We’ll be hoping for some our own fireworks to compliment the Canterbury fireworks on Tuesday evening as Mr. Ark heads postward in the 5th race. It’s a one mile affair on the main track for $5000 claimers that haven’t won a pair of races on the year.

Dean Butler, fresh off a win for the alumni group on Thursday night, will be aboard. It is a 7 horse race and we have drawn post 6.

Keep in mind that there is a special first post time on Tuesday (4 PM) for the traditions fireworks spectacular after racing. Therefore though we are in the 5th on a weekday, estimated post time for our race is 6:10 PM

Not surprisingly for July 3, all the gathering areas are sold out so we will not have a special location Tuesday.  Group 2 gets another crack in the paddock And we will meet you all by the gate after the 4th race

In other news, Nevvy seems to have come out of her race pretty good so we’ll let her recover and then find her next outing.  We may be looking to drop her out of maiden special weight company a little bit and get that thusfar elusive maiden breaker!

Here are some photos from Nevvy’s race Saturday evening.  Not all we were hoping for, but we’ll get her some rest, some class relief and get back at it!

Don’t forget to RSVP for the second tour, July 21, at ted@grevelisracing.com.

RACE RECAP

Nevvy broke well and Scott Stevens got her in a pretty good position heading around the track but when the real running started, Nevvy didn’t.

Scott mentioned to Nevada when he got off that she wasn’t happy with the turf footing, feeling that the track was pretty firm and she was stabbing at it with her feet rather than gliding over the surface.  She also tapped the rail a couple of times after the turn for home.

Like Nevada said to the group this morning, “This race was a throw out.  We’ll just move on from here.”

She’ll walk the next few days before heading back to the track and we’ll go from there.  We may give her another week between races – running every two weeks can only be done for so long before you need a little extra time.  We could come back in a maiden claimer too, rather than a maiden special to give her some class relief.  Running at a maiden claiming $25,000 would still have us running for $19,000 which is still a nice purse. And while she seemed to perform better on the turf (last race), we know she can handle the dirt as well, so we have options.  Flexibility is a nice option to have.

Mr. Ark will be entered later this week for next weekend so hopefully we’ll be back out and going for that first win!

TOUR

Thanks to everyone that came out for the tour this morning.  The rain held off nicely and we were able to get through the backside with only a few sprinkles. We did run long, going until about noon.  There were a lot of questions and, hopefully, answers and I hope folks enjoyed it and got something out of it.  We got to visit with Mr. Ark, but Nev was resting from yesterday so we didn’t get a chance to see her.  Ark lived up to his nickname, “Snuggles”, that is for sure.

NEXT TOUR

The next tour date has been set.  Saturday, July 21 will be the date.  The process will work the same way, please RSVP to me at ted@grevelisracing and let me know how many in your party.  We will limit the group to 50 again.  If there is enough demand, though, we will do another tour in August.

In a bit of nearly magical news, the Club WILL have a spot in Silks on Saturday evening.  It’s going to be a huge night of racing with 5 stakes and the Jockeys and Jeans fundraising event.  And WE get to kick it off!!

Remember – post time is 6 PM Saturday

In the earliest cycling of paddock groups in Club history, we have Group 1 back in the Paddock for the race.  Since this is the first race of the night, we will gather in the paddock about the 20 minute to post mark to see her off.

Here is the field:

Looking Good Carol (IRE) (Padilla/Sanchez: She seems to be heading in the wrong direction.  She was prominent early in her last but had a hard time keeping up.

Wicked Connection (Biehler/Arrieta) – First timer has worked steady for the debut and even fired a bullet in her last work (5F in 59.3 from the gate).

Ready for War (Tracy/Butler) – Nevvy was 2 1/4 clear of her last out but she was prominent early and the cutback in distance should help.  Retains Butler and there is not other prominent speed.

Black Cape (Tracy/Hamilton) – A second entry for trainer Ray Tracy that he sends up I-35 for a go over the turf.  This angle has been a pretty good one over the years.

Derby Dance (Rengstorf/Mojica) – Started 2018 like she finished 2018 – finishing 2nd as the favorite.  That said, she is going to remain dangerous and most likely the one to beat again.

I NEVER GIVE UP (LITFIN/STEVENS)

Kalliste Rose (Lund/Goncalves) – First off the layoff was not a bad effort and she can be expected to improve off of that.

Astral Favor (Merrick/Gonzales) – Ran her best race in her 3YO debut going 5F last out.  Stretches out to 7.5 which can be tricky.  Stays close to the pace and coming off the sprint she may be keen to go early.

Emilys Keeper (Bravo/Eikleberry) – Only her 3rd career start and will be her first start over the turf.  Going to go a bit further than last but not much more than her debut.

Accapella Bella (Bravo/Velazquez) – Another trainer with a pair of entries.  She’s a first time starter, bred for the turf and had a strong workout last week in preparation (4F 47.2 from the gate).

Tiz Little Bull (Rengstorf/Loveberry) – Rengstorf’s second entry and an intriguing one.  Mare ran a few times in 2015 and then needed just over a year off before coming back to the races.  Ran consistently before just missing by a nose in her last start here at Canterbury.  Again, though, she needed another year off and now she’s back again.  Her last four works have been nicely spaced but it is hard to know what to expect.

Its Noon Somewhere (Anderson/Goodwin) – A solid debut in a 5F sprint over the grass on the 7th.  She passed horses nicely, probably learned a little something and has a right to improve off of that effort.

Nevvy’s first attempt of the grass last out was a good one. She started running nicely, picking up horses as she moved through the turn and straightened out for home.  There was some traffic inside so she had to move outside and then she failed to switch leads in a timely manner and yet was still closing hard the end.

This race there appears to be very little true early speed with the exception of Ready for War.  With an experienced pilot with one of the best clocks in his head at the racetrack in Butler, she has the potential to control the race all the way around.

However there are several sprinters in here that are stretching out for the first time and usually they end up being a little keen to go early which, hopefully for us, will put several on the lead and keep the pace honest.

This is a big field and it is unlikely to come off the turf so it could remain a 12 horse field which can make it problematical for deep closers that need to negotiate a lot of traffic to win.

Fortunately we have Canterbury Hall of Famer Scott Stevens aboard (Ry had a conflict) and no one has been better over the years on the turf course here than Scott.  Additionally he is known to handle young, inexperienced horses very well.  If we can avoid having to come from 10th and maybe, instead, be able to come from mid-pack with an honest pace up front, I hope we end up leading the cavalry charge at the wire.

Good luck!!

NEVVY RACES SATURDAY NIGHT

What a weekend!  One of the biggest days of racing of the summer is Saturday night, the Northern Lights Racing Festival.  There will be five stakes races worth $500,000 including the Mystic Lake Derby and the Lady Canterbury.  In addition to our own local trainers, nationally renowned trainers Michael Maker, Mark Casse, Steve Asmussen, Michele Boyce and Joan Scott have entered horses for the evening.  Our very own trainer even has a horse in the $200,000 Mystic Lake Derby, Cowboy Creed.

Kicking off the evening will be a maiden special weight going 7.5 furlongs over the turf course which will feature our girl, I Never Give Up.  Riding Nevvy in the opener will be Canterbury Park Hall of Famer Scott Stevens – a wizard on the turf and a tremendous hand with younger, inexperienced horses.

Though we are checking, on a big night it is unlikely that we will have a spot – but I will confirm when I post the race preview.

SUNDAY TOUR

Here are the details:

– We will meet you all at the stable gate between 9:00 – 9:15 AM. While we may wait a couple of minutes, late comers cannot be allowed entry to the backside, so please be prompt. The stable gate is located on Barenscheer (sp) Rd. If you’re approaching Canterbury from 169, go straight through the lights instead of turning left at the Canterbury sign. The backside will be on your left. Take the first left and then the first left again. That is the stable entrance. You can park along the side there or along Barensheer on the grass. Please make sure that you are off the road.

– We will check out the end of morning works, go to the administration building and then swing by the barn:

– There will be a LOT of walking so wear comfortable shoes and be prepared. The tour will take about 2 hours, perhaps a bit more so be comfortable and dress for the weather. We will be crossing the exit off the track to get to the trainer’s stand – be aware that it is deep and sandy. There are rest rooms in the admin building and not along the way, so plan accordingly;

– If you’re bringing kids, keep a close hold of them.  There is a lot of potential for injury and we cannot be responsible for kids wandering off. Which leads to the next point…

– Horses have the right of way at all times. We’ll keep the group close together and make sure that we give the horses a wide berth. There will be a lot of activity this time of the morning and we need to make sure that we stay out of the way.

– When we get to the barn and our horses are brought out for us, please mind the stable folks that bring them out. Please don’t crowd and listen to their instructions. Both horses are very sweet BUT they are still horses and there will be a lot of people.

– If you go to take pictures with them, please don’t dawdle. We want to make sure that everyone gets a chance with them!

With the RSVPs that came in today we are full up for the June 24 tour.  Actually we’re a wee bit oversubscribed but we’ll be okay.

We will be announcing the July tour (it will be on a Saturday) this weekend and start RSVPs for that tour.  Preference will be given to those that did not take the June tour to make sure that everyone who wants to get on the backside can.

NEVVY AND ARK

Nevvy came back from her race just fine.  She’s walked the last few days and heads back to the track tomorrow.

Ark has been training well and we’ll be looking to enter him again after another week of rest ensuring he has 3 weeks between races rather than 2.

You can click on the link below and call up our first financial statement of the season though the end of May.  We have not received the May vet bill yet so that is not part of the equation.

Some highlights on the season so far:

• This is the earliest we’ve ever had all the groups go through the paddock;
• This is the second largest Club we’ve ever had (204 is the largest – we have 184 this year)
• Though we haven’t won yet, our latest first win was December 30, so there is plenty of time;
• Both horses are healthy
• Nevvy seems like she has quite a bit of potential to be a very useful racehorse;
• The Club, as has become traditional, donated $100 to the Leg Up Fund;
• This year’s backside tour (June 24) will be the earliest tour we’ve ever had – though we are filling up, we have NOT reached capacity and have about 10 spots still open.

CRC 2018 Running financials -MAY

Nevvy ran a very nice race tonight.  While she didn’t win, there are definitely some positive takeaways from the 3rd place effort.

There were a pair of things we wanted to see: how she handled the turf and how she finished given how tired she was after the last race.

She handled the turf just fine and she finished very strongly.  Ry really had her in a good spot.  He angled her to the outside since there was no space inside and looked to have give her a straight run to the finish.  However she lugged in a bit and hard a hard time changing leads (Changing which leg she leads with in her stride.  They switch so they don’t get tired).  She still closed very nicely.  I think if she changes leads, she wins.

So we’ll see how she comes back but you can pretty sure that we will be back in this spot again when she’s ready and we’ll keep her on the turf.  When her light switch finally goes on, she’s going be okay!

SIDE NOTE:  I will be working on our financial statement this weekend and should have it up over the weekend/Monday so you can all take a look at how the costs and purse money adds up.

I Never Give Up makes her Canterbury turf debut Thursday night in race three.  Ry Eikleberry is aboard for the one mile race scheduled for approximately 7:33 PM.  The Club will have a spot in Silks and it is paddock group 4’s (Ruehmann – Zimmerman) turn to try and turn our fortunes around.

Nevvy (Yes, she DOES have a nickname around the barn now!) will be taking on 9 other fillies and mares in what looks to be an interesting contest.  Here is the field:

Raging Gold Digger (Bernt/Velazquez) – Well bred miss has a start under her belt this season from which to improve off.  It looks like she’ll be close to the pace early.

Sunset Dreamer (Swan/Gonzalez) – She’ll be making her turf debut Thursday night.  While we finished ahead of her last out, the turf could be a different story.

Aspiration (Richard/Loveberry) – Had two fair goes over the Fairgrounds turf very early in the year before moving to the dirt at Oaklawn and Prairie Meadows.  It looks like she should appreciate the turn back to grass.

Kalliste Rose (Lund/Goncalves) -Mediocre in turf debut at Fairgrounds but was also first lifetime start.  Another coming over from Oaklawn maiden special weights and they are very tough running here.

I NEVER GIVE UP (LITFIN/EIKLEBERRY)

Looking Good Carol (Padilla/Sanchez) – Considerably better on turf than on dirt so though we finished ahead of her in our last, that shouldn’t be held against her in here. She may try and be prominent early.

Ready for War (Tracy/Butler) – Second time starter surely has a right to improve off of that first effort.  Moving up from Prairie Meadows and moving up in class while carrying a big turf Tomlinson (347).  She could be dangerous if she takes to the turf w/ Butler aboard.  Another who may be keen early stretching out from a sprint.

Natalie’s Toccet (Offolter/Hamilton) – Making her turf debut coming in from Will Rogers.  Looks like she’ll want to make a run late.

Great Finale (McFarlane/Arrieta) – She was able to hang on longer in her last over the Turf Paradise turf.  She gets an additional 1/2 furlong in this one.  Could be too much or could be rounding into form? Most certainly will be pressing the pace.

Derby Dance (Rengstorf/Mojica) – Lady kept knocking on the door at the end of last season with 4 second place finishes in a row.  Been training consistently and, if her last year’s form is to be believed, she’ll be up close as well.

Nevvy had a respectable run over the turf in her only try at Delmar as a 2-year old.  She had some trouble ducking out and, let’s face it, the Delmar summer meet is a very difficult one.

Last out in her local debut she ran tough but tired late.  The turf should let her carry her speed a little further.  Combine this with Nevada working on getting her stamina up and she should improve off of that last start, which puts us in the thick of things here.

The race is a bit odd as the field is very mixed with several first time turfers, a second time starter and horses racing at Canterbury for the first time.  There doesn’t appear to be a pure “speed” horse in the field but I think we can expect some of the horses stretching out for the first time to possibly push the pace.

There also appears to be a few that want to do the same thing as we most likely will: stay close and make a run late.  That’s going to make it mighty exciting as they turn for home!

Good luck!