Card Casino Operations, said. “An event of this stature is a perfect fit for Minnesota’s premier poker room. The opportunity to offer what could be the largest poker prize pool in state history is great news for our players.”
Family, friends and fans are invited to watch the taping live on set or at HPTpoker.com. Seats are available in the audience on a first-come, first-served basis. HPT is available on TV in over 100 million US households in addition to widespread distribution throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Schedule and broadcast information is available at http://www.hptpoker.com/
Friday, December 9, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Scott Stevens returns to work
Canterbury Park Hall of Fame jockey Scott Stevens will return to riding Friday at Turf Paradise. He has been named on two mounts, the first a Doug Oliver trainee.
Stevens was hurt in a gate incident during training hours in mid-June at Canterbury. He injured both shoulders including a broken scapula. It has been a long road back for Stevens but not the first time the 50-year-old rider has overcome the odds. He also suffered multiple injuries a year prior. While many thought that would end his career, Stevens was back in the winners’ circle less than five months later. He looks for the same to happen this time.
“I’ve been in therapy since July,” Stevens said. “I had to work hard. I’ve got 95% of the motion in my shoulder.”
Stevens was leading rider at Canterbury from 1990 through 1992 and is near the top of the Canterbury historical standings in nearly every record that matters.
Stevens is more than ready for his career to resume. “I feel good,” he said. "Everything works." The veteran chooses his mounts wisely so victory will not be far off.
Stevens was recently named a finalist for the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award. Read more here...
Other news….
Jockey Paul Nolan has moved his tack to New Orleans where he is working for trainer Michael Stidham at Fair Grounds. He has a mount in the second race on Saturday.
Stevens was hurt in a gate incident during training hours in mid-June at Canterbury. He injured both shoulders including a broken scapula. It has been a long road back for Stevens but not the first time the 50-year-old rider has overcome the odds. He also suffered multiple injuries a year prior. While many thought that would end his career, Stevens was back in the winners’ circle less than five months later. He looks for the same to happen this time.
“I’ve been in therapy since July,” Stevens said. “I had to work hard. I’ve got 95% of the motion in my shoulder.”
Stevens was leading rider at Canterbury from 1990 through 1992 and is near the top of the Canterbury historical standings in nearly every record that matters.
Stevens is more than ready for his career to resume. “I feel good,” he said. "Everything works." The veteran chooses his mounts wisely so victory will not be far off.
Stevens was recently named a finalist for the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award. Read more here...
Other news….
Jockey Paul Nolan has moved his tack to New Orleans where he is working for trainer Michael Stidham at Fair Grounds. He has a mount in the second race on Saturday.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Canterbury Park’s 2012 Race Meet Receives Approval
Canterbury Park received approval from the Minnesota Racing Commission on Thursday to conduct a 62-day thoroughbred and quarter horse race meet in 2012. The meet will begin Friday, May 18 and run through Monday, September 3. Thursday and Friday racing will begin at 7:00 p.m. with weekend and holiday racing beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Featured race days in 2012 will include the 19th renewal of the Minnesota Festival of Champions, a day dedicated to the best race horses bred in the state, and the second annual Fillies Race For Hope, a day of races exclusively for fillies and mares that will benefit Hope Chest for Breast Cancer Foundation. Dates for those events will be announced in January along with a complete stakes schedule.
“The 2012 race meet will closely resemble the meet we ran this year, minus the state government shutdown that caused Canterbury and the horse owners, trainers and breeders to lose 20 days of business,” track president Randy Sampson said. “While the shutdown and loss of revenues had a negative impact on next season’s purses, it is necessary to offer sufficient racing opportunities so that Canterbury continues to attract enough horses to make the meet a success,” Sampson said.
Featured race days in 2012 will include the 19th renewal of the Minnesota Festival of Champions, a day dedicated to the best race horses bred in the state, and the second annual Fillies Race For Hope, a day of races exclusively for fillies and mares that will benefit Hope Chest for Breast Cancer Foundation. Dates for those events will be announced in January along with a complete stakes schedule.
“The 2012 race meet will closely resemble the meet we ran this year, minus the state government shutdown that caused Canterbury and the horse owners, trainers and breeders to lose 20 days of business,” track president Randy Sampson said. “While the shutdown and loss of revenues had a negative impact on next season’s purses, it is necessary to offer sufficient racing opportunities so that Canterbury continues to attract enough horses to make the meet a success,” Sampson said.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Equine Development Coalition of Minnesota Formed, Selects Leaders for 2012
Formerly named Racino Now, the Coalition will advocate on Behalf of Horse Racing and Other Equine Activities
In an effort to build Minnesota's equine industry and accelerate rural economic development, Racino Now has approved a new name and elected new officers to focus its work to support Minnesota's horse industry.
Under its new name, the Equine Development Coalition of Minnesota (EDCoM) will replace Racino Now, advocating on behalf of horse owners and breeders, horse racing fans and the tens of thousands of Minnesotans who depend on a healthy equine industry in this state. Jeff Hilger, a longtime Minnesota business owner, thoroughbred breeder and owner of Bleu Valley Farm in Stillwater, Minn., has been named President of EDCoM. Rosemary Higgins, a quarter horse owner from Princeton, Minn., will serve as Executive Director. Quinn Cheney has been retained as the lobbyist for EDCoM in St. Paul.
“The equine industry touches all 87 counties in our state. It will be an enormous economic engine for Minnesota if legislators are willing to make the same investment in horse racing purses and equine development that other states have successfully made,” Hilger explained.
In 2004, Dr. Brian Buhr, current Director of the University of Minnesota’s Department of Applied Economics, estimated that Minnesota’s equine industry created a total economic impact of approximately $1 billion. Additionally, he noted that Minnesota could improve that economic impact with an increase in racing purses.
Increasing horse racing purses is important because it helps grow the entire industry – more horses, trainers and breeders come to Minnesota, requiring more support from farmers, veterinarians, fence builders and other businesses. EDCoM supports Racino legislation, which would provide $135 million in new revenue for the State of Minnesota and make significant investments in the equine industry.
“Putting the new revenue aside, there is a much bigger picture here.” said Hilger. “If our state is like the 12 other states that have passed Racino legislation, it can more than double the dollar value of our equine industry. We are talking jobs here - for farmers, feed suppliers, veterinarians, fence and barn builders and many other businesses. Larger purses will allow Minnesota breeders to be more competitive, attracting trainers, breeders and owners and causing a ripple effect around the state.”
Twelve states have approved Racino legislation, and each of those states has experienced an increase in racing purses and equine development because of the legislation. Independent public surveys have shown that support among Minnesotans for Racino legislation exceeds 75 percent.
“In the short term, we have a vehicle that allows the Legislature to address a few of the toughest problems facing the state, and in the long-run increase jobs and help an agricultural industry that has been hard hit,” Hilger explains. “Simple logic dictates that it is time to move this economic engine forward.”
The Equine Development Coalition of Minnesota is a group of dedicated equine industry members who want to improve economic development throughout Minnesota by strengthening the state's horse industry. EDCoM supports passage of Racino legislation. For more information about the Racino proposal, go to http://www.racinonow.com/.
In an effort to build Minnesota's equine industry and accelerate rural economic development, Racino Now has approved a new name and elected new officers to focus its work to support Minnesota's horse industry.
Under its new name, the Equine Development Coalition of Minnesota (EDCoM) will replace Racino Now, advocating on behalf of horse owners and breeders, horse racing fans and the tens of thousands of Minnesotans who depend on a healthy equine industry in this state. Jeff Hilger, a longtime Minnesota business owner, thoroughbred breeder and owner of Bleu Valley Farm in Stillwater, Minn., has been named President of EDCoM. Rosemary Higgins, a quarter horse owner from Princeton, Minn., will serve as Executive Director. Quinn Cheney has been retained as the lobbyist for EDCoM in St. Paul.
“The equine industry touches all 87 counties in our state. It will be an enormous economic engine for Minnesota if legislators are willing to make the same investment in horse racing purses and equine development that other states have successfully made,” Hilger explained.
In 2004, Dr. Brian Buhr, current Director of the University of Minnesota’s Department of Applied Economics, estimated that Minnesota’s equine industry created a total economic impact of approximately $1 billion. Additionally, he noted that Minnesota could improve that economic impact with an increase in racing purses.
Increasing horse racing purses is important because it helps grow the entire industry – more horses, trainers and breeders come to Minnesota, requiring more support from farmers, veterinarians, fence builders and other businesses. EDCoM supports Racino legislation, which would provide $135 million in new revenue for the State of Minnesota and make significant investments in the equine industry.
“Putting the new revenue aside, there is a much bigger picture here.” said Hilger. “If our state is like the 12 other states that have passed Racino legislation, it can more than double the dollar value of our equine industry. We are talking jobs here - for farmers, feed suppliers, veterinarians, fence and barn builders and many other businesses. Larger purses will allow Minnesota breeders to be more competitive, attracting trainers, breeders and owners and causing a ripple effect around the state.”
Twelve states have approved Racino legislation, and each of those states has experienced an increase in racing purses and equine development because of the legislation. Independent public surveys have shown that support among Minnesotans for Racino legislation exceeds 75 percent.
“In the short term, we have a vehicle that allows the Legislature to address a few of the toughest problems facing the state, and in the long-run increase jobs and help an agricultural industry that has been hard hit,” Hilger explains. “Simple logic dictates that it is time to move this economic engine forward.”
The Equine Development Coalition of Minnesota is a group of dedicated equine industry members who want to improve economic development throughout Minnesota by strengthening the state's horse industry. EDCoM supports passage of Racino legislation. For more information about the Racino proposal, go to http://www.racinonow.com/.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Breeders' Cup Top 10 Lists
DRF.com has a list of Breeders' Cup Top Tens for several of the championship races. HGet a head start on your Breeders' Cup handicapping>>>>>>>>> DRF Top 10s
Monday, October 17, 2011
Jared Hubbard Wins $70,769 In Fall Poker Classic Main Event
Jared Hubbard of Farmington, MN won the 10th annual Fall Poker Classic main event and a $70,769 first prize on Sunday at Canterbury Park. The Fall Poker Classic featured 29 different poker tournaments over 16 consecutive days, culminating with the main event, a $1,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em game, that attracted 293 entrants from 17 states and one Canadian province.
The main event paid a total of $284,210 to the top 30 players while total prize money for the Fall Poker Classic’s 29 events was $1,057,389.
The main event paid a total of $284,210 to the top 30 players while total prize money for the Fall Poker Classic’s 29 events was $1,057,389.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Portland Meadows Showvivor Contest
Portlans Meadows, which opens Monday, may not be top of mind for many handicappers but I have always found it to offer decent wagering value. Pool sizes have improved greatly over tha past 10 years. Worth a look for those 'capping early in the week. Of course you can bet Portland in Canterbury Park's racebook.
Portland is offering a free online Showvivor contest with up to $25,000 in prize money. The contest begins Oct 24. Enter here.
Below are details from a promotional email:
Live racing from Portland Meadows begins on Monday October 17, 2011 but the contest does not begin until Week 2. Day 1 Monday October 24th and entries close at 11:45am (Pacific). Before each race day, simply log-in to the contest page, and make your selection for that day’s races. You will simply need to pick one horse, and if your horse finishes in one of the top three positions in the official running order for that race, you move onto the next day. The player who can outlast all the other players in the competition will receive $5,000.
If the player who wins can survive the entire meeting, he or she will receive a $5,000 bonus to make the prize total $10,000. And if the last survivor picks a winner each day, he or she will receive a $20,000 bonus on top of the original $5,000, for a grand total prize of $25,000! of the Ultimate ShowVivor Online Contest.
The winner of the inaugural Portland Meadows Ultimate ShowVivor Online Contest will also be the special Daily Racing Form guest handicapper for Portland Mile Day (date to be determined) of the Inaugural Portland Meadows Summer Race Meet in 2012. The guest handicapper’s selections for the Portland Mile 2012 will appear in both online and print editions of the Daily Racing Form.
JM
Portland is offering a free online Showvivor contest with up to $25,000 in prize money. The contest begins Oct 24. Enter here.
Below are details from a promotional email:
Live racing from Portland Meadows begins on Monday October 17, 2011 but the contest does not begin until Week 2. Day 1 Monday October 24th and entries close at 11:45am (Pacific). Before each race day, simply log-in to the contest page, and make your selection for that day’s races. You will simply need to pick one horse, and if your horse finishes in one of the top three positions in the official running order for that race, you move onto the next day. The player who can outlast all the other players in the competition will receive $5,000.
If the player who wins can survive the entire meeting, he or she will receive a $5,000 bonus to make the prize total $10,000. And if the last survivor picks a winner each day, he or she will receive a $20,000 bonus on top of the original $5,000, for a grand total prize of $25,000! of the Ultimate ShowVivor Online Contest.
The winner of the inaugural Portland Meadows Ultimate ShowVivor Online Contest will also be the special Daily Racing Form guest handicapper for Portland Mile Day (date to be determined) of the Inaugural Portland Meadows Summer Race Meet in 2012. The guest handicapper’s selections for the Portland Mile 2012 will appear in both online and print editions of the Daily Racing Form.
JM
Thursday, October 6, 2011
TURF: An International Gathering of Horse Racing Bloggers
Tuesday marked the launch of TURF, a collection of the most popular and informative horse racing blogs from the United States and around the world. TURF can be found at http://www.turfbloggers.blogspot.com/ as well as on Facebook at Turf Bloggers.
“Our purpose in organizing this group,” said TURF founding member Valerie Grash, “is to gather the best the blogosphere has to offer in regards to the coverage of horse racing, providing one site where readers can easily find select and thought-provoking writing by individuals invested in sharing their love for the sport. Our members include horse owners, trainers, pedigree and bloodstock analysts, medical professionals, handicappers, fans and even professional turf writers from three continents. With such diversity, readers are guaranteed to enjoy a wide array of opinion and news from all over the racing world.”
In addition to the launch of the group’s website, many TURF members will be posting on their individual blogs this week on issues related to the upcoming Breeder’s Cup.
“By exploring a common theme over the course of our first week,” media contact Ted Grevelis said, “we hope to illustrate the benefits of visiting one “go-to” website as a launch point for readers to further explore the provocative ideas found in our members’ blogs. Certainly another goal is to engage readers in stimulating dialogue about our sport, the kind of open discussion that is sorely needed. As arguably the most dominating event of racing today—and in some ways, the most controversial—the Breeders’ Cup provides the perfect topic.”
Racetracks and news outlets are encouraged to freely link to the TURF homepage from their own sites in order to broaden their customer's access and enjoyment of horse racing news.
In addition to founding members Valerie Grash (Foolish Pleasure/FilliesFirst), Dana Byerly (Green But Game), Jessica Chapel (Railbird), Teresa Genaro (Brooklyn Backstretch), Ted Grevelis (Owning Racehorses) and Kevin Martin (Colin’s Ghost), the members of TURF include:
Steve Zorn (The Business of Racing)
Sid Fernando (Sid Fernando + Observations)
Keith McCalmont (Triple Dead Heat)
Gina Rarick (Gallop France)
Chris Hernandez (Giving My Ten Cents)
Fran Jurga (Hoof Blog/The Jurga Report)
Bill Pressey (ThoroEdge)
Alastair Middleton Horse Racing in Korea
Sue Dalebroux (Post Parade)
Alan Mann (Left at the Gate)
Frank Vespe (That’s Amore Stable)
Gene Kershner (Equispace)
Anthony Falbo (The Turk)
Kate Hunter (Keiblog)
“Our purpose in organizing this group,” said TURF founding member Valerie Grash, “is to gather the best the blogosphere has to offer in regards to the coverage of horse racing, providing one site where readers can easily find select and thought-provoking writing by individuals invested in sharing their love for the sport. Our members include horse owners, trainers, pedigree and bloodstock analysts, medical professionals, handicappers, fans and even professional turf writers from three continents. With such diversity, readers are guaranteed to enjoy a wide array of opinion and news from all over the racing world.”
In addition to the launch of the group’s website, many TURF members will be posting on their individual blogs this week on issues related to the upcoming Breeder’s Cup.
“By exploring a common theme over the course of our first week,” media contact Ted Grevelis said, “we hope to illustrate the benefits of visiting one “go-to” website as a launch point for readers to further explore the provocative ideas found in our members’ blogs. Certainly another goal is to engage readers in stimulating dialogue about our sport, the kind of open discussion that is sorely needed. As arguably the most dominating event of racing today—and in some ways, the most controversial—the Breeders’ Cup provides the perfect topic.”
Racetracks and news outlets are encouraged to freely link to the TURF homepage from their own sites in order to broaden their customer's access and enjoyment of horse racing news.
In addition to founding members Valerie Grash (Foolish Pleasure/FilliesFirst), Dana Byerly (Green But Game), Jessica Chapel (Railbird), Teresa Genaro (Brooklyn Backstretch), Ted Grevelis (Owning Racehorses) and Kevin Martin (Colin’s Ghost), the members of TURF include:
Steve Zorn (The Business of Racing)
Sid Fernando (Sid Fernando + Observations)
Keith McCalmont (Triple Dead Heat)
Gina Rarick (Gallop France)
Chris Hernandez (Giving My Ten Cents)
Fran Jurga (Hoof Blog/The Jurga Report)
Bill Pressey (ThoroEdge)
Alastair Middleton Horse Racing in Korea
Sue Dalebroux (Post Parade)
Alan Mann (Left at the Gate)
Frank Vespe (That’s Amore Stable)
Gene Kershner (Equispace)
Anthony Falbo (The Turk)
Kate Hunter (Keiblog)
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Jesse Garcia wins # 2,000
According to statistics provided by Equibase Company, jockey Jesse Jimenez Garcia won his 2,000th race yesterday, Wednesday, September 21, when he guided Joyssweetjoy to victory in the fifth race at Albuquerque
Garcia rode at Canterbury Park for a few seasons. In 2006 he was the second leading rider at the meet. He finished in the top 5 at Canterbury in '07 and '08. Garcia's all-time win percentage in Shakopee is 17.11 while his mounts hit the board 47.65% of the time.
jm
Friday, September 16, 2011
Win an NHC entry and BC betting bankrolls
For the persistent, there are also prizes for the top 10 best combined six-day cumulative totals. The grand prize is entry, airfare, and accommodations to the $2,000,000 National Handicapping Championship (NHC) held in Las Vegas this January. Making it to the Vegas contest gives you a chance to play for a top prize of $1,000,000. Last year Canterbury regular Tom Anderson, who qualified in the annual Dog Days of Summer tournament, finished third in the NHC and earned $100,000.
Saturday’s contest track is Arlington Park. Entry deadline is first post scheduled for 1:00PM. You simply select one horse in each of the 11 Arlington races and earn points based on a mythical $20 Win-Place-Show wager. Find all the rules here. And there is no entry fee required to participate!!
Perfect Picks Contest is back
Each Sunday you have a chance to win cash by selecting the winner and/or over-under in 10 professional football match-ups. Entry is free and available from 10am – noon. Here are the details…….
This week’s prize pool is $1,000.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
RACE MEET COMES TO CLOSE
BY JIM WELLS
The flags were at half mast in deference to the 10th anniversary of 9-11, the card was under way 2 ½ hours early to allow time for viewing the season-opener in San Diego for the Minnesota Vikings _ who had cheerleaders in the winner’s circle before the fourth race of the day _ and the 2011 race meet came to a conclusion at Canterbury Park Sunday.
It was a season of highs and lows, in other words a typical race meet (nothing new in the industry), perhaps low-lighted by the 20-day shutdown that cost Canterbury 12 racing days. The track and the HBPA worked out a deal that restored six of those days, hence the late ending to the season on Sunday.
Still, the shutdown cost horsemen 53 races. There were 512 races run in 2011 as opposed to 565 the year before. Another track/HBPA arrangement guaranteed in specific instances money lost by horses entered to run during the shutdown if they ran in later runnings of those races after racing resumed.
Nonetheless, Canterbury lost $1 million during the shutdown, which included the track’s card club.
On a more positive note, Canterbury averaged 6,143 daily attendance, a 4.9 percent gain over 2010. Average daily on-track handle of $171,995 was up 0.8 percent. The import handle improved 6.2 percent. Keep in mind, of course that there were six fewer racing days this year. The total handle was $30,554,020, down from $33,288,766.
The feature event on Sunday’s card was the $35,000 Shot of Gold Stakes, featuring Atta Boy Roy, running for the first time since his last place finish in the Grade I Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stakes at Saratoga. His chief opposition appeared to be Humble Smarty who won the Honor The Hero Stakes at Canterbury in track record time for five furlongs in a meet best 110 Beyer speed figure.
Atta Boy Roy was simply too good for six foes, despite training for route distances as opposed to the six-furlong sprint on Sunday. With Rusty Shaw hand-riding, he finished a head in front of fast-closing Just Jebicah and Brittany Arterburn.
“He did what he had to,’’ said trainer Valorie Lund. “I was working him two miles every day and just hoped I hadn’t taken too much speed out of him.’’
For his part, Shaw simply guided the son of Tribunal to the wire. “Val had him ready. All I had to do was hang on,’’ he said.
Dean Butler was honored as the leading rider, for the third consecutive year. He had two more wins on Sunday to finish with 83 for the meet.
“I got lucky,’’ he said. “I had some very good horses to ride, thanks to (his father-in-law trainer Bernell Rhone). And I stayed healthy.’’
Butler will head to Remington to ride and then it’s on to Florida. “My family’s there so it’s always good to get there,’’ he said.
Mac Robertson won a seventh consecutive training title. He appeared to have it locked up after increasing his lead to five on Saturday and left no room for doubt with three more on Sunday. He had 43 wins for the meet, eight more than Rhone and 10 ahead of Mike Biehler.
Race three, in which Derek Bell brought home Grace of Greatness, owned by Jerry and Marlene Myers, seemed to sum up Robertson’s year. Grace of Greatness didn’t kick in until the final 50 yards and then appeared shot out of a cannon. Robertson trailed Rhone and Biehler most of the year until the final two weeks when he began pouring it on.
Derek Bell, who had three winners on Sunday’s card and finished in second place for the meet with 69, commented after the third race.
“I wish the meet lasted another month,’’ he said. “He (Robertson) has a lot of bullets left.’’
The Ulwellings, Al and Bill were honored for as leading owners for the second consecutive year, although Al was represented by his daughter, 12-year-old Hunter and son, 10-year-old A.J.
They won the title a year ago with 25 wins and were confident they could match that again this meet but had to settle for 15 wins. “They competition was a lot tougher this time,’’ Bill said.
Horse racing has truly taken hold in the Ulwelling household. Hunter wanted to become a jockey for a long time, but with urging from her father now hopes to pursue another field. “I want to become a veterinarian,’’ she said.
The Ulwellings use Mike Biehler and Gary Scherer as trainers and will send their horses with Biehler to Remington Park in Oklahoma City and with Scherer to Hawthorne and Arlington in Chicago.
The last winner of the 2011 season was Jestintime, a seven-year-old gelding owned by Pete Glidden, trained by Harvey Lowell Berg and ridden by Patricia Trimble. The win was perhaps a good luck token for Trimble, who will marry Shaw in Phoenix on Nov. 11.
She was greeted as she dismounted in the winner’s circle, as were the other eight winners on the card, by clerk of scales Jerry Simmons, who as a show of patriotism on this solemn American day, was wearing a tie that pictured the statue of liberty and an American flag showered in fireworks.
Lori Keith departed Shakopee for Phoenix with a much-desired win after riding First Captain to a narrow victory over Jaival on the turf in the eighth race for the Goebel family of Almar Partners and trainer Vic Hanson.
She finished fourth in the standings with the win, her 32nd of the meet, and was the first female rider to finish in the top five since Paula Bacon in 1995.
“I was really happy to win this one, for the owners and for Vic,’’ she said. “I’ve been riding a lot of horses for Vic and have had a lot of seconds and thirds the last two weeks.’’
Closing day is always a bittersweet occasion. Everyone is eager to do something new but is saddened the meet is coming to a close at the same time.
Rider Luis Robletto is considering a short trip to Remington Park. “Maybe a week or so,’’ he said. Then on to Louisiana.
“I know why you like Louisiana,’’ jockey lounge custodian Bill Chestnut cracked. “Because they don’t have extradition there.’’
Robletto chucked and ambled off.
The meet officially came to a close with a comment made earlier in the day by pressbox media assistant Kate Ulrich.
“Never settle for good,’’ she said, “when you can have great.’’
2011 Divisional Champions
• Horse of the Year- Tubby Time (owner: Jeff Larson; trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Older Horse - Tubby Time (owner: Jeff Larson; trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Grass Horse – Tubby Time (owner: Jeff Larson; trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Older Filly or Mare – Sheso Dazzling (owner: Eric Von Seggern and Kurt Kindschuh; trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Three-Year-Old Colt or Gelding – Wild Jacob (owner: Stanley Mankin; trainer: Stanley Mankin)
• Three-Year-Old Filly – Polar Plunge (owner: Camelia Casby; trainer: Gary Scherer)
• Two-Year-Old – Heliskier (owner: Marlene Colvin; trainer Mac Robertson)
• Sprinter – Just Jebicah (owner: Lonnie Arterburn and Ron Stolich; trainer: Lonnie Arterburn)
• Claimer – Just Jebicah (owner: Lonnie Arterburn and Ron Stolich; trainer: Lonnie Arterburn)
• Quarter Horse – Cruzin the Wagon (Terry and Mary Louise Pursel; trainer Brent Clay)
The flags were at half mast in deference to the 10th anniversary of 9-11, the card was under way 2 ½ hours early to allow time for viewing the season-opener in San Diego for the Minnesota Vikings _ who had cheerleaders in the winner’s circle before the fourth race of the day _ and the 2011 race meet came to a conclusion at Canterbury Park Sunday.
It was a season of highs and lows, in other words a typical race meet (nothing new in the industry), perhaps low-lighted by the 20-day shutdown that cost Canterbury 12 racing days. The track and the HBPA worked out a deal that restored six of those days, hence the late ending to the season on Sunday.
Still, the shutdown cost horsemen 53 races. There were 512 races run in 2011 as opposed to 565 the year before. Another track/HBPA arrangement guaranteed in specific instances money lost by horses entered to run during the shutdown if they ran in later runnings of those races after racing resumed.
Nonetheless, Canterbury lost $1 million during the shutdown, which included the track’s card club.
On a more positive note, Canterbury averaged 6,143 daily attendance, a 4.9 percent gain over 2010. Average daily on-track handle of $171,995 was up 0.8 percent. The import handle improved 6.2 percent. Keep in mind, of course that there were six fewer racing days this year. The total handle was $30,554,020, down from $33,288,766.
The feature event on Sunday’s card was the $35,000 Shot of Gold Stakes, featuring Atta Boy Roy, running for the first time since his last place finish in the Grade I Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stakes at Saratoga. His chief opposition appeared to be Humble Smarty who won the Honor The Hero Stakes at Canterbury in track record time for five furlongs in a meet best 110 Beyer speed figure.
Atta Boy Roy was simply too good for six foes, despite training for route distances as opposed to the six-furlong sprint on Sunday. With Rusty Shaw hand-riding, he finished a head in front of fast-closing Just Jebicah and Brittany Arterburn.
“He did what he had to,’’ said trainer Valorie Lund. “I was working him two miles every day and just hoped I hadn’t taken too much speed out of him.’’
For his part, Shaw simply guided the son of Tribunal to the wire. “Val had him ready. All I had to do was hang on,’’ he said.
Dean Butler was honored as the leading rider, for the third consecutive year. He had two more wins on Sunday to finish with 83 for the meet.
“I got lucky,’’ he said. “I had some very good horses to ride, thanks to (his father-in-law trainer Bernell Rhone). And I stayed healthy.’’
Butler will head to Remington to ride and then it’s on to Florida. “My family’s there so it’s always good to get there,’’ he said.
Mac Robertson won a seventh consecutive training title. He appeared to have it locked up after increasing his lead to five on Saturday and left no room for doubt with three more on Sunday. He had 43 wins for the meet, eight more than Rhone and 10 ahead of Mike Biehler.
Race three, in which Derek Bell brought home Grace of Greatness, owned by Jerry and Marlene Myers, seemed to sum up Robertson’s year. Grace of Greatness didn’t kick in until the final 50 yards and then appeared shot out of a cannon. Robertson trailed Rhone and Biehler most of the year until the final two weeks when he began pouring it on.
Derek Bell, who had three winners on Sunday’s card and finished in second place for the meet with 69, commented after the third race.
“I wish the meet lasted another month,’’ he said. “He (Robertson) has a lot of bullets left.’’
The Ulwellings, Al and Bill were honored for as leading owners for the second consecutive year, although Al was represented by his daughter, 12-year-old Hunter and son, 10-year-old A.J.
They won the title a year ago with 25 wins and were confident they could match that again this meet but had to settle for 15 wins. “They competition was a lot tougher this time,’’ Bill said.
Horse racing has truly taken hold in the Ulwelling household. Hunter wanted to become a jockey for a long time, but with urging from her father now hopes to pursue another field. “I want to become a veterinarian,’’ she said.
The Ulwellings use Mike Biehler and Gary Scherer as trainers and will send their horses with Biehler to Remington Park in Oklahoma City and with Scherer to Hawthorne and Arlington in Chicago.
The last winner of the 2011 season was Jestintime, a seven-year-old gelding owned by Pete Glidden, trained by Harvey Lowell Berg and ridden by Patricia Trimble. The win was perhaps a good luck token for Trimble, who will marry Shaw in Phoenix on Nov. 11.
She was greeted as she dismounted in the winner’s circle, as were the other eight winners on the card, by clerk of scales Jerry Simmons, who as a show of patriotism on this solemn American day, was wearing a tie that pictured the statue of liberty and an American flag showered in fireworks.
Lori Keith departed Shakopee for Phoenix with a much-desired win after riding First Captain to a narrow victory over Jaival on the turf in the eighth race for the Goebel family of Almar Partners and trainer Vic Hanson.
She finished fourth in the standings with the win, her 32nd of the meet, and was the first female rider to finish in the top five since Paula Bacon in 1995.
“I was really happy to win this one, for the owners and for Vic,’’ she said. “I’ve been riding a lot of horses for Vic and have had a lot of seconds and thirds the last two weeks.’’
Closing day is always a bittersweet occasion. Everyone is eager to do something new but is saddened the meet is coming to a close at the same time.
Rider Luis Robletto is considering a short trip to Remington Park. “Maybe a week or so,’’ he said. Then on to Louisiana.
“I know why you like Louisiana,’’ jockey lounge custodian Bill Chestnut cracked. “Because they don’t have extradition there.’’
Robletto chucked and ambled off.
The meet officially came to a close with a comment made earlier in the day by pressbox media assistant Kate Ulrich.
“Never settle for good,’’ she said, “when you can have great.’’
2011 Divisional Champions
• Horse of the Year- Tubby Time (owner: Jeff Larson; trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Older Horse - Tubby Time (owner: Jeff Larson; trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Grass Horse – Tubby Time (owner: Jeff Larson; trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Older Filly or Mare – Sheso Dazzling (owner: Eric Von Seggern and Kurt Kindschuh; trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Three-Year-Old Colt or Gelding – Wild Jacob (owner: Stanley Mankin; trainer: Stanley Mankin)
• Three-Year-Old Filly – Polar Plunge (owner: Camelia Casby; trainer: Gary Scherer)
• Two-Year-Old – Heliskier (owner: Marlene Colvin; trainer Mac Robertson)
• Sprinter – Just Jebicah (owner: Lonnie Arterburn and Ron Stolich; trainer: Lonnie Arterburn)
• Claimer – Just Jebicah (owner: Lonnie Arterburn and Ron Stolich; trainer: Lonnie Arterburn)
• Quarter Horse – Cruzin the Wagon (Terry and Mary Louise Pursel; trainer Brent Clay)
Saturday, September 10, 2011
CANTERBURY JOCKEYS TO MARRY
By JIM WELLS
It’s the Grand Canyon state for Rusty Shaw and Patricia Trimble when the Canterbury Park meet ends on Sunday.
The two jockeys have never ridden at Turf Paradise, but are eager to test the Phoenix track for a couple of reasons. They like the idea that the meet runs October through April. That will coincide nicely with a return to Shakopee next May. It will also allow Trimble to put her four-year-old daughter, Taylor Page, in school for the entire school year.
Oh, yes, there is one other thing.
Shaw and Trimble plan to marry in Phoenix and they won’t need a reminder on the date.
“It’s on 11-11-11,’’ Shaw said.
Trimble and Shaw have known each other for 10 years, but have been an item only the past year or so. It’s all working out just right they way they see it.
Shaw and Trimble met a decade ago at the Ocala 2-year-old in training sale. They were both employed breaking babies.
A friendship developed. Eventually, Rusty introduced Patricia to a friend of his and the two of them hit it off and had a child, Taylor, together. When that relationship ended, Shaw was the right man in the right place at the right time.
Rusty admits he wasn’t always the most eligible man around but he’s cleaned up his act and that’s been the difference. “I’m much better now,’’ Shaw said with the hint of smile.
Shaw and Trimble had never raced at the same track together before they arrived at Canterbury this summer, and now they’ll arrive as a team at Turf Paradise, too.
The opportunity came about unexpectedly. Trainer Valorie Lund agreed to use them both at her home base in Phoenix and the setup fits their plans perfectly.
“It was hard to pass up,’’ Trimble said. “I especially like the long meet. I can put my daughter in school and not worry about pulling her out halfway through the school year to go someplace else.’’
Shaw is a native of Chicago, Ill. Trimble is from Vancouver, B.C. Her parents and a number of her friends will be in Phoenix for the wedding.
“It should be really nice,’’ she said.
ROBERTSON, ULWELLINGS WIN TITLES
Mac Robertson wrapped up another training title, his seventh straight at Canterbury Park to highlight a season in which he was elected to the track’s Hall of Fame.
Derek Bell rode Gypsy Melody, the winner of the second race, for Robertson. Nik Goodwin rode Variable for Robertson as the winner of the fifth race. That provided Robertson with a five-win lead over Bernell Rhone in the training standings.
Goodwin rode three winners on the card to give him eight for the weekend. He won five races on Friday night’s card.
Goodwin’s other winners were Our Miss Brookside, trained by Gary Scherer for Al and Bill Ulwelling, who won the owners’ race for the second year, and Desert Prize in the card closer.
TIDBITS ON THE NEXT TO LAST DAY
Sheila Williams, the former media relations director at Canterbury, was at the track on Saturday to watch a friend’s horse race.
The horse is Dear Fay. The friend is Bo Vujovich, who wasn’t able to attend.
So Williams represented her friend in the paddock before the race, approaching trainer Vic Hanson.
“Hi, I’m Sheila Williams, Bo’s friend,’’ she said. “Shouldn’t this horse be wearing blinkers?’’
“Anything else?’’ Hanson responded.
*Steve Anderson, who announces races at Fonner Park in Grand Island, Neb., and at Lincoln, is at the mic this weekend for Paul Allen, who departed the Twin Cities on Saturday for San Diego where the Minnesota Vikings play the Chargers on Sunday. Allen is the voice of the Vikings for KFAN radio.
It’s the Grand Canyon state for Rusty Shaw and Patricia Trimble when the Canterbury Park meet ends on Sunday.
The two jockeys have never ridden at Turf Paradise, but are eager to test the Phoenix track for a couple of reasons. They like the idea that the meet runs October through April. That will coincide nicely with a return to Shakopee next May. It will also allow Trimble to put her four-year-old daughter, Taylor Page, in school for the entire school year.
Oh, yes, there is one other thing.
Shaw and Trimble plan to marry in Phoenix and they won’t need a reminder on the date.
“It’s on 11-11-11,’’ Shaw said.
Trimble and Shaw have known each other for 10 years, but have been an item only the past year or so. It’s all working out just right they way they see it.
Shaw and Trimble met a decade ago at the Ocala 2-year-old in training sale. They were both employed breaking babies.
A friendship developed. Eventually, Rusty introduced Patricia to a friend of his and the two of them hit it off and had a child, Taylor, together. When that relationship ended, Shaw was the right man in the right place at the right time.
Rusty admits he wasn’t always the most eligible man around but he’s cleaned up his act and that’s been the difference. “I’m much better now,’’ Shaw said with the hint of smile.
Shaw and Trimble had never raced at the same track together before they arrived at Canterbury this summer, and now they’ll arrive as a team at Turf Paradise, too.
The opportunity came about unexpectedly. Trainer Valorie Lund agreed to use them both at her home base in Phoenix and the setup fits their plans perfectly.
“It was hard to pass up,’’ Trimble said. “I especially like the long meet. I can put my daughter in school and not worry about pulling her out halfway through the school year to go someplace else.’’
Shaw is a native of Chicago, Ill. Trimble is from Vancouver, B.C. Her parents and a number of her friends will be in Phoenix for the wedding.
“It should be really nice,’’ she said.
ROBERTSON, ULWELLINGS WIN TITLES
Mac Robertson wrapped up another training title, his seventh straight at Canterbury Park to highlight a season in which he was elected to the track’s Hall of Fame.
Derek Bell rode Gypsy Melody, the winner of the second race, for Robertson. Nik Goodwin rode Variable for Robertson as the winner of the fifth race. That provided Robertson with a five-win lead over Bernell Rhone in the training standings.
Goodwin rode three winners on the card to give him eight for the weekend. He won five races on Friday night’s card.
Goodwin’s other winners were Our Miss Brookside, trained by Gary Scherer for Al and Bill Ulwelling, who won the owners’ race for the second year, and Desert Prize in the card closer.
TIDBITS ON THE NEXT TO LAST DAY
Sheila Williams, the former media relations director at Canterbury, was at the track on Saturday to watch a friend’s horse race.
The horse is Dear Fay. The friend is Bo Vujovich, who wasn’t able to attend.
So Williams represented her friend in the paddock before the race, approaching trainer Vic Hanson.
“Hi, I’m Sheila Williams, Bo’s friend,’’ she said. “Shouldn’t this horse be wearing blinkers?’’
“Anything else?’’ Hanson responded.
*Steve Anderson, who announces races at Fonner Park in Grand Island, Neb., and at Lincoln, is at the mic this weekend for Paul Allen, who departed the Twin Cities on Saturday for San Diego where the Minnesota Vikings play the Chargers on Sunday. Allen is the voice of the Vikings for KFAN radio.
Friday, September 9, 2011
GOODWIN WINS FIVE RACES
When Nik Goodwin looked over Friday’s races earlier in the day he felt a surge of confidence.
“I knew I had a real live card,’’ he said. “I thought I had a chance to win with all seven.’’
Goodwin had to settle for less _ five. Goodwin rode five winners on a single card in 1997 at Assiniboia Downs, but Friday’s effort was his best ever at Canterbury Park.
Afterward, his three-year-old son, Layne, was waiting in the winner’s circle to give his dad a hug.
The five wins were one less than the track record, set by Hall of Fame rider Derek Bell, who rode six winners on the June 14, 2002 card.
Goodwin rode Morgans A Blumin for his first win in race two and Timetobook in race four.
He hit the hat trick with A P Dreamer in race five, got his fourth on Cheap Chocolate in race six and brought in his fifth winner on the card, Jumpin Jordyn, in race seven.
He originally thought he would head to Florida after the Canterbury meet to break babies. Now he’s reconsidering after his hot finish to this meet. He vaulted into fifth place, two wins behind Lori Keith, with Friday’s effort. He has 28 winners for the meet.
“I’m going to play it by ear,’’ Goodwin said. “Maybe now I’ll go to Calder for a while.’’
THE MERRICKS OF SAYRE, OKLA.
by JIM WELLS
The names roll off the tongue like a sacred litany, although at one time the new blood line was questioned in some quarters as heretical, a sacrilege to the industry and all it was.The passing of time dissipates most disagreements, in the horse business and religion, and it has in this case, too, and we are left now with only the names that occupy special places in the record books.
They were horses named Easy Marble, Easy Six, Extra Easy, My Easy Credit, Easy Date and, of course, the inimitable Easy Jet, with whom the line was brought to prominence.
It is all understandable today when Joe Merrick tells you that many people associate his name only with quarter horse racing, despite the many other endeavors he has undertaken since his father, Walter, became one of the legends of quarter horse breeding and racing.
One of the founding members of the American Quarter Horse Assn., Walter Merrick rose from a dollar a day ranch hand to alter the course of the American quarter horse. He bred several Hall of Fame horses, including Easy Jet, Jet Deck, Easy Date and the champions Byou Bird and Toast the Host.
Merrick was inducted into the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum's Hall of Great Westerners and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. He died in 2006 at 94 years of age.
Walter sent Joe to Canterbury Downs in 1986 for the track's first quarter horse meet, and Joe has been back many times in the quarter century since, including this summer.
"And he usually has more thoroughbreds with him than he does quarter horses,'' said Canterbury's stall superintendent Mark Stancato.
The Merricks returned to Oklahoma last week. Joe, had taken a load of horses home a couple weeks earlier. He originally thought he would need to make two or three trips last week to finish the job. "I dreaded the thought,'' he said. His daughter Kari and her boyfriend saved the day. "They showed up with a 10-horse trailer,'' Joe said.
So between the two drivers, they managed to make the return in a single trip.
Mention the Merricks of Sayre, Okla., and will get a nod of recognition from just about any horseman or woman
over the age of 40 and in many cases much younger, too. Some of that younger recognition has to do with Joe Merrick's adventuresome spirit and willingness to give new projects a try. Some of the younger folks, for instance, might associate the Merrick name solely with the Professional Bull Riders Assn. The Merricks ran the bull registry and helped set up PBR shows at arenas around the nation for four years. "We would have stayed on, but they moved their headquarters to Pueblo, Colo,'' Joe said. "We didn't want to move.''
Why leave all that history and family connection, he reasoned.
The Merrick name got its early recognition, of course, with Easy Jet, and Walter Merrick's decision to infuse thoroughbred blood into the short-horse line. It transpired like this: Merrick chose one of his best mares, Lena Valenti, and bred her to the thoroughbred Three Bars. The result was Lena's Bar, an outstanding race horse later bred to Jet Deck. Their foal was Easy Jet, a quarter horse racing and breeding legend who now has his final resting place on the Merricks' 14 Ranch outside Sayre, founded by Walter and still part of the family.
Some bluebloods in the industry were thoroughly opposed to adding thoroughbred blood to their breed's mix, but Merrick won over and the rest as been assigned to the record books.
Joe was born in 1957, the youngest of Walter and Tien Merrick's four children. He and Sherry had been married 10 years when he brought a stable to Shakopee in 1986. "We were married in 1976 and we won a race the very next day _ that was our honeymoon _ at Ruidoso Downs,'' Joe said.
They have been a team ever since. You will find Sherry attending to the various barn duties many mornings while her husband is ponying a horse to the track. Friends describe the Merricks as devout Christians who let their actions and treatment of people speak on their own and never proselytize.
Both of them pitch in with just about anything that needs doing, working shoulder to shoulder with their hired hands. Their friends and acquaintances describe them as true horsemen in every sense of the word. You need only see one of them break down after losing an animal to understand their passion for horses, despite Joe's insistence on not becoming attached in a business like horse racing. You will know that Sherry sometimes is grieving the loss of a beloved horse at the claiming box if she's missing from the barn for a couple of days.
You will understand Joe's love of horses, too, by his forgiveness for their misdeeds, even major ones. "We planned on being at Canterbury last summer,'' he said, "but then I had the accident.''
Merrick was ponying the well-bred Indy Express to the track at Will Rogers Downs when his saddle horse drifted a bit too close. "It was my fault,'' Merrick said. Indy Express tried to take a bite out of the horse's neck and, when Merrick tried to wave him off, got Joe's hand instead.
A stud like Indy Express has a vice-like bite. He took all of Merrick's left thumb, including the lower part of the hand and left it dangling. Merrick was air-lifted from the track and his thumb was reattached. The healing process prevented his planned trip to Shakopee for the summer. Today, he has some numbness to remind him of the incident
"He said he can't hitch-hike any longer because people don't know which way he's going,'' Stancato said.
Or as Merrick also put it: "There are things in this business that will test your mettle.''
The Merricks have three children _ Kyle, 33; Kori, 27 and Kari, 20.
Kyle was a good high school running back but, as Joe describes it, was genetically handicapped at 5-feet-8 and 185 pounds _ yet very fast, with 4.4 speed. An excellent student, he had an offer to Penn, but chose instead to get a degree in range management at Oklahoma State University. He handles the cattle along with the bucking-bred bunch at the 14 ranch founded by his late grandfather.
Kari spent parts of the summer at Canterbury. Kori lives in Oklahoma and is married to Cody Whitney, who had a 94.74 ride aboard three-time PBR Bull of the Year LittleYellow Jacket in 2004 and has ridden in several PBR finals.
So, there are quarter horses, thoroughbreds and bulls in the Merrick family history. There is also music. Joe has recorded two CDs _ a third is in the can _ with songs he has written that would draw solid reviews on any two-step floor. Or you can simply sit and enjoy some of the tunes inspired by Merrick's life and the people in it.
On the CD "Ranches and Rodeos" he has recorded a song called 'Wild Horses' and 'Easy Jet'. On the album "New Bad Habits" there is 'Quarter Horse Rider,' 'What Makes a Cowboy' and 'Don't Give Up.'
Joe Merrick was 12 years old during Easy Jet's phenomenal two-year-old season in 1969 when he won 22 of 26 races, including the All American, a season that culminated with various awards: World Champion Quarter Running Horse, Champion Stallion and Champion 2-year-old Colt, the first two prestigious awards rarely given to a 2-year-old.
Walter Merrick hauled the precocious colt to track after track, and Joe frequently was assigned guard duties in a stall near the horse. Tracks, especially the smaller ones, had very few security provisions at the time. "I'd sleep in that stall,'' Joe recalled, "with a pistol that was almost too heavy for me to lift.''
Easy Jet stayed safe through it all, although Joe recalled occasions when "someone would drive up to the barn and shine their lights in on the stall.''
Roused from his slumber, Joe would sit up in the stall, the lights in his eyes but only momentarily. "When whoever it was saw me, they'd move on,'' he recalled. Still, he has wondered from time to time who occupied those vehicles and what were they seeking.
When he looks back now, it was a special time. "It was a magical time,'' he said.
Merrick got on Easy Jet's back only once, taking him to the barn. One of the hands gave him a funny look and asked "what I was doing,'' Joe said. "It was my one and only chance to get on that horse.''
Easy Jet not only won the All American, he sired three winners of the race: Easy Date, Pie In The Sky and Mr Trucka Jet.
Walter Merrick sold and reacquired Easy Jet a couple of times. He syndicated the horse during the oil boom in 1980 when Easy Jet's stud fee was $30,000. The horse was syndicated for an astounding $30 million, 50 shares at $600,000 each. Many of the investors were prominent in the oil and gas industries. When the industries went bust two years later, the deals dissolved.
"Everything tanked,'' Joe recalled. "The economy went bad.''
Walter Merrick handled the situation just as he had the other vicissitudes of his life.
"Dad was just a cowboy,'' Joe said. "He knew what it was to have money and not to have money.''
Maybe Joe sums it all up best in 'What Makes a Cowboy.'
"No one knows what strikes the prose that stands the test of time
Or the tune that has that old familiar ring.
And heaven help me if I need a reason for my rhyme.
'Cause no one knows what makes a cowboy sing."
If Joe and Sherry Merrick never get their Seattle Slew or Affirmed, it will be just fine. They've got plenty to fall back on.'
"You know, maybe all you get out of this business when it comes right down to it,'' he said, "are the memories.''
Some fine ones at that.
Two Thoroughbred Titles Still Up For Grabs
The race for the top thoroughbred jockey is over as Dean Butler has a 14 win lead over Derek Bell and will win his third consecutive riding title.
Leading owner and trainer is a different matter.
Bernell Rhone won two races Thursday night and now is a single win behind Mac Robertson who has 36 wins. Mike Biehler is three behind Mac.
Mac has 14 horses entered in 13 races over the final three days while Bernell has 14 entered in 11 races. Mike has eight entered in seven races.
Al and Bill Ulwelling of Elk River won the owner title last year and have a two victory lead over Curtis Sampson of Hector heading into the final three days. The Ulwellings will send out three horses in two races while Curt has four entered in four races.
jm
Leading owner and trainer is a different matter.
Bernell Rhone won two races Thursday night and now is a single win behind Mac Robertson who has 36 wins. Mike Biehler is three behind Mac.
Mac has 14 horses entered in 13 races over the final three days while Bernell has 14 entered in 11 races. Mike has eight entered in seven races.
Al and Bill Ulwelling of Elk River won the owner title last year and have a two victory lead over Curtis Sampson of Hector heading into the final three days. The Ulwellings will send out three horses in two races while Curt has four entered in four races.
jm
Thursday, September 8, 2011
THAT'S LEMMON WITH TWO Ms
by JIM WELLS
Know anybody from Lemmon, S.D.? Wonder where it is?
Stancato didn't say whether those lines are his own or borrowed from Canterbury's 2011 quarter horse training champion, Bob Johnson, who is, in fact, from Lemmon.
"Bob's one of the wittier people I know,'' said Canterbury's stall superintendent. "Anytime you have something to say to him, he'll come right back with something that will crack you up.''
Johnson, incidentally, was reared about 20 miles from Lemmon on a ranch he still calls home that has been in the family since the late 1800s, land homesteaded by his grandfather, Oscar Johnson."I like it there. It's quiet,'' Johnson said. "It's a place to call home, and it really is home.''
Johnson didn't get home much this summer. "A couple of times.'' And he isn't apt to get there much for the next few months, either.
Thursday morning, for instance, Johnson made his remarks by cell phone from Billings, Mont., where he was galloping horses in anticipation of the upcoming races this weekend, a $40,000 Futurity and $30,000 Derby for Paints and Appaloosas.
"I've always liked Paints,'' Johnson's caller told him. "Trouble is they've bred most of the paint out ouf them,'' Johnson responded. "A lot of these horses now are solid color but they are Paints.''
Johnson brought some horses to Canterbury Downs in 1986 for the track's 10-day quarter horse meet that year. He came back again, as he recalls, in 1989 and has been stabling horses in Shakopee most summers since.
Johnson won the 1,000th quarter horse race of his career at Canterbury Park. "There are only a handful, maybe 25 (quarter horse) trainers in the country who have done that,'' said racing secretary Doug Schoepf. "Bob's a hard worker. Last year he had horses here and Denver and was hauling to Prairie (Meadows) plus Billings. Wherever they have a futurity or derby,'' he'll show up.''
Johnson won the training title, his first at Canterbury, by two wins over Brent Clay and Ed Ross Hardy, who was inducted into the track's Hall of Fame this summer after winning nine consecutive titles.
"To me, the guy should be in the Hall of Fame,'' said quarter horse racing secretary Josh Van Oort. "He won his 1,000th race at Canterbury two years ago, the 25th guy to win that many. He always has a good stable, helps us fill races and is always positive in any situation.''
Van Oort says a few more Bob Johnsons on the grounds would improve matters even more. "They don't get any better than Bobby. They really don't.''
Schoepf once rode for Bob's dad, John G. Johnson. "We go back to the 1960s,'' Schoepf said.
So, it was a special moment this summer when Bob Johnson saddled a horse for John Johnson that won the Minnesota Stallion Futurity at Canterbury.
"That was pretty cool,'' Bob said. "Dad just turned 80 in July.''
Johnson won the 2011 Canterbury training title but he had already earned the respect of other horsemen after nearly four decades of hauling horses, thoroughbreds included, from track to track, always maintaining a good stable.
"He's someone young trainers can look up to and respect and older ones still respect,'' Van Oort said. "I wish we had 10 more like him.''
Johnson's life changed last February when he married a woman from Phoenix. Clearly, it would take a horsewoman to understand and tolerate his life and that pretty much describes his new bride,Shilo.
She was on the backside at Canterbury last year. While Bob would truck some horses to Billings, she hauled others to Prairie Meadows. She sometimes had horses racing at Canterbury during the day and some at Prairie the same night.
Johnson's life changed and so did his schedule. He used to lay up at the ranch from October to March. Not this year. He intends to take seven or eight thoroughbreds and a similar number of quarter horses to Phoenix.
"I used to go home for the winter. That sounds kind of backward now, doesn't it,'' he said.
His dad and brother, Gary, will have to handle the ranch, the cows and horses on their own this time.
For anyone requiring more precise geography, Lemmon is on the North Dakota-South Dakota border, about 80 miles from Montana. "About 350 miles from Billings,'' Johnson said.
What doesn't need additional description is this Johnson anecdote concerning the view of others about his neck of the woods:
A fellow once told him: "You must be from here, because I don't know anybody who'd move here.''
WELLINGTON WANTS THE PARKING SPOT
Tom Wellington was tied with Tad Leggett for the riding lead with one race left in the quarter horse meet three or four years ago in Shakopee.
When Wellington's horse won the final race, he heard the announcement: "Tom Wellington is the Canterbury riding champ.''
One problem.
"They took my number down and Tad won the race and the title,'' Wellington recalled.
That's been a small burr under his saddle since.
Funny how things work out sometimes.
Wellington left Canterbury with more than three weeks left in the meet this summer. He had 12 wins at the time, two more than Jennifer Schmidt.
"I really didn't expect 12 wins to hold up,'' he said Thursday.
It was good enough this time for Wellington to claim the title by one.
"I just might come up there again, now that I have that parking spot (given to the previous year's champions directly in front of the Canterbury entrance).''
Wellington has won several titles at Prairie Meadows and others in Kansas, too, but this was his first in Shakopee.
And he expects the royal treatment regardless of his plans.
"Even if I don't come back there next year, I want that parking spot,'' he said. "I'll need it when I come to visit.''
CHAMPION OWNERS
Kenny Laymon tied for fourth in the trainer standings with Amber Blair and Carl Clevenger. They each had seven wins for the meet.
Which was enough for Laymon and his wife, Regina, the names behind JK Running Horses LLC, to win the owners title in their first year at Canterbury.
"We've sent horses up here before but this is the first time we stabled here,'' Laymon said. "We plan on coming back again next year.''
Laymon attributes his successful meet to luck and some pretty nice horses. "We've sent some pretty good ones up there in the past, but this summer I just decided to do it myself,'' he said.
Turned out just fine at that.
Know anybody from Lemmon, S.D.? Wonder where it is?According to Mark Stancato it's "100 miles from the nearest anything, smack dab in the middle of nowhere, very near to nothing and not on the way to anything.''
Stancato didn't say whether those lines are his own or borrowed from Canterbury's 2011 quarter horse training champion, Bob Johnson, who is, in fact, from Lemmon.
"Bob's one of the wittier people I know,'' said Canterbury's stall superintendent. "Anytime you have something to say to him, he'll come right back with something that will crack you up.''
Johnson, incidentally, was reared about 20 miles from Lemmon on a ranch he still calls home that has been in the family since the late 1800s, land homesteaded by his grandfather, Oscar Johnson."I like it there. It's quiet,'' Johnson said. "It's a place to call home, and it really is home.''
Johnson didn't get home much this summer. "A couple of times.'' And he isn't apt to get there much for the next few months, either.
Thursday morning, for instance, Johnson made his remarks by cell phone from Billings, Mont., where he was galloping horses in anticipation of the upcoming races this weekend, a $40,000 Futurity and $30,000 Derby for Paints and Appaloosas.
"I've always liked Paints,'' Johnson's caller told him. "Trouble is they've bred most of the paint out ouf them,'' Johnson responded. "A lot of these horses now are solid color but they are Paints.''
Johnson brought some horses to Canterbury Downs in 1986 for the track's 10-day quarter horse meet that year. He came back again, as he recalls, in 1989 and has been stabling horses in Shakopee most summers since.
Johnson won the 1,000th quarter horse race of his career at Canterbury Park. "There are only a handful, maybe 25 (quarter horse) trainers in the country who have done that,'' said racing secretary Doug Schoepf. "Bob's a hard worker. Last year he had horses here and Denver and was hauling to Prairie (Meadows) plus Billings. Wherever they have a futurity or derby,'' he'll show up.''
Johnson won the training title, his first at Canterbury, by two wins over Brent Clay and Ed Ross Hardy, who was inducted into the track's Hall of Fame this summer after winning nine consecutive titles.
"To me, the guy should be in the Hall of Fame,'' said quarter horse racing secretary Josh Van Oort. "He won his 1,000th race at Canterbury two years ago, the 25th guy to win that many. He always has a good stable, helps us fill races and is always positive in any situation.''
Van Oort says a few more Bob Johnsons on the grounds would improve matters even more. "They don't get any better than Bobby. They really don't.''
Schoepf once rode for Bob's dad, John G. Johnson. "We go back to the 1960s,'' Schoepf said.
So, it was a special moment this summer when Bob Johnson saddled a horse for John Johnson that won the Minnesota Stallion Futurity at Canterbury.
"That was pretty cool,'' Bob said. "Dad just turned 80 in July.''
Johnson won the 2011 Canterbury training title but he had already earned the respect of other horsemen after nearly four decades of hauling horses, thoroughbreds included, from track to track, always maintaining a good stable.
"He's someone young trainers can look up to and respect and older ones still respect,'' Van Oort said. "I wish we had 10 more like him.''
Johnson's life changed last February when he married a woman from Phoenix. Clearly, it would take a horsewoman to understand and tolerate his life and that pretty much describes his new bride,Shilo.
She was on the backside at Canterbury last year. While Bob would truck some horses to Billings, she hauled others to Prairie Meadows. She sometimes had horses racing at Canterbury during the day and some at Prairie the same night.
Johnson's life changed and so did his schedule. He used to lay up at the ranch from October to March. Not this year. He intends to take seven or eight thoroughbreds and a similar number of quarter horses to Phoenix.
"I used to go home for the winter. That sounds kind of backward now, doesn't it,'' he said.
His dad and brother, Gary, will have to handle the ranch, the cows and horses on their own this time.
For anyone requiring more precise geography, Lemmon is on the North Dakota-South Dakota border, about 80 miles from Montana. "About 350 miles from Billings,'' Johnson said.
What doesn't need additional description is this Johnson anecdote concerning the view of others about his neck of the woods:
A fellow once told him: "You must be from here, because I don't know anybody who'd move here.''
WELLINGTON WANTS THE PARKING SPOT
Tom Wellington was tied with Tad Leggett for the riding lead with one race left in the quarter horse meet three or four years ago in Shakopee.
When Wellington's horse won the final race, he heard the announcement: "Tom Wellington is the Canterbury riding champ.''
One problem.
"They took my number down and Tad won the race and the title,'' Wellington recalled.
That's been a small burr under his saddle since.
Funny how things work out sometimes.
Wellington left Canterbury with more than three weeks left in the meet this summer. He had 12 wins at the time, two more than Jennifer Schmidt.
"I really didn't expect 12 wins to hold up,'' he said Thursday.
It was good enough this time for Wellington to claim the title by one.
"I just might come up there again, now that I have that parking spot (given to the previous year's champions directly in front of the Canterbury entrance).''
Wellington has won several titles at Prairie Meadows and others in Kansas, too, but this was his first in Shakopee.
And he expects the royal treatment regardless of his plans.
"Even if I don't come back there next year, I want that parking spot,'' he said. "I'll need it when I come to visit.''
CHAMPION OWNERS
Kenny Laymon tied for fourth in the trainer standings with Amber Blair and Carl Clevenger. They each had seven wins for the meet.
Which was enough for Laymon and his wife, Regina, the names behind JK Running Horses LLC, to win the owners title in their first year at Canterbury.
"We've sent horses up here before but this is the first time we stabled here,'' Laymon said. "We plan on coming back again next year.''
Laymon attributes his successful meet to luck and some pretty nice horses. "We've sent some pretty good ones up there in the past, but this summer I just decided to do it myself,'' he said.
Turned out just fine at that.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
2011 Live Racing Comes To A Close at Canterbury Park
The 2011 live race meet at Canterbury Park comes to a close this week with racing Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 8 - 11. Post times will be: Thursday and Friday at 7:00 pm, Saturday at 1:30 pm, and Sunday at 11:00 am. Free admission is offered all week.
A Purple Pre-Game Party is scheduled for Sunday. Along with an earlier than normal 11:00 am first post for the nine-race card, several activities are planned to accommodate football fans including an appearance by the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders, a Football Fan Viewing Zone with large-screen televisions, and food and beverage specials such as $1 hotdogs and $2.50 tap beer. “We are creating a festive atmosphere for those that want to enjoy football as well as the final day of the race meet,” senior marketing manager John Groen said. “We will offer the best of both worlds for the horse racing and football fan.”
Sunday will also offer the traditional Family Day activities with free pony rides, a petting zoo and face painters. Parking is always free. For more information go to http://www.canterburypark.com/ or call 952-445-7223.
A Purple Pre-Game Party is scheduled for Sunday. Along with an earlier than normal 11:00 am first post for the nine-race card, several activities are planned to accommodate football fans including an appearance by the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders, a Football Fan Viewing Zone with large-screen televisions, and food and beverage specials such as $1 hotdogs and $2.50 tap beer. “We are creating a festive atmosphere for those that want to enjoy football as well as the final day of the race meet,” senior marketing manager John Groen said. “We will offer the best of both worlds for the horse racing and football fan.”
Sunday will also offer the traditional Family Day activities with free pony rides, a petting zoo and face painters. Parking is always free. For more information go to http://www.canterburypark.com/ or call 952-445-7223.
Monday, September 5, 2011
DID SOMEONE SAY RACINO
BY JIM WELLS
Even on a bright, balmy Monday afternoon, it was still possible to agree that every silver lining has its cloud.
Take Minnesota’s horse industry and the refusal of state legislators to represent the wishes of the people who elected them. In poll after poll, seventy to eighty percent of Minnesotans support a Racino at Canterbury Park, and time after time state legislators refuse to give it to them.
Instead they couch their objections with thread-worn clichés that are nothing more than camouflage for the true reason behind their obduracy _ campaign donations (all documented) _ from Minnesota casinos.
Getting campaign cash has become more important than the voters in American politics.
In the meantime, an untold number of small businesses directly connected to horse racing struggle or never get off the ground in Minnesota, untold taxes are never collected and the state’s horse industry continues to stagnate.
Horse racing puts veterinarians, breeders, stable help, farriers, farmers, truckers, grain salesmen, pari-mutuel clerks, concessionaries, hot-walkers, gallop boys and girls, jockeys and trainers to work.
A racetrack is the hub to the entire horse industry but it all begins with the breeding farms and operations and they are suffering.
“We can’t afford to breed in this state any longer,’’ said breeder Dave Dayon during Saturday’s Minnesota Festival of Racing. “A lot of breeders I know just can’t invest any longer.’’
This is an industry with a domino effect. Better purses mean better horses, bigger crowds and more money for horse owners, breeders, riders and trainers. Better purses mean more investment, more jobs, more taxes. Simply put, Minnesota is not keeping pace with other states where Racinos are part of the mix.
The argument of no interest in racing is a crock.
“No interest?’’ said Jeff Hilger, who operates Bleu Valley Farm near Stillwater, one of Minnesota’s foremost breeding operations.
“Yesterday, there were more than 11,000 people here to watch Minnesota-bred horses (in the Minnesota Festival of Racing.) Think what the crowds would be like with really good horses.’’
Another 9,500 showed up on Monday.
Hilger and his wife, Deb, rely upon purses at Canterbury to sustain their business. Good purses provide incentive and result in more investment by horse owners and breeders, etc. etc. etc.
Here is the future of Minnesota breeding in microcosm: In the sixth race on Monday’s card, Satin Edition, a five-year-old mare owned by the Hilgers, started and won for the second time since last Thursday night. Two races in four days?
“Somebody asked me why I would run that mare for $3,500 ( in winnings),’’ Hilger said. “I told him that I was running for $7,000. It just took two races.’’
In any event, the race was the last for the daughter of Holy Bull. Her future, like that of racing in Minnesota, is uncertain.
“I’ll hold her until February,’’ Hilger said, “to see if we get a Racino.’’
If Canterbury gets a Racino, Hilger can see a reason to invest more and will breed Satin Edition. “Otherwise I’ll find someone good who will use her as a hunter/jumper,’’ he said.
That is the current state of racing in Minnesota. The purses are such that many horsemen can’t justify additional investment.
“If you win a race, you can pay some bills,’’ said Paul Knapper, a Lonsdale horseman. “If you finish second, you can’t. If we had a Racino, you could finish second and still pay the bills.’’
Knapper and his trainer, Joe Merrick, who will return to Oklahoma on Tuesday, have discussed the subject ad infinitum this summer, the need for Canterbury to get some help.
It is not only breeders and trainers who see the need.
Jockey Ry Eikleberry rode his final races of the meet on the Labor Day card. In the past he has always returned to his home in Phoenix and raced at Turf Paradise. Not this time.
He’ll head to Zia Park and then El Paso (Sunland Park). “I’ve always gone back to Phoenix because that was home,’’ Eikleberry said. “But I need to go where the purses are. “Turf Paradise and Canterbury both need Racinos.’’
Even on a bright, balmy Monday afternoon, it was still possible to agree that every silver lining has its cloud.
Take Minnesota’s horse industry and the refusal of state legislators to represent the wishes of the people who elected them. In poll after poll, seventy to eighty percent of Minnesotans support a Racino at Canterbury Park, and time after time state legislators refuse to give it to them.
Instead they couch their objections with thread-worn clichés that are nothing more than camouflage for the true reason behind their obduracy _ campaign donations (all documented) _ from Minnesota casinos.
Getting campaign cash has become more important than the voters in American politics.
In the meantime, an untold number of small businesses directly connected to horse racing struggle or never get off the ground in Minnesota, untold taxes are never collected and the state’s horse industry continues to stagnate.
Horse racing puts veterinarians, breeders, stable help, farriers, farmers, truckers, grain salesmen, pari-mutuel clerks, concessionaries, hot-walkers, gallop boys and girls, jockeys and trainers to work.
A racetrack is the hub to the entire horse industry but it all begins with the breeding farms and operations and they are suffering.
“We can’t afford to breed in this state any longer,’’ said breeder Dave Dayon during Saturday’s Minnesota Festival of Racing. “A lot of breeders I know just can’t invest any longer.’’
This is an industry with a domino effect. Better purses mean better horses, bigger crowds and more money for horse owners, breeders, riders and trainers. Better purses mean more investment, more jobs, more taxes. Simply put, Minnesota is not keeping pace with other states where Racinos are part of the mix.
The argument of no interest in racing is a crock.
“No interest?’’ said Jeff Hilger, who operates Bleu Valley Farm near Stillwater, one of Minnesota’s foremost breeding operations.
“Yesterday, there were more than 11,000 people here to watch Minnesota-bred horses (in the Minnesota Festival of Racing.) Think what the crowds would be like with really good horses.’’
Another 9,500 showed up on Monday.
Hilger and his wife, Deb, rely upon purses at Canterbury to sustain their business. Good purses provide incentive and result in more investment by horse owners and breeders, etc. etc. etc.
Here is the future of Minnesota breeding in microcosm: In the sixth race on Monday’s card, Satin Edition, a five-year-old mare owned by the Hilgers, started and won for the second time since last Thursday night. Two races in four days?
“Somebody asked me why I would run that mare for $3,500 ( in winnings),’’ Hilger said. “I told him that I was running for $7,000. It just took two races.’’
In any event, the race was the last for the daughter of Holy Bull. Her future, like that of racing in Minnesota, is uncertain.
“I’ll hold her until February,’’ Hilger said, “to see if we get a Racino.’’
If Canterbury gets a Racino, Hilger can see a reason to invest more and will breed Satin Edition. “Otherwise I’ll find someone good who will use her as a hunter/jumper,’’ he said.
That is the current state of racing in Minnesota. The purses are such that many horsemen can’t justify additional investment.
“If you win a race, you can pay some bills,’’ said Paul Knapper, a Lonsdale horseman. “If you finish second, you can’t. If we had a Racino, you could finish second and still pay the bills.’’
Knapper and his trainer, Joe Merrick, who will return to Oklahoma on Tuesday, have discussed the subject ad infinitum this summer, the need for Canterbury to get some help.
It is not only breeders and trainers who see the need.
Jockey Ry Eikleberry rode his final races of the meet on the Labor Day card. In the past he has always returned to his home in Phoenix and raced at Turf Paradise. Not this time.
He’ll head to Zia Park and then El Paso (Sunland Park). “I’ve always gone back to Phoenix because that was home,’’ Eikleberry said. “But I need to go where the purses are. “Turf Paradise and Canterbury both need Racinos.’’
Sunday, September 4, 2011
FESTIVAL KISSED BY AN ANGEL
By JIM WELLS
The man who brought horse racing to Minnesota in 1985 had a special way of explaining situations in which the planets, the seas, the wind _ all the forces of nature _ seemed to conspire for a positive outcome.
“We were kissed by an angel,’’ Brooks Fields, the president and CEO of Canterbury Downs, would say on such occasions.
The heavens were in perfect order on Sunday. How else to explain an afternoon of absolutely balmy weather, ideal for being out of doors until the Festival races were concluded and only the final event on the card, a maiden claimer, was ready to go and the rain began…briefly.
On the most special day of the year for Minnesota horsemen, the weather, the fans and the horses themselves contributed to the show in the 18th running of the Minnesota Festival of Champions.
A crowd of 11,214 was on hand for the 10-race card offering more than $400,000 in purse money, the largest recorded turnout since 1992, the first year of the Festival. The on-track handle was up 17.7 percent.
Intermingled throughout the afternoon were tears of joy, elation and, in some cases, maybe even residual grief.
Who wouldn’t cry, as Gretchen Eaton did, after hers and husband Art’s Bella Notte won the $50,000 Minnesota Distaff Sprint Championship for the third consecutive time.
How many pictures do you need, Gretchen?
“We’ll, we’ve got employees, friends?’’
Will twenty-five handle it?
“It’s an easy game,’’ said winning rider Derek Bell. “Just hang on.’’
Bella Notte’s win drew applause from the nearby crowd, another reason for tears.
Who wouldn’t feel deep emotion when the last horse broken by your recently departed husband just won the $50,000 Northern Lights Futurity, as Heliskier, now 2-for-2, did for Marlene Colvin.
Bun Colvin, a respected and well-known horseman at Canterbury the last three decades, died last January. Marlene used to watch him ride the 2-year-old Appealing Skier colt in the pasture outside their South Dakota home. “Yes, it’s the perfect tribute,’’ she said.
“That’s a nice horse,’’ said Mac Robertson, whose horse, Private Warrior, ran out of the money in the race. “Bun broke him, a nice job. I would have broken him.’’
Who wouldn’t feel joy, vindication and gratitude when a horse you just claimed for $15,000 wins a $50,000 race first time back, as Jaival did for trainer Valorie Lund and owner Peter Seals and Eight Ender Stables as the third pick in the Minnesota Classic.
That race presented an obvious question:
How do you like Minnesota-breds so far, Valorie?
The best answer in this case might be an old axiom: buy low, sell high.
In any event, the horse was Lund’s first Minnesota-bred. “We gave him a lot of schooling,’’ she said. “In the paddock, in the gate. I was nervous, not having a race before this one.”
Not to worry. The favorite Black Tie Benny and second choice Suddenly Silver locked up on the front end, before Benny took a bad step on the turn and Martin Escobar pulled him up. At that point, Jaival and Rusty Shaw took dead aim at Suddenly Silver.
Can you feel anything but overwhelming glee when your horse makes mincemeat of his opponents to win the $35,000 Minnesota Turf Championship as Tubby Time did for trainer Mac Robertson and owner Jeff Larson?
Tubby Time moved to the head of the line for Horse of the Year with the win, in light of Sheso Dazzling’s puzzling no-show in the $50,000 Minnesota Distaff, won by Tez Savitri under Eikleberry for Bernell Rhone and Kissoon Thoroughbreds.
“I had a lot more horse than I planned on,’’ said Eikleberry.
“It was perfect timing by the jockey, a great ride,’’ said Deon Kissoon.
How might you feel if your name is Cam Casby and your Keewatin Ice just ran down Jills Summer Raine inside the 16th pole to win the $55,000 Northern Lights Debutante.
“Wonderful,’’ pretty much sizes up Ms. Casby’s attitude afterward.
How would you react if your horse, Nomorewineforeddie, is winless in three starts this year and can’t seem to find a race but comes up big when he does, in the $50,000 Minnesota Sprint Championship for the second consecutive summer.
“Congratulations,’’ said Richard Grunder, Ry Eikleberry’s agent,to the winning owner, Anthony Didier. “Where did you (Bizet) finish,’’ Didier responded. “Second just like last year,’’ Grunder said.
Dale Haglund had to feel a measure of pride as the owner/trainer of Streak N Hot, who blew away nine foes in the card opener, the $15,000-added Minnesota Quarter Horse Futurity under Wilfredo Arroyo. After all was said and done, the race was worth $19,400.
Pithia, who lost big to Lien On Me last time they met, reversed that result in the $15,000-added Quarter Horse Derby under Eikleberry. Ultimately, that race was worth $18,650, and the winner’s worth increased, too. That left owner Rodney Von Ohlen of Alpha, Minn., feeling a bit better about sale prospects for the three-year-old filly in the November Oklahoma sale.
All in all, Robertson had to feel pretty good himself by day’s end. His three stakes wins put him the training lead, one in front of Bernell Rhone and two in front of Mike Biehler.
The man who brought horse racing to Minnesota in 1985 had a special way of explaining situations in which the planets, the seas, the wind _ all the forces of nature _ seemed to conspire for a positive outcome.
“We were kissed by an angel,’’ Brooks Fields, the president and CEO of Canterbury Downs, would say on such occasions.
The heavens were in perfect order on Sunday. How else to explain an afternoon of absolutely balmy weather, ideal for being out of doors until the Festival races were concluded and only the final event on the card, a maiden claimer, was ready to go and the rain began…briefly.
On the most special day of the year for Minnesota horsemen, the weather, the fans and the horses themselves contributed to the show in the 18th running of the Minnesota Festival of Champions.
A crowd of 11,214 was on hand for the 10-race card offering more than $400,000 in purse money, the largest recorded turnout since 1992, the first year of the Festival. The on-track handle was up 17.7 percent.
Intermingled throughout the afternoon were tears of joy, elation and, in some cases, maybe even residual grief.
Who wouldn’t cry, as Gretchen Eaton did, after hers and husband Art’s Bella Notte won the $50,000 Minnesota Distaff Sprint Championship for the third consecutive time.
How many pictures do you need, Gretchen?
“We’ll, we’ve got employees, friends?’’
Will twenty-five handle it?
“It’s an easy game,’’ said winning rider Derek Bell. “Just hang on.’’
Bella Notte’s win drew applause from the nearby crowd, another reason for tears.
Who wouldn’t feel deep emotion when the last horse broken by your recently departed husband just won the $50,000 Northern Lights Futurity, as Heliskier, now 2-for-2, did for Marlene Colvin.
Bun Colvin, a respected and well-known horseman at Canterbury the last three decades, died last January. Marlene used to watch him ride the 2-year-old Appealing Skier colt in the pasture outside their South Dakota home. “Yes, it’s the perfect tribute,’’ she said.
“That’s a nice horse,’’ said Mac Robertson, whose horse, Private Warrior, ran out of the money in the race. “Bun broke him, a nice job. I would have broken him.’’
Who wouldn’t feel joy, vindication and gratitude when a horse you just claimed for $15,000 wins a $50,000 race first time back, as Jaival did for trainer Valorie Lund and owner Peter Seals and Eight Ender Stables as the third pick in the Minnesota Classic.
That race presented an obvious question:
How do you like Minnesota-breds so far, Valorie?
The best answer in this case might be an old axiom: buy low, sell high.
In any event, the horse was Lund’s first Minnesota-bred. “We gave him a lot of schooling,’’ she said. “In the paddock, in the gate. I was nervous, not having a race before this one.”
Not to worry. The favorite Black Tie Benny and second choice Suddenly Silver locked up on the front end, before Benny took a bad step on the turn and Martin Escobar pulled him up. At that point, Jaival and Rusty Shaw took dead aim at Suddenly Silver.
Can you feel anything but overwhelming glee when your horse makes mincemeat of his opponents to win the $35,000 Minnesota Turf Championship as Tubby Time did for trainer Mac Robertson and owner Jeff Larson?
Tubby Time moved to the head of the line for Horse of the Year with the win, in light of Sheso Dazzling’s puzzling no-show in the $50,000 Minnesota Distaff, won by Tez Savitri under Eikleberry for Bernell Rhone and Kissoon Thoroughbreds.
“I had a lot more horse than I planned on,’’ said Eikleberry.
“It was perfect timing by the jockey, a great ride,’’ said Deon Kissoon.
How might you feel if your name is Cam Casby and your Keewatin Ice just ran down Jills Summer Raine inside the 16th pole to win the $55,000 Northern Lights Debutante.
“Wonderful,’’ pretty much sizes up Ms. Casby’s attitude afterward.
How would you react if your horse, Nomorewineforeddie, is winless in three starts this year and can’t seem to find a race but comes up big when he does, in the $50,000 Minnesota Sprint Championship for the second consecutive summer.
“Congratulations,’’ said Richard Grunder, Ry Eikleberry’s agent,to the winning owner, Anthony Didier. “Where did you (Bizet) finish,’’ Didier responded. “Second just like last year,’’ Grunder said.
Dale Haglund had to feel a measure of pride as the owner/trainer of Streak N Hot, who blew away nine foes in the card opener, the $15,000-added Minnesota Quarter Horse Futurity under Wilfredo Arroyo. After all was said and done, the race was worth $19,400.
Pithia, who lost big to Lien On Me last time they met, reversed that result in the $15,000-added Quarter Horse Derby under Eikleberry. Ultimately, that race was worth $18,650, and the winner’s worth increased, too. That left owner Rodney Von Ohlen of Alpha, Minn., feeling a bit better about sale prospects for the three-year-old filly in the November Oklahoma sale.
All in all, Robertson had to feel pretty good himself by day’s end. His three stakes wins put him the training lead, one in front of Bernell Rhone and two in front of Mike Biehler.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
A SILVER TOUCH TO A GOLDEN FESTIVAL
By JIM WELLS
Here are the details, as they occur only in horse racing, a sport that at times resembles extended family as much as it does industry:
On Sept. 12, 1992 the first Minnesota Festival of Champion was conducted, put together entirely by Minnesota horsemen for Minnesota horsemen and their Minnesota-bred horses.
There was a winner that afternoon in the very first Minnesota Sprint Championship by the name of Silver Me Timbers, the sale-topper at the 1989 Select Minnesota Yearling Sale, a $19,000 purchase by Jan and Connie Chumas out of the first crop of Silver Ghost.
Silver Me Timbers had been bred by Art and Gretchen Eaton, who were in racing at the time with the intention of breeding only, something that changed suddenly when one of their horses didn’t sell at sale and they wound up racing him.
Good thing for Minnesota racing. The Eatons will race today in the 18th running of the Festival as the event leaders with nine wins.
The second of the two horses they have entered on today’s card is Suddenly Silver, a seven-year-old gelding from one of the last crops of Silver Ghost.
It so happens he will be ridden by Derek Bell, the leading rider in Festival history with 20 wins. So, Hall of Fame owners/breeders will team up with a Hall of Fame rider to run a horse whose half brother won on Festival Day nineteen years ago.
Suddenly Silver is no stranger to the race. He won the Classic in 2008 and in 2010 and was second in 2009.
Told about the historic connections to the inaugural Festival, Bell mulled over the details. “That’s pretty cool,’’ he said.
Bell has been on Suddenly Silver several times, including his 2008 Classic win and second-place finish in the 2009 running of the same event.
“He’s a good horse. He can win, but he’ll have to beat Black Tie Benny. I don’t know if he can.’’
There are “horses to beat’’ in the other Festival events, too.
The $15,000 Quarter Horse Futurity will feature Streak N Hot, owned and trained by Dale Haglund, who has won twice and finished second twice from five starts.
Brent Clay chases his second $15,000- Derby win with morning line choice Lien On Me. Seis it Fast, the 2010 Horse of the Meeting, is in the field of nine, too, but is winless this year in six outs.
The Eatons are the owners/breeders of Bella Notte, the two-time defending champion of the $50,000 Distaff Sprint who will be favored slightly over Chick Fight. Both horses are from the Mac Robertson barn.
Nomorewineforeddie is the defending champ of the $50,000 Sprint Championship and will again face Bizet the 2010 runnerup and 2009 winner of the race.
The favorite in the $55,000 Northern Lights Futurity is likely Heliskier, owned by Marlene Covlin and trained by Robertson.
Tubby Time has won three straight on the grass and is the horse to beat in the $35,000 Turf Championship.
The horse beat in the $55,000 Northern Lights Debutante is Jills Summer Raine, trained by Doug Oliver and ridden by Lori Keith.
Sheso Dazzling, with Bell up, will be the filly to beat in the $50,000 Distaff Classic. She and Tubby Time are contenders Horse of the Meet.
Two decades ago, Gretchen Eaton was certain she and Art were in the horse business as breeders only, but she had reservations just the same after the sale of Silver Me Timbers at the 1989 yearling sale.
“We were staying at the Canterbury Inn after the sale. I went to check on the horses and Connie (Chumas) was there giving the horse a carrot. I thought then that everything was OK, that the horse had a good home,” Gretchen said.
That recollection surfaced as Eaton thought about that day many years ago, before Silver Me Timbers proved his mettle in the inaugural Festival Sprint.
The Festival has come to mean different things to different people, but she summed it up in these terms:
“It’s the Academy Awards for Minnesota-bred horses.’’
Art Eaton:
“It’s like a homecoming game in football.”.
The kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. today with nine championship races and more than $400,000 at stake.
NEVER SAY NEVER
Supreme Ghost is four years old but had not won in six career starts. Then again, Supreme Ghost, an absolutely gorgeous silver/roan, had undergone some infirmities in his young life.
First there was time he was cast in his stall and injured a hock that swelled to the size of a beach ball. Then he injured a tendon. Consequently, Supreme Ghost did not race at all as a three-year-old and was in danger of being retired to pasture.
If he goes on a pension now, it won’t be as a non-winner.
There he was in Saturday’s fourth race huffing and puffing toward the finish line, on the lead and headed for win No. 1. Inside the 16th pole, he looked ready to quit, once, twice, but each time he wanted to cash it in, Paul Nolan gave him a reminder with the stick. Each time he lurched forward a foot or two, enough to propel his body another jump. He got there just in time.
A much appreciated win for the horse, his owners _ Carin Offerman and Dennis Strohkirch _ his rider and his trainer, Troy Bethke.
“I didn’t think the wire was ever going to come up,’’ said Bethke.
Here are the details, as they occur only in horse racing, a sport that at times resembles extended family as much as it does industry:
On Sept. 12, 1992 the first Minnesota Festival of Champion was conducted, put together entirely by Minnesota horsemen for Minnesota horsemen and their Minnesota-bred horses.
There was a winner that afternoon in the very first Minnesota Sprint Championship by the name of Silver Me Timbers, the sale-topper at the 1989 Select Minnesota Yearling Sale, a $19,000 purchase by Jan and Connie Chumas out of the first crop of Silver Ghost.
Silver Me Timbers had been bred by Art and Gretchen Eaton, who were in racing at the time with the intention of breeding only, something that changed suddenly when one of their horses didn’t sell at sale and they wound up racing him.
Good thing for Minnesota racing. The Eatons will race today in the 18th running of the Festival as the event leaders with nine wins.
The second of the two horses they have entered on today’s card is Suddenly Silver, a seven-year-old gelding from one of the last crops of Silver Ghost.
It so happens he will be ridden by Derek Bell, the leading rider in Festival history with 20 wins. So, Hall of Fame owners/breeders will team up with a Hall of Fame rider to run a horse whose half brother won on Festival Day nineteen years ago.
Suddenly Silver is no stranger to the race. He won the Classic in 2008 and in 2010 and was second in 2009.
Told about the historic connections to the inaugural Festival, Bell mulled over the details. “That’s pretty cool,’’ he said.
Bell has been on Suddenly Silver several times, including his 2008 Classic win and second-place finish in the 2009 running of the same event.
“He’s a good horse. He can win, but he’ll have to beat Black Tie Benny. I don’t know if he can.’’
There are “horses to beat’’ in the other Festival events, too.
The $15,000 Quarter Horse Futurity will feature Streak N Hot, owned and trained by Dale Haglund, who has won twice and finished second twice from five starts.
Brent Clay chases his second $15,000- Derby win with morning line choice Lien On Me. Seis it Fast, the 2010 Horse of the Meeting, is in the field of nine, too, but is winless this year in six outs.
The Eatons are the owners/breeders of Bella Notte, the two-time defending champion of the $50,000 Distaff Sprint who will be favored slightly over Chick Fight. Both horses are from the Mac Robertson barn.
Nomorewineforeddie is the defending champ of the $50,000 Sprint Championship and will again face Bizet the 2010 runnerup and 2009 winner of the race.
The favorite in the $55,000 Northern Lights Futurity is likely Heliskier, owned by Marlene Covlin and trained by Robertson.
Tubby Time has won three straight on the grass and is the horse to beat in the $35,000 Turf Championship.
The horse beat in the $55,000 Northern Lights Debutante is Jills Summer Raine, trained by Doug Oliver and ridden by Lori Keith.
Sheso Dazzling, with Bell up, will be the filly to beat in the $50,000 Distaff Classic. She and Tubby Time are contenders Horse of the Meet.
Two decades ago, Gretchen Eaton was certain she and Art were in the horse business as breeders only, but she had reservations just the same after the sale of Silver Me Timbers at the 1989 yearling sale.
“We were staying at the Canterbury Inn after the sale. I went to check on the horses and Connie (Chumas) was there giving the horse a carrot. I thought then that everything was OK, that the horse had a good home,” Gretchen said.
That recollection surfaced as Eaton thought about that day many years ago, before Silver Me Timbers proved his mettle in the inaugural Festival Sprint.
The Festival has come to mean different things to different people, but she summed it up in these terms:
“It’s the Academy Awards for Minnesota-bred horses.’’
Art Eaton:
“It’s like a homecoming game in football.”.
The kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. today with nine championship races and more than $400,000 at stake.
NEVER SAY NEVER
Supreme Ghost is four years old but had not won in six career starts. Then again, Supreme Ghost, an absolutely gorgeous silver/roan, had undergone some infirmities in his young life.
First there was time he was cast in his stall and injured a hock that swelled to the size of a beach ball. Then he injured a tendon. Consequently, Supreme Ghost did not race at all as a three-year-old and was in danger of being retired to pasture.
If he goes on a pension now, it won’t be as a non-winner.
There he was in Saturday’s fourth race huffing and puffing toward the finish line, on the lead and headed for win No. 1. Inside the 16th pole, he looked ready to quit, once, twice, but each time he wanted to cash it in, Paul Nolan gave him a reminder with the stick. Each time he lurched forward a foot or two, enough to propel his body another jump. He got there just in time.
A much appreciated win for the horse, his owners _ Carin Offerman and Dennis Strohkirch _ his rider and his trainer, Troy Bethke.
“I didn’t think the wire was ever going to come up,’’ said Bethke.
Friday, September 2, 2011
ARTERBURN, KEITH CUTTING A WIDE SWATH
by JIM WELLS
Trainer Mike Biehler was grinning ear to ear as he entered the winner’s circle and then broke into a laugh.
Arterburn has dominated the turf at Canterbury Park this summer, riding primarily for her father’s barn. The Arterburns have truly put on a show.
Brittany opened Friday’s card with a grass win aboard her father’s horse, Awesome Dream, and then guided Coyote Way home in the very next race at 17-1.
The Friday crowd, obviously, didn’t give her much of a chance. Not even Jason Coyote, the horse’s owner, was expecting a win. “Nope,’’ said Biehler.
Here are the figures on Lonnie Arterburn: He is 13 for 42 on dirt and grass. He is 10 for 27 on the grass.
Here are the astonishing figures on Arterburn the daughter: She has won 13 races from 31 starts on the grass, a phenomenal 42 percent.
“She’s nothing short of phenomenal,’’ said paddock analyst Jeff Maday before the third race.
Arterburn and Lori Keith stood at the top of the steps in the winner’s circle watching a replay of the second race.
“They should rule you off the turf,’’ Keith said. “When I came up to you I thought I was going to blow past you.’’ Instead, Keith’s horse, All Night Star, faded to fourth.
Keith, who will become the first female rider to finish in the top five since Paula Bacon in 1995, is currently in fourth place with 29 wins. She had a great meet at Turf Paradise in Phoenix over the winter as well and has ridden 90 winners in 2011.
Ry Eilkeberry, riding the Mac Robertson-trained Variable, owned by Bob Ryan, finished a fast-closing second to Coyote Way. “Another couple of jumps and we win,’’ Ryan said. “But I’ll take second. I’m happy with that in her first time out.’’
Meanwhile, the conversation shifted back to Brittany Arterburn. “She’s unbelievable on the turf. She’s really tough,’’ added Biehler, who moved into a tie with Bernell Rhone for the training lead.
Rhone laughed at the manner in which it occurred. Brittany is married to his son, Scott.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Jockey lounge custodians Jerry Simmons and Bill Chestnut were recalling the old days together at Waterford Park years ago.
It seems that the jockey room laundry was sent to a nearby hospital laundry on a regular basis for cleaning.
On one occasion, the laundry was returned and included three straight jackets. You guessed it. Simmons and Chestnut set out to try the new apparel on some of the riders. They laughed, nearly giggled, at some the recollections of some riders struggling to free themselves from the restrictive jackets.
That reminiscence brought on a whole new line of discussion. Simmons recalled someone who could change the shape of his body by stretching out and slip out of a straight jacket that way.
That brought up the subject of Houdini, who knew how to escape just about any restraining device made. “He was also a great self promoter,’’ Chestnut pointed out.
“Well, was anybody better at that than Muhammad Ali,’’ Simmons said.
There’s no telling where the conversation might have gone, but the bugle sounded for the next race, commanding the attention of everyone within earshot.
Trainer Mike Biehler was grinning ear to ear as he entered the winner’s circle and then broke into a laugh. “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,’’ he said, shaking his head in utter amazement.
What he was talking about was the ride that Brittany Arterburn had just put on his horse, Coyote Way, after picking up the mount from the injured Dustin Dugas in the second race Friday night.
Brittany opened Friday’s card with a grass win aboard her father’s horse, Awesome Dream, and then guided Coyote Way home in the very next race at 17-1.
The Friday crowd, obviously, didn’t give her much of a chance. Not even Jason Coyote, the horse’s owner, was expecting a win. “Nope,’’ said Biehler.
Here are the figures on Lonnie Arterburn: He is 13 for 42 on dirt and grass. He is 10 for 27 on the grass.
Here are the astonishing figures on Arterburn the daughter: She has won 13 races from 31 starts on the grass, a phenomenal 42 percent.
“She’s nothing short of phenomenal,’’ said paddock analyst Jeff Maday before the third race.
Arterburn and Lori Keith stood at the top of the steps in the winner’s circle watching a replay of the second race.
“They should rule you off the turf,’’ Keith said. “When I came up to you I thought I was going to blow past you.’’ Instead, Keith’s horse, All Night Star, faded to fourth.
Keith, who will become the first female rider to finish in the top five since Paula Bacon in 1995, is currently in fourth place with 29 wins. She had a great meet at Turf Paradise in Phoenix over the winter as well and has ridden 90 winners in 2011.
Ry Eilkeberry, riding the Mac Robertson-trained Variable, owned by Bob Ryan, finished a fast-closing second to Coyote Way. “Another couple of jumps and we win,’’ Ryan said. “But I’ll take second. I’m happy with that in her first time out.’’
Meanwhile, the conversation shifted back to Brittany Arterburn. “She’s unbelievable on the turf. She’s really tough,’’ added Biehler, who moved into a tie with Bernell Rhone for the training lead.
Rhone laughed at the manner in which it occurred. Brittany is married to his son, Scott.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Jockey lounge custodians Jerry Simmons and Bill Chestnut were recalling the old days together at Waterford Park years ago.
It seems that the jockey room laundry was sent to a nearby hospital laundry on a regular basis for cleaning.
On one occasion, the laundry was returned and included three straight jackets. You guessed it. Simmons and Chestnut set out to try the new apparel on some of the riders. They laughed, nearly giggled, at some the recollections of some riders struggling to free themselves from the restrictive jackets.
That reminiscence brought on a whole new line of discussion. Simmons recalled someone who could change the shape of his body by stretching out and slip out of a straight jacket that way.
That brought up the subject of Houdini, who knew how to escape just about any restraining device made. “He was also a great self promoter,’’ Chestnut pointed out.
“Well, was anybody better at that than Muhammad Ali,’’ Simmons said.
There’s no telling where the conversation might have gone, but the bugle sounded for the next race, commanding the attention of everyone within earshot.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
SHYROCK GOT AN EARLY START
By JIM WELLS
John Shyrock was only 10 years old and his options limited but he had a pretty good idea how to make a buck just the same.
He didn’t weigh more than 100 pounds. “Nobody was looking for somebody that size to run a jackhammer or work as a roughneck in the oil fields,’’ he recalled.
“Galloping horses was a no brainer. I could get on 15 or 20 of them a day.’’
Shyrock had grown up around horses in the Illinois hinterlands. “We used horses in some places more than people used tractors,’’ he said. “We grew up in the sticks. Everybody farmed with horses.’’
Shyrock, who’ll turn 73 in December, grew up in southern Illinois and eventually he graduated from gallop-boy status to jockey, riding at the county fairs throughout the state. He could slip by at his young age galloping horses many places, but “I had to reach 16 to get my license and ride,’’ he recalled. That was his goal.
As time wore on, riding gave way to training and Shyrock is still at it, hunkered down this summer at Canterbury Park. He handles most of the barn himself, galloping, grooming and training the seven horses in his care. His small stable has produced a 2-6-3 record from 20 starts.
Shyrock has been training at Canterbury the past decade. Although he missed the 2010 meet here, he considers this the place to be during the summer months.
“I always do pretty well here,’’ he said. “I really like the place, but then I don’t know anybody who doesn’t like Canterbury. You could go through the barns and ask 100 people and 98 would give you the same answer about the place.’’
There are links to stories about his past in Shakopee, too.
“Whenever you’re in this business, you’re bound to run into people you’ve known for some time,’’ he said.
One of them here is clerk of scales and jockey room custodian Jerry Simmons, who rode for Shyrock at Illinois fairs in the 1960s.
“And Jerry rode some of the time against (Canterbury steward) Noble Hay,’’ Shyrock added.
Shyrock plans on giving Turf Paradise a try once the Canterbury meet concludes, even though he has usually returned home to Illinois and Hawthorne Race Course in the past. He owns a home 11 miles from Hawthorne and has worked as an assistant there to Joel Burndt.
“We’ve been working together one way or another the past 15 years. He’s almost like a son to me,’’ Shyrock added.
Shyrock is Canterbury’s Trainer of the week this week, an award he’s gotten several times over the years. He has numerous stories about the racetrack and acquaintances over the years, but one of his favorites is about his two children.
His daughter, Deborah, and son, once rode as jockeys at the same time. “They were the first brother and sister to do that,’’ Shyrock added. “Dave didn’t ride more than a few months. He was getting too big and he knew it.’’
There is also a link to racing royalty in John Shyrock’s family story. His now deceased former son-in-law, Phil Marino, was the original trainer of John Henry.
GROOM OF THE WEEK
Jose Gonsalves, who handles Atta Boy Roy for trainer Valorie Lund, was honored for his work in the barn. “He’s an excellent horseman,’’ Lund said, “not just a groom.’’
Atta Boy Roy was named best turned out horse at Saratoga , where Gonsalves accompanied the horse recently for the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stake.
THURSDAY TIDBITS
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
The Mac Attack
by Angela Hermann
Mac Robertson has dominated the Festival of Champions in the past couple of years. While half of the MN bred horses on the grounds are nominated to multiple races, the power hand typically lies in barn C0. However, his main competitors this year could fall into a number of races…..where will they go? This is one handicapper’s guess……
-Bella Notte – ‘Bella has not exactly been 100% this year, but on her best day can still wire even the fastest group of Minnesotan Mares. Her effort behind stablemate Mindy Sue in the Hoist Her Flag was not bad at all, and the workouts all summer have been sparkling. Nothing says she couldn’t rebound against her statebred foes in the Distaff Sprint, as this may have been the target all along.
-Chick Fight – Another quick filly, but one that Mac doesn’t run against Bella Notte anymore after the 2010 Lady Slipper. This is the wild card of Mac’s girls, as he appears to have both distaff divisions covered with Bella Notte & Sheso Dazzling. Chick Fight can go short or long, in front or just off the pace, but isn’t a slam dunk for either race.
-Sheso Dazzling – The star of the barn this year (as far as MN bred girls go), Sheso Dazzling rides a three race win streak into the Festival of Champions. An enterprising route to three in a row, this filly has taken down a couple of competitive sprints as well as the Princess Elaine stakes. She continues to train sharply, with three works since the Princess Elaine including a bullet 59.20 five furlong move on August 31st. To put it in perspective – Mac’s Heliskier and Chick Fight both worked the same morning in 1:03 and 1:04 and 1/5 respectively. She can run as far as they’d like on what surface they’d like….but the race they choose should be her final push for Horse of the Meet.
-Jost Van Dyke – Barry & Joni Butzow’s fairly delicate speedster should be heavily favored in 2011’s Sprint Championship. This one’s only career blemish came at the hands of Just Jebicah and March Twelfth, subsequent one-two finishers in the HBPA Sprint Stakes. He may have taken on a handful that day, but MN bred competition proved no match in his last outing. At 1-9, Jost improved his record to 3-4 in an impressive stalking score. No Minnesota bred has beaten him yet!
-Tubby Time – The only bump in the road for this horse came in the 10,000 Lakes Stakes this year – His only endeavor on dirt. Thus far, Tubby is undefeated on the Canterbury Turf and should be headed that way come Festival Day. No Minnesotan has made much impact in the turf division this year, and he should once again go off the prohibitive favorite.
-Suddenly Silver – Though this Eaton horse has won on the turf this year, it appears his goal has been a repeat in the Classic Championship. The victor in 2008, he relinquished said title in 2009 but took a short field wire to wire last year. His only win this year came on the grass in a restricted allowance (against others whom had never won on turf), but last year he came into the Classic winless and still managed to wire at even money. Not a ton of other options for Mac in this race, unless…..
-Coconino Slim – Mac’s new recruit would have to return on extremely short rest to pick up a win Festival Day, but he was given plenty of rest before his victory on August 28th. His first try at a route proved instantly successful, as Derek Bell took over when ready over seven foes. The removal of blinkers and the stretch in distance appeared to reverse Coconino Slim’s form…will he strike while the iron’s hot?
On the Bubble……
-Grace of Greatness – Certainly deserving of a try in the Distaff Classic, Grace of Greatness has improved start by start in 2011. When stretched out on the turf, this filly gamely hung on over Latin Journey and subsequent winner (and stablemate) Go for the Moon. She didn’t break any track records that day, but came back well enough in the Minnesota Oaks to pick up third in an exciting finish behind Polar Plunge and winner Bertslittlesister. She doesn’t appear to be better than Mac’s big three, but she would make a nice exacta filler in the Distaff Classic if entered with any of her stablemates.
- Morgan’s a Blumin – She’s had five starts in the past couple months, and they’ve perhaps run out of spots for the big gray filly. Strictly a turf horse from her past performances, she would be forced to take on males if Mac chooses to run her Festival Day. There is always the possibility of something coming up in the closing weekend for her as well, so consider her a maybe until the smoke clears. Odds are there won’t be too many of her kind around at the end of our meet, so she may be entered in whatever will fill on the turf.
Mac’s two year olds have been covered in earlier blog entries – Let’s keep an eye on the draw to see who goes where, and if they can be beat. It’s always a tough task with this stable – But we’re going to try!
Mac Robertson has dominated the Festival of Champions in the past couple of years. While half of the MN bred horses on the grounds are nominated to multiple races, the power hand typically lies in barn C0. However, his main competitors this year could fall into a number of races…..where will they go? This is one handicapper’s guess……
-Bella Notte – ‘Bella has not exactly been 100% this year, but on her best day can still wire even the fastest group of Minnesotan Mares. Her effort behind stablemate Mindy Sue in the Hoist Her Flag was not bad at all, and the workouts all summer have been sparkling. Nothing says she couldn’t rebound against her statebred foes in the Distaff Sprint, as this may have been the target all along.
-Chick Fight – Another quick filly, but one that Mac doesn’t run against Bella Notte anymore after the 2010 Lady Slipper. This is the wild card of Mac’s girls, as he appears to have both distaff divisions covered with Bella Notte & Sheso Dazzling. Chick Fight can go short or long, in front or just off the pace, but isn’t a slam dunk for either race.
-Sheso Dazzling – The star of the barn this year (as far as MN bred girls go), Sheso Dazzling rides a three race win streak into the Festival of Champions. An enterprising route to three in a row, this filly has taken down a couple of competitive sprints as well as the Princess Elaine stakes. She continues to train sharply, with three works since the Princess Elaine including a bullet 59.20 five furlong move on August 31st. To put it in perspective – Mac’s Heliskier and Chick Fight both worked the same morning in 1:03 and 1:04 and 1/5 respectively. She can run as far as they’d like on what surface they’d like….but the race they choose should be her final push for Horse of the Meet.
-Jost Van Dyke – Barry & Joni Butzow’s fairly delicate speedster should be heavily favored in 2011’s Sprint Championship. This one’s only career blemish came at the hands of Just Jebicah and March Twelfth, subsequent one-two finishers in the HBPA Sprint Stakes. He may have taken on a handful that day, but MN bred competition proved no match in his last outing. At 1-9, Jost improved his record to 3-4 in an impressive stalking score. No Minnesota bred has beaten him yet!
-Tubby Time – The only bump in the road for this horse came in the 10,000 Lakes Stakes this year – His only endeavor on dirt. Thus far, Tubby is undefeated on the Canterbury Turf and should be headed that way come Festival Day. No Minnesotan has made much impact in the turf division this year, and he should once again go off the prohibitive favorite.
-Suddenly Silver – Though this Eaton horse has won on the turf this year, it appears his goal has been a repeat in the Classic Championship. The victor in 2008, he relinquished said title in 2009 but took a short field wire to wire last year. His only win this year came on the grass in a restricted allowance (against others whom had never won on turf), but last year he came into the Classic winless and still managed to wire at even money. Not a ton of other options for Mac in this race, unless…..
-Coconino Slim – Mac’s new recruit would have to return on extremely short rest to pick up a win Festival Day, but he was given plenty of rest before his victory on August 28th. His first try at a route proved instantly successful, as Derek Bell took over when ready over seven foes. The removal of blinkers and the stretch in distance appeared to reverse Coconino Slim’s form…will he strike while the iron’s hot?
On the Bubble……
-Grace of Greatness – Certainly deserving of a try in the Distaff Classic, Grace of Greatness has improved start by start in 2011. When stretched out on the turf, this filly gamely hung on over Latin Journey and subsequent winner (and stablemate) Go for the Moon. She didn’t break any track records that day, but came back well enough in the Minnesota Oaks to pick up third in an exciting finish behind Polar Plunge and winner Bertslittlesister. She doesn’t appear to be better than Mac’s big three, but she would make a nice exacta filler in the Distaff Classic if entered with any of her stablemates.
- Morgan’s a Blumin – She’s had five starts in the past couple months, and they’ve perhaps run out of spots for the big gray filly. Strictly a turf horse from her past performances, she would be forced to take on males if Mac chooses to run her Festival Day. There is always the possibility of something coming up in the closing weekend for her as well, so consider her a maybe until the smoke clears. Odds are there won’t be too many of her kind around at the end of our meet, so she may be entered in whatever will fill on the turf.
Mac’s two year olds have been covered in earlier blog entries – Let’s keep an eye on the draw to see who goes where, and if they can be beat. It’s always a tough task with this stable – But we’re going to try!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
STEVENS LEAVES SHAKOPEE ON THE MEND
By JIM WELLS
Canterbury Hall of Fame rider Scott Stevens took in a bit of Minnesota culture before he headed home to Phoenix on Sunday.
Last Friday there was the state fair. “Yeah, the great Minnesota get-together,’’ he said.
On Saturday night, he and Pam attended the Minnesota Vikings-Dallas game. They ended up with a couple of last-minute tickets so they called the Nolans, Paul and Sherry.
Paul had a mount in Saturday’s last race, so he rushed home afterward and the Nolans hustled off to the Mall of America and caught the train to downtown Minneapolis, arriving during the second quarter.
“I told him he could time it better by leaving when Paul Allen left,’’ Stevens said facetiously. Allen, who announces Canterbury racing, also is the voice of the Vikings, and left after Saturday’s fourth race.
As it turned out, Stevens and Nolan were not the only jockeys at the game. “I got a text from (Dean) Butler during the game,’’ Stevens said Sunday. “He was there, too.’’
Stevens has spent another summer in Minnesota, as he did last year, recuperating from track-related injuries. This time he broke both shoulders in a schooling accident in the gate.
Originally, his right shoulder was in a sling. Once it healed, he underwent surgery on the left shoulder, which was damaged more severely. That limb was removed from a sling last Tuesday, one week ahead of schedule.
“After five weeks in a sling, it still feels kind of heavy,’’ Stevens said.
“I’m not supposed to lift anything heavier than a cup of coffee, but that’s already shot in the wind,’’ he added. “I had to pack. Pam helped but…’’
Stevens will get a late start at Turf Paradise in Phoenix, which starts on Oct. 1, as he did last year. He’s been told it will take five months before he can get back in the saddle. “Dec. 18 will be five,’’ he said, “so I’m looking at something between the middle of November to the middle of December.’’
Stevens was 90 miles south of the Twin Cities during the Sunday conversation. He and Pam were under way and planned to stop in Emporia, Kan., for the night.
“I just talked to my brother, Gary,’’ Scott said. ‘He was at Saratoga yesterday and he called me on his way. He was in Washington, D.C., and was taking a flight to New York. I told him he was going to get stranded (afterward, because of the storm). But he drove to Buffalo and caught a flight to Louisville and is driving back to Los Angeles. We might try to hook up with him in Oklahoma.’’
WILL THERE BE A PHOTO FINISH
With nine race cards left, the trainer’s race tightened up even more on Sunday after a hot start to the card from Mike Biehler, who won the title in 1992.
Biehler saddled three consecutive winners, starting in race two: Local Big Shot, Machorina and Somerset Swinger.
Biehler has 31 wins for the meet, one behind the leader, Bernell Rhone, and one ahead of Mac Robertson, who had one winner on Sunday.
Machorina and Somerset Swinger were ridden by Lori Keith, Canterbury’s most improved rider this meet (nosing out turf champ Brittany Arterburn). Keith now has 29 wins and is solidly in fourth place, behind Ry Eilkeberry, Hall of Fame rider Derek Bell and two-time defending champion Dean Butler, who picked up two winning mounts from the injured Dustin Dugas and added a third win of his own. He has a 10-race lead over Bell, who had one winner on Sunday.
A FAMILIAR FACE RETURNS
Terri Hoffrogge was back at her desk as the horsemen’s bookkeeper, filling in for Tiffany Leggett, who returned to college. Hoffrogge started the meet in the office and will end the meet there.
In between, she has been doing similar duties a0t Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, where her husband, Todd, a long-time trainer at Canterbury, runs a farm.
“I started the season here and will end it here, that’s right,’’ Terri said.
OTHER TIDBITS
Canterbury riders have escaped without serious injuries despite a tough week on the track.
Juan Rivera banged up a leg on Friday night’s card and was back riding the next day, although still limping noticeably.
Dugas was catapulted by his mount in the paddock before Saturday’s first race and landed hard on his back. He made a brief visit to the track on Sunday and is hopeful of riding by Thursday but might need a week.
Sunday, Nolan was dumped outside the game by 2-year-old Demi’s Heart before the fifth race, but was okay afterward.
Canterbury Hall of Fame rider Scott Stevens took in a bit of Minnesota culture before he headed home to Phoenix on Sunday.
Last Friday there was the state fair. “Yeah, the great Minnesota get-together,’’ he said.
On Saturday night, he and Pam attended the Minnesota Vikings-Dallas game. They ended up with a couple of last-minute tickets so they called the Nolans, Paul and Sherry.
Paul had a mount in Saturday’s last race, so he rushed home afterward and the Nolans hustled off to the Mall of America and caught the train to downtown Minneapolis, arriving during the second quarter.
“I told him he could time it better by leaving when Paul Allen left,’’ Stevens said facetiously. Allen, who announces Canterbury racing, also is the voice of the Vikings, and left after Saturday’s fourth race.
As it turned out, Stevens and Nolan were not the only jockeys at the game. “I got a text from (Dean) Butler during the game,’’ Stevens said Sunday. “He was there, too.’’
Stevens has spent another summer in Minnesota, as he did last year, recuperating from track-related injuries. This time he broke both shoulders in a schooling accident in the gate.
Originally, his right shoulder was in a sling. Once it healed, he underwent surgery on the left shoulder, which was damaged more severely. That limb was removed from a sling last Tuesday, one week ahead of schedule.
“After five weeks in a sling, it still feels kind of heavy,’’ Stevens said.
“I’m not supposed to lift anything heavier than a cup of coffee, but that’s already shot in the wind,’’ he added. “I had to pack. Pam helped but…’’
Stevens will get a late start at Turf Paradise in Phoenix, which starts on Oct. 1, as he did last year. He’s been told it will take five months before he can get back in the saddle. “Dec. 18 will be five,’’ he said, “so I’m looking at something between the middle of November to the middle of December.’’
Stevens was 90 miles south of the Twin Cities during the Sunday conversation. He and Pam were under way and planned to stop in Emporia, Kan., for the night.
“I just talked to my brother, Gary,’’ Scott said. ‘He was at Saratoga yesterday and he called me on his way. He was in Washington, D.C., and was taking a flight to New York. I told him he was going to get stranded (afterward, because of the storm). But he drove to Buffalo and caught a flight to Louisville and is driving back to Los Angeles. We might try to hook up with him in Oklahoma.’’
WILL THERE BE A PHOTO FINISH
With nine race cards left, the trainer’s race tightened up even more on Sunday after a hot start to the card from Mike Biehler, who won the title in 1992.
Biehler saddled three consecutive winners, starting in race two: Local Big Shot, Machorina and Somerset Swinger.
Biehler has 31 wins for the meet, one behind the leader, Bernell Rhone, and one ahead of Mac Robertson, who had one winner on Sunday.
Machorina and Somerset Swinger were ridden by Lori Keith, Canterbury’s most improved rider this meet (nosing out turf champ Brittany Arterburn). Keith now has 29 wins and is solidly in fourth place, behind Ry Eilkeberry, Hall of Fame rider Derek Bell and two-time defending champion Dean Butler, who picked up two winning mounts from the injured Dustin Dugas and added a third win of his own. He has a 10-race lead over Bell, who had one winner on Sunday.
A FAMILIAR FACE RETURNS
Terri Hoffrogge was back at her desk as the horsemen’s bookkeeper, filling in for Tiffany Leggett, who returned to college. Hoffrogge started the meet in the office and will end the meet there.
In between, she has been doing similar duties a0t Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, where her husband, Todd, a long-time trainer at Canterbury, runs a farm.
“I started the season here and will end it here, that’s right,’’ Terri said.
OTHER TIDBITS
Canterbury riders have escaped without serious injuries despite a tough week on the track.
Juan Rivera banged up a leg on Friday night’s card and was back riding the next day, although still limping noticeably.
Dugas was catapulted by his mount in the paddock before Saturday’s first race and landed hard on his back. He made a brief visit to the track on Sunday and is hopeful of riding by Thursday but might need a week.
Sunday, Nolan was dumped outside the game by 2-year-old Demi’s Heart before the fifth race, but was okay afterward.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
SAMENDRA, ALL BETS ARE OFF WIN STAKES
By JIM WELLS
One was pretty much a two-horse contest that turned into a one-horse race, the other a horse’s race to lose and she did just that.
Oh, the vagaries of the game and how they come into play!
The first race, as a side note, was so cut and dried from one perspective (likely a consolidation of opinion) that the winning animal drew more than $191,000, in show bet cash, $185,000 of that total put down in New Jersey.
That 6 ½-furlong event was the $25,000 MTA Stallion Auction Stakes for colts and geldings the progeny of stallions whose service was sold at the 2006 MTA Stallion Auction.
The 1-2 favorite was Samendra, a 3-year-old chestnut colt by Demidoff, owned by Kissoon Thoroughbreds, trained by Bernell Rhone and ridden by Dean Butler.
He was the overwhelming pick backed by the big bridge-jumping wager from New Jersey. He had beaten the second choice in the race, Dancingwithbigron, twice before.
Would the third time be the charm for Dancing…?
“I sure hope so,’’ said trainer Franciso Bravo.
Rhone wasn’t taking anything for granted, despite two earlier victories over Bravo’s horse. “We won but not by much,’’ he said.
There still was no doubt about the horse to beat.
“You have to beat the three horse (Samendra),’’ said Dancing’s owner Dale Schenian. “If you don’t beat the three horse, you finish second or third.’’
Which is precisely what happened. Samendra won and Dancingwithbigron finished second.
This time the winner finished in front by a stout 1 ¾ lengths.
“I think he got in some trouble before, was checked once or twice,’’ said winning owner Deon Kissoon, clearly pleased with the stake victory.
The overwhelming choice to win the fillies half of the auction stakes, at the same distance for the same money, was Bert’slittlesister, owned by Curtis Sampson, trained by Tony Rengstorf and ridden by Dean Butler.
The horse’s name, if you care to know, came about this way:
A while back, when Bert Blyleven was still hoping to reach the baseball Hall of Fame, he got involved in racing through the Sampsons. They had a horse named Bertsquestforfame, who had won two races in a row and was on the way to winning a third when she injured a sesamoid and didn’t race again.
The horse running on Saturday got her name quite naturally, since she was a full sister to the injured filly.
She had a stable mate running in Saturday’s race, too, a Demidoff filly called All Bets Are Off, same owner and trainer with Derek Bell up.
Bert’slittlesister, a recent winner of the Minnesota Oaks with two sprint wins to boot, was sent off the 1-9 favorite. Her stable mate was 15-1.
All Bets Are Off likes to run on the lead but wasn’t given much chance of stealing this race despite her preferred running style. Say what!
Bell put his horse on the lead by the quarter pole and she stayed right there. Bert’slittlesister tried to challenge in the stretch drive but could not reach her stable mate, who got there first by 2 ½ lengths in 1:19.
The third-place horse, Silent Copy, was seven lengths behind the winner.
“She gets in front and she’s tough,’’ said Rengstorf about his $32.60 winner..
“Running on the lead works,’’ Sampson said to Bell in the winner’s circle.
Bell was grinning like the cat that had swallowed the canary as he headed down the steps from the winner’s circle. “Don’t ask me,’’ he said. ‘I just put her on the lead….’’
Nik Goodwin was grinning, too, although for different reasons after recording a hat trick on Saturday’s card, the first time he has won three races in a couple of years, as he recalled.
“And it was almost four,’’ he said after losing on Heavenly Due by a short head in race eight.
He got that mount as a replacement for Dustin Dugas who was thrown in the paddock shortly before the first race by his mount, Demis Native Dancer, landing very hard with an impact that could be heard several yards away..
He was hospitalized for observation. Tests revealed no broken bones and there was hope he would ride on Sunday’s card.
One was pretty much a two-horse contest that turned into a one-horse race, the other a horse’s race to lose and she did just that.
Oh, the vagaries of the game and how they come into play!
The first race, as a side note, was so cut and dried from one perspective (likely a consolidation of opinion) that the winning animal drew more than $191,000, in show bet cash, $185,000 of that total put down in New Jersey.
That 6 ½-furlong event was the $25,000 MTA Stallion Auction Stakes for colts and geldings the progeny of stallions whose service was sold at the 2006 MTA Stallion Auction.
The 1-2 favorite was Samendra, a 3-year-old chestnut colt by Demidoff, owned by Kissoon Thoroughbreds, trained by Bernell Rhone and ridden by Dean Butler.
He was the overwhelming pick backed by the big bridge-jumping wager from New Jersey. He had beaten the second choice in the race, Dancingwithbigron, twice before.
Would the third time be the charm for Dancing…?
“I sure hope so,’’ said trainer Franciso Bravo.
Rhone wasn’t taking anything for granted, despite two earlier victories over Bravo’s horse. “We won but not by much,’’ he said.
There still was no doubt about the horse to beat.
“You have to beat the three horse (Samendra),’’ said Dancing’s owner Dale Schenian. “If you don’t beat the three horse, you finish second or third.’’
Which is precisely what happened. Samendra won and Dancingwithbigron finished second.
This time the winner finished in front by a stout 1 ¾ lengths.
“I think he got in some trouble before, was checked once or twice,’’ said winning owner Deon Kissoon, clearly pleased with the stake victory.
The overwhelming choice to win the fillies half of the auction stakes, at the same distance for the same money, was Bert’slittlesister, owned by Curtis Sampson, trained by Tony Rengstorf and ridden by Dean Butler.
The horse’s name, if you care to know, came about this way:
A while back, when Bert Blyleven was still hoping to reach the baseball Hall of Fame, he got involved in racing through the Sampsons. They had a horse named Bertsquestforfame, who had won two races in a row and was on the way to winning a third when she injured a sesamoid and didn’t race again.
The horse running on Saturday got her name quite naturally, since she was a full sister to the injured filly.
She had a stable mate running in Saturday’s race, too, a Demidoff filly called All Bets Are Off, same owner and trainer with Derek Bell up.
Bert’slittlesister, a recent winner of the Minnesota Oaks with two sprint wins to boot, was sent off the 1-9 favorite. Her stable mate was 15-1.
All Bets Are Off likes to run on the lead but wasn’t given much chance of stealing this race despite her preferred running style. Say what!
Bell put his horse on the lead by the quarter pole and she stayed right there. Bert’slittlesister tried to challenge in the stretch drive but could not reach her stable mate, who got there first by 2 ½ lengths in 1:19.
The third-place horse, Silent Copy, was seven lengths behind the winner.
“She gets in front and she’s tough,’’ said Rengstorf about his $32.60 winner..
“Running on the lead works,’’ Sampson said to Bell in the winner’s circle.
Bell was grinning like the cat that had swallowed the canary as he headed down the steps from the winner’s circle. “Don’t ask me,’’ he said. ‘I just put her on the lead….’’
Nik Goodwin was grinning, too, although for different reasons after recording a hat trick on Saturday’s card, the first time he has won three races in a couple of years, as he recalled.
“And it was almost four,’’ he said after losing on Heavenly Due by a short head in race eight.
He got that mount as a replacement for Dustin Dugas who was thrown in the paddock shortly before the first race by his mount, Demis Native Dancer, landing very hard with an impact that could be heard several yards away..
He was hospitalized for observation. Tests revealed no broken bones and there was hope he would ride on Sunday’s card.
Friday, August 26, 2011
GOOD NIGHT, BAD NIGHT…IT ALL DEPENDS
By JIM WELLS
A good night for one man might be a bad night for another, or, in some cases, maybe a fabulous evening.
It’s all a matter of perspective, but you could pick up nods of approval from almost anyone in the know when a horse named Francis Henry cruised to an easy win, lengths ahead of the nearest rival, in race four Friday night.
Horsemen and anyone else familiar with the situation gave the winner a mental thumbs up, because he was trained by Troy Bethke, one of their own, who has had a miserable summer, even by his own estimation.
“I’ve never had a meet like this one,’’ he said. Indeed not.
With only 10 days left in the meet, the one-time champion trainer at Canterbury notched just his third win. He’s been plagued by bad luck, misfortune, bad cards, poor rolls of the dice, you name it and it’s happened. Breakdowns, head bobs at the wire, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
So when Francis Henry romped for owner Dave Hansen, there were whoops from certain quarters, including the winning rider’s. Paul Nolan has had a tough summer, too, but became Bethke’s favorite jockey, for a short while at least, while notching his 11th win of the meet.
Sir Francis demonstrated a bit of attention-deficit disorder early in the race but got his mind back on business with a reminder or two from his rider. “I had to get him to focus,’’ Nolan explained.
Hansen himself was surprised at the easy victory. “This was a very pleasant surprise,’’ he said.
By the way, the winner notched the first win of his career running in the six-furlong maiden claiming event and is now 3-1-0-0.
On another front, the Ulwellings, Bill and Al, inched a bit closer to their first owners’ title with their 14th win of the meet in the opening race on the card, won by Big Cal, ridden by Lori Keith.
The Ulwellings had one other shot on the card, in race three with Borregan Lass, who finished off the board. Nonetheless, they now have a six-win lead over Curtis Sampson in the standings.
“Mr. Sampson probably deserves it,’’ Al said. “He owns the place, and we’re just guests, but our horse ran well.’’
He was referring, of course, to Big Cal, now 4-5-2 from 18 career starts with earnings of nearly $60,000, including Friday’s take.
The Ulwellings have 14 wins, 10 seconds and 13 thirds from 66 starts this meet and earnings of nearly $128,000
They are rooting for Mike Biehler, who handles most of their horses, to win the training title.
Biehler and Mac Robertson had one win apiece on Friday’s card and trail the leader, Bernell Rhone, by three.
The Ulwellings will send some of their horses with Gary Scherer to Hawthorne Race Course when the Canterbury meet ends and others with Biehler to Remington Park.
“Then, at Thanksgiving, Gary will take his to the Fair Grounds,’’ Bill said.
Back to the good night, bad night concept:
Juan Rivera was thrown backwards out of the gate when his mount in race five, Cuvees Choice flipped. Rivera limped off the track and took off the rest of his mounts on the card. Wilfredo Arroyo replaced him on Cuvees Choice, an easy winner in the race.
“That was a good one,’’ Arroyo said as he stepped on the scales afterwards.
In this case, one man’s bad night was another’s good night.
A good night for one man might be a bad night for another, or, in some cases, maybe a fabulous evening.
It’s all a matter of perspective, but you could pick up nods of approval from almost anyone in the know when a horse named Francis Henry cruised to an easy win, lengths ahead of the nearest rival, in race four Friday night.
Horsemen and anyone else familiar with the situation gave the winner a mental thumbs up, because he was trained by Troy Bethke, one of their own, who has had a miserable summer, even by his own estimation.
“I’ve never had a meet like this one,’’ he said. Indeed not.
With only 10 days left in the meet, the one-time champion trainer at Canterbury notched just his third win. He’s been plagued by bad luck, misfortune, bad cards, poor rolls of the dice, you name it and it’s happened. Breakdowns, head bobs at the wire, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
So when Francis Henry romped for owner Dave Hansen, there were whoops from certain quarters, including the winning rider’s. Paul Nolan has had a tough summer, too, but became Bethke’s favorite jockey, for a short while at least, while notching his 11th win of the meet.
Sir Francis demonstrated a bit of attention-deficit disorder early in the race but got his mind back on business with a reminder or two from his rider. “I had to get him to focus,’’ Nolan explained.
Hansen himself was surprised at the easy victory. “This was a very pleasant surprise,’’ he said.
By the way, the winner notched the first win of his career running in the six-furlong maiden claiming event and is now 3-1-0-0.
On another front, the Ulwellings, Bill and Al, inched a bit closer to their first owners’ title with their 14th win of the meet in the opening race on the card, won by Big Cal, ridden by Lori Keith.
The Ulwellings had one other shot on the card, in race three with Borregan Lass, who finished off the board. Nonetheless, they now have a six-win lead over Curtis Sampson in the standings.
“Mr. Sampson probably deserves it,’’ Al said. “He owns the place, and we’re just guests, but our horse ran well.’’
He was referring, of course, to Big Cal, now 4-5-2 from 18 career starts with earnings of nearly $60,000, including Friday’s take.
The Ulwellings have 14 wins, 10 seconds and 13 thirds from 66 starts this meet and earnings of nearly $128,000
They are rooting for Mike Biehler, who handles most of their horses, to win the training title.
Biehler and Mac Robertson had one win apiece on Friday’s card and trail the leader, Bernell Rhone, by three.
The Ulwellings will send some of their horses with Gary Scherer to Hawthorne Race Course when the Canterbury meet ends and others with Biehler to Remington Park.
“Then, at Thanksgiving, Gary will take his to the Fair Grounds,’’ Bill said.
Back to the good night, bad night concept:
Juan Rivera was thrown backwards out of the gate when his mount in race five, Cuvees Choice flipped. Rivera limped off the track and took off the rest of his mounts on the card. Wilfredo Arroyo replaced him on Cuvees Choice, an easy winner in the race.
“That was a good one,’’ Arroyo said as he stepped on the scales afterwards.
In this case, one man’s bad night was another’s good night.
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