BY JIM WELLS
On splendid day for doing anything out of doors, with a strong sense of autumn in the air, the 2009 Canterbury Park racing season came to a close with the Festival of Racing on Sunday.
Nine Minnesota-bred horses were crowned winners in their respective races and the champion trainer, owner and jockey were honored.
What was not surprising was that Mac Robertson won a sixth straight training title and addressed the crowd in typical Mac fashion.What keeps him coming to Minnesota every year when he could easily compete at tracks with more money?
“Minnesota has some owners who are OK, I guess,’’ Robertson deadpanned.
What was surprising this season was that, although wagering slipped as expected, attendance remained strong.
Curtis Sampson, chairman of the track’s board of directors and the man who put up the money to save Canterbury Park when he bought the closed facility in 1994, thanked the fans for their support this season.
“Especially with this economy, I want to thank all of the fans who continued to support us and help raise attendance this season by nearly eight percent,’’ Sampson said near the end of the card.
Dean Butler, who won his first Canterbury riding title, thanked his wife and daughter who are in Oklahoma, promising to join them tomorrow, and Jerry and Marlene Myers of Minneapolis were named leading owners.
You wouldn’t have made enough to pay the paper boy, but had you bet the farm on Bet Your Boots in the $60,000 Northern Lights Futurity, the first of the Festival thoroughbred races on Sunday, you would have been on a solid winner.
Ridden by Paul Nolan, trained by Troy Bethke and owned by Cheryl Sprick and Richard Bremer of Lake City, Bet Your Boots stalked Gladden’s Bromance down the backstretch, began his move on the turn and was in charge heading into the stretch after taking the lead from the fast tiring frontrunner.
Bethke trains both horses so he knew well what could happen. “That colt on the lead is a fast, fast horse,’’ he said. “They won’t know what to do with him in those short races at Prairie Meadows next year.’’
Bet Your Boots and Nolan knew what to do on Sunday.
Yet, for a few moments, Nolan wavered as horse and rider encountered Sunday’s deep tiring surface. “From the 3/8ths pole to the quarter pole, we weren’t going anywhere,’’ Nolan said. “Then his class (Bet Your Boots is by Birdstone) kicked in.’’
End of race. Start, perhaps, of great story.
Chick Fight was a 2-5 favorite in the $50,000 Minnesota Distaff Classic Championship, and those odds reflected the 3-year-old filly’s class. With the track’s leading rider in the saddle, Chick Fight won easily, adding that trophy to the one she won last year in the Northern Lights Debutante. Owned by Jeff and Deb Hilger of Grant Township, trained by Mac Robertson and ridden by Dean Butler, Chick Fight is four-for-four in stake races.
Butler added the Canterbury riding title these year to those he won previously, four of them at Philadelphia Park and one at Atlantic City.
Chick Fight was another feather in the bonnet.
“I’m proud of this horse the way she beat these kind of horses,’’ said Jeff Hilger. “She did a nice job.’’
A masterful job, in fact..
That was the first of two times that Butler rode a three-year-old winner against older horses on the card.
He was back in the winner’s circle after the next race, the $50,000 Minnesota Classic Championship, with Minnesota Derby winner Perfect Bull.
Perfect Bull is by Holy Bull, is owned by Red Dog Stables of Blaine and trained by Bernell Rhone.
He stalked Suddenly Silver, the defending champion, and began his move on the turn, taking charge at midstretch for a convincing win.
Asked by paddock analyst Kevin Gorg which three-year-old he would ride in a match race, Butler sidestepped the question. “I guess I’d have to somehow have a foot on both of them,’’ he said.
The two-year-olds always produce interesting results and the $60,000 Northern Lights Debutante was no exception.
First up were the baby girls.
Her Sweet Saint, owned by Wayne Simon of Tolstoy, S.D., ridden by Ry Eikleberry and trained by Vic Hanson, surprised the favorites at 3-1 with a convincing win in 1:13 and 3-5.
Sasha’s Fierce, the 5-2 second choice in the race under Paul Nolan, and Hidden Golden the 8-5 favorite under Anne Von Rosen finished in that order.
Eikleberry put the winner on the lead shortly out of the gate and she stayed there to the finish, by five lengths or better.
The secret, the strategy?
“We just took our time with her and prepped her for the race,’’ said Hanson.
Simple as that.
The $35,000-guranteed Minnesota Turf Championship included three Robertson horses and they finished one-two-three.
Derek Bell, unmatched on closers, demonstrated perfect timing once again, catching front-running Joni’s Justice and Butler at the wire aboard Sarahs Son, owned by Jerry and Marlene Myers of Minneapolis. The winner paid $8, $3.60 and $2.20.
A perfectly prepared Belle Notte was another winner for the Robertson barn in the $50,000 guaranteed Minnesota Distaff Sprint Championship.
Art and Gretchen Eaton had difficulty believing what they were watching as Belle Notte ran like a mare against weanlings.
“No I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t,’’ Gretchen said.
Bella Notte, with Bell in the saddle, was unbeatable on Sunday, turning a front-running victory into a masterpiece, winning by, oh, about here to Valley Fair, in a stakes record 1:09 and 2/5.
“She’s fast, really fast,’’ said Bell. “She’s a very nice horse.’’
Named for Belle Notte in Lady and the Tramp, the 5-year-old daughter of by Quick Cut was under a triple hammerlock at the front of the seven-horse field and picked up a length every time Bell gave her a bit of rein.
“She just seems to get better with age,’’ said Art Eaton.
The Robertson-Bell connection struck again in the $50,000 guaranteed Minnesota sprint with Olaf Strand’s Bizet, who berat a field that included Nomorewineforeddie, Sir Tricky and A Steel Trap.
PETERSENS DOUBLE WINNERS
Sometimes it pays to talk to a horse’s owner before a race. It would pay even better if a fellow not only listened but acted _ at the windows.
While departing the paddock before the second race on the card, the $20,000-added Minnesota Quarter Horse Derby, Bob Petersen nodded his head in the direction of Traffic Cartel, one of his two horses in the race.
“I like the No. 8,’’ he said. “He has Stormy Smith on him and he can ride, ride, ride.’’
Had a fellow taken that vote of confidence to the windows he could have made $12 on a $2 win bet, a much better return than any savings account currently offered. Traffic Cartel broke from the outside No. 8 hole, took over at midrace, and was in charge at the wire in 20.049.
Had he laid down a bet on the Bob and Julie Petersen’s Oak Tree Boulevard (a winner in 17.946) in the first race, the $20,000 Minnesota Quarter Horse Futurity, he would have had his daily double.
“You called it,’’ a well-wisher said to Bob Petersen upon entering the winner’s circle after the Derby. “Yup, little brother, big brother,’’ Petersen responded.
Oak Tree Boulevard and Traffic Cartel were both from the mare Chic N Traffic.
Traffic Cartel had previous gate problems, but not on Sunday.
“He was perfect in the gate and broke fine,’’ said Smith.
Apprised that Petersen had picked the horse in the paddock, Smith had a terse reply:
“He’s a smart man.’’
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
News and Notes on Festival Eve
HORSES, RIDERS AND TRAINERS READY FOR A REST
ROBERTSON SORE FOR MANY REASONS
By JIM WELLS
The season will wind up today for trainers, riders, owners and the horses themselves with the Festival of Champions.
Many of them are sore, tired and ready for a vacation.
That includes Canterbury Park’s perennial training champ, Mac Robertson, although a vacation is not in the cards.
“I’m tired. Exhausted, and I’ve got a broken foot,’’ Robertson said Saturday in the winner’s circle after Ry Eikleberry had ridden another winner for him, He’s No Piker, in the fifth race.
Robertson isn’t certain where he’ll go next after the meet winds up today. Either Remington Park or Hawthorne Park. He also has to save some energy for the Kentucky sales this fall. “My wife and dad and I will look at 3,000 horses,’’ he said. “They’ll help a lot but I have the final say.’’
It has been an emotionally draining summer for Robertson, who won his fifth straight training title this meet.
“This spring really drained me,’’ he said.
Robertson referred to his flirtation with the Kentucky Derby, a trainer’s dream. When x-rays revealed a suspicious line on Win Willy’s leg during Derby week, Robertson decided on the side of caution, as he always does when a horse’s health is in question or at stake , and scatched the Rebel Stakes winner.
The decision exacted an emotional price, and Robertson started the Canterbury meet on a weary note.
The demands he placed on himself and staff in the barn have taken a toll as well, with no time to rest his ailing foot. He broke a bone playing softball. “I was supposed to stay off of it for eight weeks,’’ he said.
Fat chance.
“Hey, I’m not complaining,’’ Robertson added. “I’m just saying the way it is.’’
Robertson demonstrated how it is and has been at Canterbury for five consecutive summers, just as the eighth race on Saturday’s card came to a stirring conclusion.
Derek Bell engaged Songanddancelady, owned and trained by Robertson, at precisely the right moment, and the daughter of A Fleets Dancer caught Concert Tour at precisely the right moment with the tip of her nose.
Robertson, who won twice as many races this season as his nearest competitor, Bernell Rhone, was walking through the main level of the grandstand in the direction of the winner’s circle as he caught the final jump on the race on a television screen.
As he did, Robertson used the rolled up program in his hand to smack the side of his leg, loudly enough to catch the attention of several bystanders.
Come to think of it, maybe that’s why Robertson was so tired on Saturday. Winning races can be an exhausting experience when you smack yourself as hard and often as he has this summer.
WILL CANTERBURY GET MUCH-NEED SLOTS
The 2009 meet will wind up today with the Festival of Champions, and horsemen will begin packing for the next stop on their nomadic annual journey.
Many of them will leave Shakopee with a nagging question on their minds: What does the 2010 meet, the 25th anniversary of pari-mutuel racing in Minnesota, hold in store.
Will state lawmakers next winter give the horse industry the much needed support it needs from them, or will racing in Minnesota continue its inexorable slide into mediocrity and beyond.
Without the approval of casino gaming (in the form of slot machines), Canterbury’s future appears bleak at best. Cutbacks this year in racing days and in employment are just the start without legislative help.
Minnesotans will continue to cut back on breeding without the purse structure to support it, or drop their foals in other states where casino gaming strengthens purse structures and promises a return on investment.
It makes no sense to buy expensive horses or breed to expensive stallions and then compete for sub-standard purses.
“If they don’t get slot machines here this place is in trouble,’’ said Derek Bell, a six-time leading rider at Canterbury.
As much as he likes Shakopee, Bell is considering a return to Indiana and racing there because he can make a better living competing in a longer meet for considerably larger purses.
“I might end up there,’’ he said.
Many trainers, riders and horse owners will have to make such decisions in the coming months. For now, they are preparing to move on to other locales for the fall and winter months.
Leading rider Dean Butler will head to Remington Park in Oklahoma City and, when that meet ends, to Tampa Bay Downs. He will get a week’s vacation, however.
“Yeah, I got days,’’ he said.
Ry Eikleberry, the quarter horse riding champ, will finish the thoroughbred meet among the top three riders. He’ll head home to Phoenix for a week, then spend two weeks at Prairie Meadows before returning home for the meet that opens Oct. 2 at Turf Paradise. “I’m pretty sore right now,’’ he said.
Paddock analyst Kevin Gorg plans to take a couple of days and watch the races at Arlington Park, before returning home to begin filming television spots for the hockey season.
Trainer Troy Bethke will run a couple of horses at Prairie Meadows in the next couple of weeks and perhaps in Chicago. Then it’s home to the farm in New Germany to break babies.
Trainer Bryan Potter will made San Antonio his winter headquarters and keep about 15 horses there, sending his best runners to various tracks. “It’s eight hours from Oaklawn Park, seven hours from Zia, six from Louisiana Downs and five from Delta Downs,’’ Porter said.
Hall of Fame trainers Doug Oliver and Dave Van Winkle will head out of town this week for their homes in Phoenix and the upcoming meet at Turf Paradise, as will Hall of Fame rider Scott Stevens.
ROBERTSON SORE FOR MANY REASONS
By JIM WELLS
The season will wind up today for trainers, riders, owners and the horses themselves with the Festival of Champions.
Many of them are sore, tired and ready for a vacation.
That includes Canterbury Park’s perennial training champ, Mac Robertson, although a vacation is not in the cards.
“I’m tired. Exhausted, and I’ve got a broken foot,’’ Robertson said Saturday in the winner’s circle after Ry Eikleberry had ridden another winner for him, He’s No Piker, in the fifth race.
Robertson isn’t certain where he’ll go next after the meet winds up today. Either Remington Park or Hawthorne Park. He also has to save some energy for the Kentucky sales this fall. “My wife and dad and I will look at 3,000 horses,’’ he said. “They’ll help a lot but I have the final say.’’
It has been an emotionally draining summer for Robertson, who won his fifth straight training title this meet.
“This spring really drained me,’’ he said.
Robertson referred to his flirtation with the Kentucky Derby, a trainer’s dream. When x-rays revealed a suspicious line on Win Willy’s leg during Derby week, Robertson decided on the side of caution, as he always does when a horse’s health is in question or at stake , and scatched the Rebel Stakes winner.
The decision exacted an emotional price, and Robertson started the Canterbury meet on a weary note.
The demands he placed on himself and staff in the barn have taken a toll as well, with no time to rest his ailing foot. He broke a bone playing softball. “I was supposed to stay off of it for eight weeks,’’ he said.
Fat chance.
“Hey, I’m not complaining,’’ Robertson added. “I’m just saying the way it is.’’
Robertson demonstrated how it is and has been at Canterbury for five consecutive summers, just as the eighth race on Saturday’s card came to a stirring conclusion.
Derek Bell engaged Songanddancelady, owned and trained by Robertson, at precisely the right moment, and the daughter of A Fleets Dancer caught Concert Tour at precisely the right moment with the tip of her nose.
Robertson, who won twice as many races this season as his nearest competitor, Bernell Rhone, was walking through the main level of the grandstand in the direction of the winner’s circle as he caught the final jump on the race on a television screen.
As he did, Robertson used the rolled up program in his hand to smack the side of his leg, loudly enough to catch the attention of several bystanders.
Come to think of it, maybe that’s why Robertson was so tired on Saturday. Winning races can be an exhausting experience when you smack yourself as hard and often as he has this summer.
WILL CANTERBURY GET MUCH-NEED SLOTS
The 2009 meet will wind up today with the Festival of Champions, and horsemen will begin packing for the next stop on their nomadic annual journey.
Many of them will leave Shakopee with a nagging question on their minds: What does the 2010 meet, the 25th anniversary of pari-mutuel racing in Minnesota, hold in store.
Will state lawmakers next winter give the horse industry the much needed support it needs from them, or will racing in Minnesota continue its inexorable slide into mediocrity and beyond.
Without the approval of casino gaming (in the form of slot machines), Canterbury’s future appears bleak at best. Cutbacks this year in racing days and in employment are just the start without legislative help.
Minnesotans will continue to cut back on breeding without the purse structure to support it, or drop their foals in other states where casino gaming strengthens purse structures and promises a return on investment.
It makes no sense to buy expensive horses or breed to expensive stallions and then compete for sub-standard purses.
“If they don’t get slot machines here this place is in trouble,’’ said Derek Bell, a six-time leading rider at Canterbury.
As much as he likes Shakopee, Bell is considering a return to Indiana and racing there because he can make a better living competing in a longer meet for considerably larger purses.
“I might end up there,’’ he said.
Many trainers, riders and horse owners will have to make such decisions in the coming months. For now, they are preparing to move on to other locales for the fall and winter months.
Leading rider Dean Butler will head to Remington Park in Oklahoma City and, when that meet ends, to Tampa Bay Downs. He will get a week’s vacation, however.
“Yeah, I got days,’’ he said.
Ry Eikleberry, the quarter horse riding champ, will finish the thoroughbred meet among the top three riders. He’ll head home to Phoenix for a week, then spend two weeks at Prairie Meadows before returning home for the meet that opens Oct. 2 at Turf Paradise. “I’m pretty sore right now,’’ he said.
Paddock analyst Kevin Gorg plans to take a couple of days and watch the races at Arlington Park, before returning home to begin filming television spots for the hockey season.
Trainer Troy Bethke will run a couple of horses at Prairie Meadows in the next couple of weeks and perhaps in Chicago. Then it’s home to the farm in New Germany to break babies.
Trainer Bryan Potter will made San Antonio his winter headquarters and keep about 15 horses there, sending his best runners to various tracks. “It’s eight hours from Oaklawn Park, seven hours from Zia, six from Louisiana Downs and five from Delta Downs,’’ Porter said.
Hall of Fame trainers Doug Oliver and Dave Van Winkle will head out of town this week for their homes in Phoenix and the upcoming meet at Turf Paradise, as will Hall of Fame rider Scott Stevens.
Friday, August 28, 2009
It's Always Festive On Festival Day
by JIM WELLS
The event has changed in some ways since it debuted in 1992, but the Festival of Champions is a special day nonetheless for the owners of Minnesota-bred horses, their trainers and the men and women who will jockey these animals in the nine divisional races on Sunday's card.
"It determines our champions, the best in each category,'' said Bernell Rhone, who has saddled 12 Festival winners, more than any other trainer.
"It's the biggest day of the year for us, a chance to make some money,'' said jockey Derek Bell, who has ridden 17 Festival winners, more than any other jockey.
It is a day of remembrance and renewal, a time to recall old victories and, if talent and luck prevail, an opportunity to add new hardware to the mantle-place and create new stories for the future.
Stories such as those of Now Playing, Belle of the Night, Crocrock, Dot's Moment, Plana Dance, Glitter Star or Wally's Choice among many others.
For Art and Gretchen Eaton, who have won six trophies on Festival Day, Now Playing was a horse to remember.
"He was easy going, had the first stall in Bernell's barn,'' Gretchen recalled. "He was so laid-back, you wouldn't have thought he could run a lick. But when he got on the track, he went all out.''
He was good enough to win three Festival races, the Northern Lights Futurity in 2000 and the Minnesota Turf Championship in 2003 and 2004.
Many of the Festival races in years past pitted horses who had battled all summer against one another for a divisional title at year's end. The races were frequently tough to handicap and many times produced surprise winners.
"In the old days, there wasn't much difference between the best and the worst in the divisions,'' Rhone recalled. "Now they are mostly three-horse races, probably not as equal as they were in the early days when all of the horses stood a chance.''
Other aspects of the day have changed, too. Four races on previous Festival cards _ the Turf Sprint, Turf Marathon, Turf Distaff and Turf Route _ are no longer run.
Rhone will saddle five horses in four Festival races on Sunday, with a chance at winning two of them. He thinks that Perfect Bull will like going long on the dirt in the $50,000 1 1/16-mile Minnesota classic. "And Rustic Road in the Northern Lights should be a second or third choice and hopefully the winner,'' he added.
Rhone's 12 Festival winners lead Mike Biehler by one and Todd Hoffrogge by four, but it is Mac Robertson _ the winner of a fifth consecutive training title this meet _ who might make the biggest move on Festival Day. Robertson, who has six Festival wins, saddled four of them last year and could have that many winners again.
Among the Robertson trainees are Sir Tricky, defending champion in the $50,000 Minnesota Sprint; Thanks for the Tip, defending champion in the $50,000 Distaff Sprint; Chick Fight, the winner of the Debutante last year who is entered in the $50,000 Distaff Classic on Sunday, and Suddenly Silver, defending champion in the $50,000 Minnesota Classic.
Curtis Sampson leads all owners with seven Festival wins, one more than Almar Farm, Kisson Thoroughbreds and the Eatons. He has opportunities to increase that total with Rustic Road in the $50,000 Futurity. Wally's Choice, a two-time winner in the Minnesota Classic, is trying the grass this time in the $35,000 Minnesota Turf. There is also Wasson Island in the $50,000 Distaff Sprint.
Ed Ross Hardy, who won his eighth straight training title this meet _ ninth overall _ leads all quarter horse trainers in the Festival with 10 wins and will saddle two horses in the $20,000 Minnesota Quarter Horse Futurity and three in the $20,000 Derby.
Gretchen Eaton perhaps summed up the Festival for other owners with this statement:
"This (racing) is our business life and social life. They have become mixed,'' she said. "We see our friends at the track, so you are racing against friends not competitors.''
On the day itself, Eaton hopes for several things.
"This is the goal of the racing season,'' she said, "to see if these horses can run on Festival Day. You hope for good luck and that they come home safe.''
The event has changed in some ways since it debuted in 1992, but the Festival of Champions is a special day nonetheless for the owners of Minnesota-bred horses, their trainers and the men and women who will jockey these animals in the nine divisional races on Sunday's card.
"It determines our champions, the best in each category,'' said Bernell Rhone, who has saddled 12 Festival winners, more than any other trainer.
"It's the biggest day of the year for us, a chance to make some money,'' said jockey Derek Bell, who has ridden 17 Festival winners, more than any other jockey.
It is a day of remembrance and renewal, a time to recall old victories and, if talent and luck prevail, an opportunity to add new hardware to the mantle-place and create new stories for the future.
Stories such as those of Now Playing, Belle of the Night, Crocrock, Dot's Moment, Plana Dance, Glitter Star or Wally's Choice among many others.
For Art and Gretchen Eaton, who have won six trophies on Festival Day, Now Playing was a horse to remember.
"He was easy going, had the first stall in Bernell's barn,'' Gretchen recalled. "He was so laid-back, you wouldn't have thought he could run a lick. But when he got on the track, he went all out.''
He was good enough to win three Festival races, the Northern Lights Futurity in 2000 and the Minnesota Turf Championship in 2003 and 2004.
Many of the Festival races in years past pitted horses who had battled all summer against one another for a divisional title at year's end. The races were frequently tough to handicap and many times produced surprise winners.
"In the old days, there wasn't much difference between the best and the worst in the divisions,'' Rhone recalled. "Now they are mostly three-horse races, probably not as equal as they were in the early days when all of the horses stood a chance.''
Other aspects of the day have changed, too. Four races on previous Festival cards _ the Turf Sprint, Turf Marathon, Turf Distaff and Turf Route _ are no longer run.
Rhone will saddle five horses in four Festival races on Sunday, with a chance at winning two of them. He thinks that Perfect Bull will like going long on the dirt in the $50,000 1 1/16-mile Minnesota classic. "And Rustic Road in the Northern Lights should be a second or third choice and hopefully the winner,'' he added.
Rhone's 12 Festival winners lead Mike Biehler by one and Todd Hoffrogge by four, but it is Mac Robertson _ the winner of a fifth consecutive training title this meet _ who might make the biggest move on Festival Day. Robertson, who has six Festival wins, saddled four of them last year and could have that many winners again.
Among the Robertson trainees are Sir Tricky, defending champion in the $50,000 Minnesota Sprint; Thanks for the Tip, defending champion in the $50,000 Distaff Sprint; Chick Fight, the winner of the Debutante last year who is entered in the $50,000 Distaff Classic on Sunday, and Suddenly Silver, defending champion in the $50,000 Minnesota Classic.
Curtis Sampson leads all owners with seven Festival wins, one more than Almar Farm, Kisson Thoroughbreds and the Eatons. He has opportunities to increase that total with Rustic Road in the $50,000 Futurity. Wally's Choice, a two-time winner in the Minnesota Classic, is trying the grass this time in the $35,000 Minnesota Turf. There is also Wasson Island in the $50,000 Distaff Sprint.
Ed Ross Hardy, who won his eighth straight training title this meet _ ninth overall _ leads all quarter horse trainers in the Festival with 10 wins and will saddle two horses in the $20,000 Minnesota Quarter Horse Futurity and three in the $20,000 Derby.
Gretchen Eaton perhaps summed up the Festival for other owners with this statement:
"This (racing) is our business life and social life. They have become mixed,'' she said. "We see our friends at the track, so you are racing against friends not competitors.''
On the day itself, Eaton hopes for several things.
"This is the goal of the racing season,'' she said, "to see if these horses can run on Festival Day. You hope for good luck and that they come home safe.''
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
More Lawmakers To Tour Canterbury
by JIM WELLS
Organizers put together final details for the tour of Canterbury Park's stable area they will give for two DFL senators on Thursday.
The idea is to educate lawmakers on the community and state-wide jobs and small businesses created by and dependent on racing for their success.
Many, perhaps most, lawmakers have no background in racing and are ignorant of the financial impact the sport has on the agricultural sectors of the state's economy and the potential for job creation in this aspect of the horse industry and beyond.
"They don't know because they've never been exposed to it,'' said Jim Olson, a former president of the Minnesota Quarter Horse Racing Assn.
Olson and others, who have been crisscrossing the state since last January with a message from the state's horse industry, will escort Kathy Saltzman, majority whip of the state senate from Woodbury, and Terri Bonoff of Minnetonka on a morning tour of the backside.
Many of the same horsemen were involved in a similiar tour recently for state lawmakers.
Former MQHRA president Kelvin Childers, HBPA executive director Patrice Underwood, organizer Shannon Riley and Canterbury president/CEO Randy Sampson are also scheduled to be part of the tour.
The group is trying to win support from lawmakers for casino gaming at Minnesota's two racetracks to keep race purses competitive with tracks that offer casino games in other states. As part of their argument, horsemen are predicting that racinos not only will strengthen the racing industry but help sustain thousands of jobs and generate a quarter billion dollars in new tax revenues at a time the state needs them most.
"We also want people who haven't signed up yet to visit the website at Mn-Racinos. com,'' said Underwood, "and log in their support for the proposal.''
The tour will begin with a stop at the Dean Kutz Memorial Chapel and include visits to several prominent backside areas.
Included is a visit to the pool, where trainer Jerry Livingston is scheduled to swim a horse. Legislators will be given information on the therapeutic benefits of the swimming for animals recovering from injury or soreness.
A visit to the starting gate is also planned. Trainers Troy Bethke and Bryan Porter are scheduled to work horses from the gate for the benefit of the visitors. One of the most beneficial stops on the first tour was at the barn of Bernell Rhone, where the trainer gave the visitors an educational spin around the facility. Legislators were informed about the investment in straw, feed and hay required to maintain a horse each day. They were informed of ownership involvement and witnessed a shoeing, done by Scott Rhone.
"You could almost read their minds,'' said Olson. "You could almost see the wheels turning in their heads as they saw all the small businesses at work, the farriers, owners, the feed guy, the shavings guy. It put a face on the horse industry they hadn't seen before.''
Olson and others were among horsemen who visited 24 of the 25 legislative town hall meetings last winter with a message from their industry.
"One of the things we heard over and over again in these meetings from people,'' he said, "was the need for dental care for the poor and jobless around the state.''
Thus, Thursday's tour will include a stop at the George Bango Memorial Dental Clinic that opened in June.
"The dental office is very impressive,'' Olson added. "In those town hall meetings, people were talking about the need for help from the state for dental care. Here, we're doing it on our own.''
General practitioners Dana Isaacson and Gene Kelley and oral surgeon Scott Rake, all horse owners, have donated portions of their week this summer to do dental work for people in the stable area.
"You know, at those town hall meetings, our horsemen's group was the only one offering solutions to the state's budget problems,'' Olson added.
Olson hopes to distribute DVDs of the first tour at Canterbury to lawmakers next winter, demonstrating the industry, business and tax dollars racing can provide.
Organizers put together final details for the tour of Canterbury Park's stable area they will give for two DFL senators on Thursday.
The idea is to educate lawmakers on the community and state-wide jobs and small businesses created by and dependent on racing for their success.
Many, perhaps most, lawmakers have no background in racing and are ignorant of the financial impact the sport has on the agricultural sectors of the state's economy and the potential for job creation in this aspect of the horse industry and beyond.
"They don't know because they've never been exposed to it,'' said Jim Olson, a former president of the Minnesota Quarter Horse Racing Assn.
Olson and others, who have been crisscrossing the state since last January with a message from the state's horse industry, will escort Kathy Saltzman, majority whip of the state senate from Woodbury, and Terri Bonoff of Minnetonka on a morning tour of the backside.
Many of the same horsemen were involved in a similiar tour recently for state lawmakers.
Former MQHRA president Kelvin Childers, HBPA executive director Patrice Underwood, organizer Shannon Riley and Canterbury president/CEO Randy Sampson are also scheduled to be part of the tour.
The group is trying to win support from lawmakers for casino gaming at Minnesota's two racetracks to keep race purses competitive with tracks that offer casino games in other states. As part of their argument, horsemen are predicting that racinos not only will strengthen the racing industry but help sustain thousands of jobs and generate a quarter billion dollars in new tax revenues at a time the state needs them most.
"We also want people who haven't signed up yet to visit the website at Mn-Racinos. com,'' said Underwood, "and log in their support for the proposal.''
The tour will begin with a stop at the Dean Kutz Memorial Chapel and include visits to several prominent backside areas.
Included is a visit to the pool, where trainer Jerry Livingston is scheduled to swim a horse. Legislators will be given information on the therapeutic benefits of the swimming for animals recovering from injury or soreness.
A visit to the starting gate is also planned. Trainers Troy Bethke and Bryan Porter are scheduled to work horses from the gate for the benefit of the visitors. One of the most beneficial stops on the first tour was at the barn of Bernell Rhone, where the trainer gave the visitors an educational spin around the facility. Legislators were informed about the investment in straw, feed and hay required to maintain a horse each day. They were informed of ownership involvement and witnessed a shoeing, done by Scott Rhone.
"You could almost read their minds,'' said Olson. "You could almost see the wheels turning in their heads as they saw all the small businesses at work, the farriers, owners, the feed guy, the shavings guy. It put a face on the horse industry they hadn't seen before.''
Olson and others were among horsemen who visited 24 of the 25 legislative town hall meetings last winter with a message from their industry.
"One of the things we heard over and over again in these meetings from people,'' he said, "was the need for dental care for the poor and jobless around the state.''
Thus, Thursday's tour will include a stop at the George Bango Memorial Dental Clinic that opened in June.
"The dental office is very impressive,'' Olson added. "In those town hall meetings, people were talking about the need for help from the state for dental care. Here, we're doing it on our own.''
General practitioners Dana Isaacson and Gene Kelley and oral surgeon Scott Rake, all horse owners, have donated portions of their week this summer to do dental work for people in the stable area.
"You know, at those town hall meetings, our horsemen's group was the only one offering solutions to the state's budget problems,'' Olson added.
Olson hopes to distribute DVDs of the first tour at Canterbury to lawmakers next winter, demonstrating the industry, business and tax dollars racing can provide.
Bernell Rhone and Bruce Riecken Talk Festival Day
In the video below, Bernell Rhone discusses Perfect Bull in Festival Day and Bruce Rieken talks about Nomorewineforeddie.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Sunday's News and Notes
APPRECIATION RAMPANT ON FAN APPRECIATION DAY
By JIM WELLS
Fan appreciation day at Canterbury Park on Sunday meant different things to different people.
Patrons appreciated free admission and one, in particular, appreciated winning a flat-screen television.
But there were other displays of gratitude.
Take William Hobbs of Ewing, Neb. , for example. He was very appreciative of the ride Perry Compton gave his three-year-old filly Launch Light Girl, who won the $35,000 MTA Stallion Auction Stakes for fillies.
It was very gratifying to have a winner who was spared for next weekend by a veteran rider, who had enough horse left at the finish of the 6 ½ furlong sprint to run it again, finishing in 1:18 and 1/5.
Launch Light Girl, an Iowa-bred daughter of Bright Launch, will be at Prairie Meadows next Saturday for the $70,000-plus stake for 3-year-old fillies.
“Everyone who has one will be there,’’ said Hobbs.
Naturally, he was pleased that Compton kept the whip tucked away and saved some horse for next week when Launch Light Girl hopes to add to career earnings approaching $80,000.
Also appreciative on Sunday was Dan Kjorsvik, whose Lumpsinmyoatmeal whipped a field of six rivals in the $35,000 MTA Stallion Auction Stakes for colts.
Lumpsinmyoatmeal was a disappointment as a two-year-old when he didn’t run at all in the Northern Lights Futurity and finished sixth in the 10-horse field.
“He was having two-year-old problems,’’ said Kjorsvik.
So, Lumps, as he’s called, got some time off, from September to March, and the results have been encouraging.
He is 2-2-2 from seven starts this season with earnings this year approaching $40,000 and $60,000 overall.
ANOTHER GEORGE BANGO STORY
Dana Isaacson’s silks include an ace and a king of diamonds on the left shoulder, along with the initials GAB and a halo.
The logo seems mysterious without the details behind this touching, humorous tale.
Isaacson met trainer George Bango in the Canterbury poker room when it opened in 2000.
They were seated across the table from one another, playing seven-card stud.
Isaacson didn’t get in the hand for nearly half an hour. Bango had been playing for some time. Bango clearly thought he had the winning hand, an ace-high flush, as the game wound down. But _ on the very last card of the hand _ Isaacson completed a king-high full house and Bango erupted.
“We both called each other (expletives deleted)’’ Isaacson recalled. ‘’
When their tempers cooled, the two men wound up having a drink together. Isaacson had owned a horse in partnership in 1986 but had been out of the game since. He explained that he had a young granddaughter who was horse nuts. Bango was looking for clients.
A few days later, Isaacson got a call at his Bloomington dental office. “Bango had found a filly he wanted to claim for me,’’ Isaacson said, “but she was running that night and he needed the money fast.’’
So, Isaacson made a trip to the bank and withdrew $25,000 in cash. Bango arrived at the dental office some time later, and left shortly with the money in a brown paper bag.
The rest is history. Isaacson and Bango lost the $25,000 claim in a shake, but two weeks later made another claim for $7,500.
The horse’s name was Superman Can and he wound up Bango and Isaacson’s career horse by winning the $50,000 Claiming Crown Iron Horse.
And about the ace and king of diamonds, Bango’s initials and the halo on Isaacson’s silks:
Isaacson decided on them after Bango died last September.
“Wherever he is,’’ Isaacson said, “he can see those silks and be pissed off.’’
SUPERMAN CAN LIVING GOOD LIFE
When his career ended with earnings well over $100,000, Superman Can found a new home in Bemidji as a riding horse at the Buena Vista Ski resort.
“He bled in his last race,’’ Isaacson said. “A guy wanted to buy him but we figured he’d end up lame if he kept running so we gave him a good home.’’
That also gave Isaacson and his two granddaughters an opportunity to ride the Claiming Crown winner.
“We still see him,’’ Isaacson said. “My folks live in Bemidji so we stop and see him with his Christmas carrot. “
By JIM WELLS
Fan appreciation day at Canterbury Park on Sunday meant different things to different people.
Patrons appreciated free admission and one, in particular, appreciated winning a flat-screen television.
But there were other displays of gratitude.
Take William Hobbs of Ewing, Neb. , for example. He was very appreciative of the ride Perry Compton gave his three-year-old filly Launch Light Girl, who won the $35,000 MTA Stallion Auction Stakes for fillies.
It was very gratifying to have a winner who was spared for next weekend by a veteran rider, who had enough horse left at the finish of the 6 ½ furlong sprint to run it again, finishing in 1:18 and 1/5.
Launch Light Girl, an Iowa-bred daughter of Bright Launch, will be at Prairie Meadows next Saturday for the $70,000-plus stake for 3-year-old fillies.
“Everyone who has one will be there,’’ said Hobbs.
Naturally, he was pleased that Compton kept the whip tucked away and saved some horse for next week when Launch Light Girl hopes to add to career earnings approaching $80,000.
Also appreciative on Sunday was Dan Kjorsvik, whose Lumpsinmyoatmeal whipped a field of six rivals in the $35,000 MTA Stallion Auction Stakes for colts.
Lumpsinmyoatmeal was a disappointment as a two-year-old when he didn’t run at all in the Northern Lights Futurity and finished sixth in the 10-horse field.
“He was having two-year-old problems,’’ said Kjorsvik.
So, Lumps, as he’s called, got some time off, from September to March, and the results have been encouraging.
He is 2-2-2 from seven starts this season with earnings this year approaching $40,000 and $60,000 overall.
ANOTHER GEORGE BANGO STORY
Dana Isaacson’s silks include an ace and a king of diamonds on the left shoulder, along with the initials GAB and a halo.
The logo seems mysterious without the details behind this touching, humorous tale.
Isaacson met trainer George Bango in the Canterbury poker room when it opened in 2000.
They were seated across the table from one another, playing seven-card stud.
Isaacson didn’t get in the hand for nearly half an hour. Bango had been playing for some time. Bango clearly thought he had the winning hand, an ace-high flush, as the game wound down. But _ on the very last card of the hand _ Isaacson completed a king-high full house and Bango erupted.
“We both called each other (expletives deleted)’’ Isaacson recalled. ‘’
When their tempers cooled, the two men wound up having a drink together. Isaacson had owned a horse in partnership in 1986 but had been out of the game since. He explained that he had a young granddaughter who was horse nuts. Bango was looking for clients.
A few days later, Isaacson got a call at his Bloomington dental office. “Bango had found a filly he wanted to claim for me,’’ Isaacson said, “but she was running that night and he needed the money fast.’’
So, Isaacson made a trip to the bank and withdrew $25,000 in cash. Bango arrived at the dental office some time later, and left shortly with the money in a brown paper bag.
The rest is history. Isaacson and Bango lost the $25,000 claim in a shake, but two weeks later made another claim for $7,500.
The horse’s name was Superman Can and he wound up Bango and Isaacson’s career horse by winning the $50,000 Claiming Crown Iron Horse.
And about the ace and king of diamonds, Bango’s initials and the halo on Isaacson’s silks:
Isaacson decided on them after Bango died last September.
“Wherever he is,’’ Isaacson said, “he can see those silks and be pissed off.’’
SUPERMAN CAN LIVING GOOD LIFE
When his career ended with earnings well over $100,000, Superman Can found a new home in Bemidji as a riding horse at the Buena Vista Ski resort.
“He bled in his last race,’’ Isaacson said. “A guy wanted to buy him but we figured he’d end up lame if he kept running so we gave him a good home.’’
That also gave Isaacson and his two granddaughters an opportunity to ride the Claiming Crown winner.
“We still see him,’’ Isaacson said. “My folks live in Bemidji so we stop and see him with his Christmas carrot. “
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Saturday News and Notes
HORSEPOWER A BIG TOPIC ON SATURDAY
By JIM WELLS
On the nicest afternoon of the 2009 race meet, Canterbury Park had a car show and gave away an antique Mustang, one of America’s best-loved examples of raw horse-power.
It was an ideal afternoon to stroll about the grounds between races, or stretch out in one of the outdoor seats on the second level of the grandstand and take in the glorious afternoon.
In the minds of many fanatical Minnesotans Saturday, there was only one explanation for the splendid weather. Mother Nature was demonstrating her delight at the arrival of No. 4 in a Vikings jersey the night before.
The subject conjured up memories but produced no good luck for Dave Astar of Astar Thoroughbreds in Hastings in Saturday’s third race.
Astar lived in Green Bay at one time in a home around the corner from the man himself. That was during the early days and youthful indiscretions of the patron saint of Wisconsin football fans.
“I can assure you he was no saint,’’ said Astar.
Not exactly a scoop, but evidence just the same that all subjects Favre are on the table again.
Favre was no saint in his youth, and Timeless Fortune, Astar’s horse in the third, was no winner in the third race, finishing out of the money.
There was no shortage of opinions or thoughts on the arrival of Bret Favre a day after his uneventful debut in Vikings purple.
Quarter horse publicist Lori Locken produced a photo from the Wednesday Star-Tribune of anxious fans lined up for a look at Favre in his first Vikings practice on Tuesday. Prominent in the photo was…yes, Locken herself.
FIRST WINNER OF THE YEAR
Wolsfeld Woods took an abrupt right turn during his stretch drive while winning the fifth race convincingly and shedding his status as a maiden.
“I thought he was going for a hot dog,’’ said winning rider Derek Bell.
The win was the first of the meet for the horse’s owners Robert and Marion Ranwick of Plymouth.
Trained by their son, Bobby Ranwick, Jr., the winning colt is by Sir Cat from the Ranwicks’ mare, Siberian Princess.
The Ranwicks parted with the mare two years ago but she was later returned to them. “She’s ready to drop a foal any time now,’’ said Bob Ranwick, Sr. “She’s in foal to Dynomania.’’
The Ranwicks have five horses in training and have been involved with thoroughbreds for eight years, breeding and racing them.
At one time they had as many as 17 or 18 horses. “We board horses, too, so that became quite a job,’’ Bob said.
HOPE FOR A RACINO
Bob Ranwick, like many horsemen, is puzzled by the state legislature’s refusal to help racing and the state itself by permitting slot machines at Canterbury.
He is puzzled by their inability to see the industry associated with racing, an industry that stretches throughout the state in various capacities.
He is convinced that many legislators might gain some valuable insight simply by paying a visit to Canterbury.
“This is a great family place,’’ he said. “I had no idea it was either before my first visit here.’’
Why so ideal?
“Well, it’s a better family place than a Twins or a Vikings game,’’ he said. “Here you don’t have all the cursing and heavy drunkenness.’’
HEAVY, HEAVY HORSEPOWER
Canterbury gave away a 1966 Mustang on Saturday, but the track’s leading rider, Dean Butler, is due for an even bigger ride in the coming days.
Every time Butler rides a winner from the Scott Rake stable, Rake lets him drive his Maserati
Better yet, the thrilling event has occurred twice, and each time Butler won eight races that week.
“He’s having a break-out year,’’ said trainer Bernell Rhone, who is Butler’s father-in-law. “He works at it, too. He studies it.’’
Butler has a Maserati drive coming up after winning on Thursday’s card aboard Man of Men.
“You know, that car has a button you can push that brings it to 500 horsepower,’’ Rhone added. “It’s too powerful, just an accident waiting to happen.’’
It’s another matter when the subject is natural horsepower, however.
“Wouldn’t it be something if you had a horse like that,’’ said Rhone.
HORSEMEN HELPING HORSEMEN
Hall of Fame trainer Dave Van Winkle signed up for some extra duty on Saturday.
He had only one horse of his own to saddle but agreed to handle three horses for Mike Biehler and one for Tim Padilla because those two trainers were out of town.
As it turned out, Biehler returned in time to saddle two of his own but the gesture was appreciated just the same.
“They’d do it for me, too, so it’s no big deal,’’ said Van Winkle.
By JIM WELLS
On the nicest afternoon of the 2009 race meet, Canterbury Park had a car show and gave away an antique Mustang, one of America’s best-loved examples of raw horse-power.
It was an ideal afternoon to stroll about the grounds between races, or stretch out in one of the outdoor seats on the second level of the grandstand and take in the glorious afternoon.
In the minds of many fanatical Minnesotans Saturday, there was only one explanation for the splendid weather. Mother Nature was demonstrating her delight at the arrival of No. 4 in a Vikings jersey the night before.
The subject conjured up memories but produced no good luck for Dave Astar of Astar Thoroughbreds in Hastings in Saturday’s third race.
Astar lived in Green Bay at one time in a home around the corner from the man himself. That was during the early days and youthful indiscretions of the patron saint of Wisconsin football fans.
“I can assure you he was no saint,’’ said Astar.
Not exactly a scoop, but evidence just the same that all subjects Favre are on the table again.
Favre was no saint in his youth, and Timeless Fortune, Astar’s horse in the third, was no winner in the third race, finishing out of the money.
There was no shortage of opinions or thoughts on the arrival of Bret Favre a day after his uneventful debut in Vikings purple.
Quarter horse publicist Lori Locken produced a photo from the Wednesday Star-Tribune of anxious fans lined up for a look at Favre in his first Vikings practice on Tuesday. Prominent in the photo was…yes, Locken herself.
FIRST WINNER OF THE YEAR
Wolsfeld Woods took an abrupt right turn during his stretch drive while winning the fifth race convincingly and shedding his status as a maiden.
“I thought he was going for a hot dog,’’ said winning rider Derek Bell.
The win was the first of the meet for the horse’s owners Robert and Marion Ranwick of Plymouth.
Trained by their son, Bobby Ranwick, Jr., the winning colt is by Sir Cat from the Ranwicks’ mare, Siberian Princess.
The Ranwicks parted with the mare two years ago but she was later returned to them. “She’s ready to drop a foal any time now,’’ said Bob Ranwick, Sr. “She’s in foal to Dynomania.’’
The Ranwicks have five horses in training and have been involved with thoroughbreds for eight years, breeding and racing them.
At one time they had as many as 17 or 18 horses. “We board horses, too, so that became quite a job,’’ Bob said.
HOPE FOR A RACINO
Bob Ranwick, like many horsemen, is puzzled by the state legislature’s refusal to help racing and the state itself by permitting slot machines at Canterbury.
He is puzzled by their inability to see the industry associated with racing, an industry that stretches throughout the state in various capacities.
He is convinced that many legislators might gain some valuable insight simply by paying a visit to Canterbury.
“This is a great family place,’’ he said. “I had no idea it was either before my first visit here.’’
Why so ideal?
“Well, it’s a better family place than a Twins or a Vikings game,’’ he said. “Here you don’t have all the cursing and heavy drunkenness.’’
HEAVY, HEAVY HORSEPOWER
Canterbury gave away a 1966 Mustang on Saturday, but the track’s leading rider, Dean Butler, is due for an even bigger ride in the coming days.
Every time Butler rides a winner from the Scott Rake stable, Rake lets him drive his Maserati
Better yet, the thrilling event has occurred twice, and each time Butler won eight races that week.
“He’s having a break-out year,’’ said trainer Bernell Rhone, who is Butler’s father-in-law. “He works at it, too. He studies it.’’
Butler has a Maserati drive coming up after winning on Thursday’s card aboard Man of Men.
“You know, that car has a button you can push that brings it to 500 horsepower,’’ Rhone added. “It’s too powerful, just an accident waiting to happen.’’
It’s another matter when the subject is natural horsepower, however.
“Wouldn’t it be something if you had a horse like that,’’ said Rhone.
HORSEMEN HELPING HORSEMEN
Hall of Fame trainer Dave Van Winkle signed up for some extra duty on Saturday.
He had only one horse of his own to saddle but agreed to handle three horses for Mike Biehler and one for Tim Padilla because those two trainers were out of town.
As it turned out, Biehler returned in time to saddle two of his own but the gesture was appreciated just the same.
“They’d do it for me, too, so it’s no big deal,’’ said Van Winkle.
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