Looks like we have space in Wild Horse on Friday for the big night!

Here is a little video to get warmed up…

Race previews to come Friday morning!

The second and final backside tour is in the books. We dodged some raindrops but managed to see all the sites and check out Ender and Laura Ray ahead of Friday’s historic night for the Club.

Thanks to those of you that came out and spend the time on a less-than-ideal morning with us (weather wise) and discover why I did not become a weatherman!  Some pictures of the tour (not Heather’s but my cell phone) are below.

A correction to an earlier post: we only have 3 paddock groups so Group 3 in the paddock for Laura Rat while Group 1 will be in for Ender.  It’s going to be a long evening but hopefully a fun and profitable one for the Club.

For the first time in Club history we will have both horses racing on the same card!  On Friday night Laura Ray will go in the 4th race while Ender will go in the 9th.

Laura Ray’s race is a $7500 claiming race going about a mile over the turf. Nik Goodwin is on board and we’ll be breaking from post six.  Hopefully we’ll get a pace to run at and Nevada is going to change up her equipment a little to see if she can be less keen early.  We’d really like her to feature that closing kick we know she has and try and pick up the Club’s second win.

Ender’s race is the 9th.  The race is a $16,000 claiming race that haven’t won 4 race lifetime OR 2 races in 2019.  We’ll be going 6.5 furlongs and breaking from post three with Quincy Hamilton aboard again.  The extra half furlong will be much more to his liking but we’ll still need some pace to chase.  This is a notch below the optional $15,000 he’s been running in as this isn’t an optional claiming event but one where you have to be entered for a tag.  It carries a purse of $20,000 while the optional event was $30,000 (if you’re ever wondering on how to determine the class of a race when comparing to optionals, purse is a nice way to do it).

Laura Ray’s race will have Group 3 in the paddock while Ender will have Group 4.

It sure would be nice to see if we have the first two race day become the first two wins in a day!

We’ll be back with a preview later in the week as well as any seating arrangements we can wrangle.

A lot happening coming out of the break.

Both horses came out of their races well.  Ender was looking for a spot this weekend but thus far there hasn’t been a race to run him.  As we know from last race, the 6 furlongs with very little pace was a crusher.  While we can’t control what pace gets entered, we can look for a 6.5 furlong race instead. Karl will keep looking and as soon as we get a spot, we’re entering.

There is nothing remotely available for Laura Ray this weekend but Nevada is looking at a couple of potential spots next weekend so we should be racing again sooner rather than later!

TOUR SUNDAY

The next tour is Sunday so all of you that signed up for that, here are the details:

– We will meet you all at the stable gate at 9:00 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 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 (there is a sign there as well). 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(s)

– There will be a LOT of walking so wear comfortable shoes and be prepared. The tour will take about 3 hours 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 good natured 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!

– Finally, please stay with the group. Unlicensed personnel cannot be unescorted on the back side. You cannot wander around the barns and just visit horses. There are liability issued to consider, both for the track and for the trainers whose barn you wander into.

LEG UP DAY

The Leg Up Fund was established in 2014 to provide temporary, transitional support to riders injured at Canterbury as they recover and return to the saddle. The fund provides direct resources to Canterbury Park jockeys who are hurt while riding and helps give them a “Leg Up” while they recuperate.  There will be all kinds of fundraising events for the Fund and we, as a group, will be contributing directly.  Please feel free to participate in the raffles or donating directly yourself.  This fund is unique in the industry as it helps support injured jockeys at their home track.  It’s a dangerous job when an ambulance follows you around at work.  These athletes could use our support.

MTA SEMINAR

The Minnesota Thoroughbred Association is hosting another ownership seminar this weekend.  It will focus on what it takes to get horses ready to run and provide insight into what it takes to get to the winners’ circle.  Check out the flier below,

The fear going into the race today was that the six furlongs may not be enough distance and that was correct.  Couple that with being wide down the backstretch (Quincy said there was no place that he could slip inside to save ground) and a winner who ran an absolutely terrific race in 1:09.76 and it was near impossible for Ender to come with his rush.

Naturally we can only run the races they write and certainly can’t wait for the perfect race so we gave her a go and came up 5th.

We’ll head off to break, let Karl do his thing and we’ll be back whether it’s back at this level or a notch or two lower.

Everyone have a good break and we’ll see you when we get back!

Thank you to all that came out this morning for the first tour of the season.  Here’s hoping that the weather will be as glorious in two weeks for the other tour as it was today.  Special thanks go out to both the Litfin and Broberg teams for letting us spend some time with our horses and making sure the morning was a memorable one for all.  Some impromptu cell phone pictures are below.

Sunday is the final day of racing before the break and we’re going to try and close out the first half of the meet with Ender earning another victory for the Club.  The race came up pretty tough and he would have liked the extra half furlong like the last race, but we play what’s been dealt and we’ll get after them.  Group 2 is in the Paddock.

The race is the 9th on Sunday, another $15,000 allowance optional claimer going six furlongs.  We break from post 8 and here is the field in post position order.

French Quarter (Berndt/Eikleberry) – Comes out of a very tough turf race that featured the likes of Burgmeister and Wings Locked Up.  Drops to the lowest tag of his career and back on the dirt.

Shooters Alley (Litfin/Butler) – Beaten by Ender by 9 1/4 last out and doesn’t seem to have the same “pop” as he did last year when he won $36,925.

Hotfoot (Eidschun/Meche) – Comes back to the dirt where he was claimed to start the Canterbury meet.  Has shown flashes of early speed but not consistently enough to think he’ll be in front early.

Superstar Leo (Robertson/Roman) – Leading trainer brings this one back to the races in MN rather than Chicago where it was toiling in 2018. Claimed back by the original connections last August and makes his 2019 debut here.  Has shown versatility winning out front and off the pace.

Hot Item (Bethke/Lindsay) – Popular at the claiming box this guy flashed some speed last time out versus us but faded.  Losing the extra half furlong should help this one out and hopefully he can be on or near the lead with others.

Big League (Williams/S. Gonzalez) – Won at this level to kick off the Canterbury meet and beating others in here doing it.  The last two races he has really stepped up into stakes and $35,000 optional claiming company where he ran credibly.  He should be out early and will hopefully have some company.  He gets loose early and he could be tough to catch.

Luckynsuccessful (Bethke/Arrieta) – Back in 11 days after handling a field of Minnesota bred allowance horses.  You have to go back to last summer the last time this on missed the exacta.

ENDER (BROBERG/HAMILTON)

Kota Copy (Diodoro/Mojica) – After a pair of board hitting finishes to start his Canterbury season at this level he faltered a bit in his lone turf try.  He’ll be back on the dirt in here and will be looking to stalk the pace.  His latest dirt figures make him very dangerous in here.

There are a couple of things working against us heading into this race: there appears to be a lack of pace and the race is 1/2 furlong shorter than last time which is tough for a closer.  That said, it’s certainly not impossible for us to win in here but a couple of things will need to have to happen.

Someone needs to go with Big League. It’s not totally far fetched to think that Big League could get out to an early lead alone and make it very difficult for anyone to come and overtake him.  He’s also won at this level/distance earlier in the meet, earning a big 88 Beyer Speed Figure in the process.  In this last two races you could argue that he didn’t like the slop and wasn’t fond of the turf.  Now he returns to the dirt and the distance that he enjoyed when he first came here and that makes him dangerous.

Hot Item, Hotfoot and perhaps Kota Copy COULD go with Big League but they haven’t been consistent early speed horses to count on.

Ender will most likely need to be closer to the front than he was in the last mostly because there won’t be as much ground to work with and the pace scenario is likely going to be less advantageous.

This one will be a test for sure, but he certainly belongs and we know that Karl has him ready and Quincy can get the best out of him.  We’ll be charging late and that should make it pretty exciting when the race hits the last 100 yards.

GOOD LUCK!

We will get one more start before the Twin Cities Summer Jam induced break.  Ender will head out in the 9th race on Sunday with Quincy Hamilton back on board.  The race is the same level as the last race: $15,000 optional claiming with a $30,000 purse.  This time we are going 6 furlongs instead of 6.5.  As you recall that extra half furlong was very good to us, but here’s hoping that there will be enough speed for us to run at even with the shorter race.

We will be breaking from post 8 and the race is scheduled for 4:29 PM.  Paddock group 2 is back for this one and we’ll head to the paddock after the replays of race 7.  He’s ready to go so it should be pretty exciting late!

We’ll put together the race preview over the weekend and also let you know if we have a spot Sunday for folks to hang out for the day.

GOOD LUCK!

It’s tour time on Saturday.  The weather looks to be sunny and warm so let’s hope that holds up!  We have a full group for Saturday (so anyone that hasn’t RSVP’d yet should look at Sunday the 28th – which is also filling up fast)

– 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 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 (there is a sign there as well). 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(s)

– There will be a LOT of walking so wear comfortable shoes and be prepared. The tour will take about 3 hours 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 good natured 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!

-Finally, please stay with the group. Unlicensed personnel cannot be unescorted on the back side. You cannot wander around the barns and just visit horses. There are liability issued to consider, both for the track and for the trainers whose barn you wander into.

Finally, below is the latest financial statement but does NOT include the latest vet bills (because we don’t have them yet…).  It gives you an idea, though, of where we are at heading into the break.

See you Saturday!

CRC 2019 Running Financials – July 1

Laura Ray broke maybe a half step slow but was keen to run on.  So keen, in fact, that jockey Orlando Mojica couldn’t get her to relax.  She was pulling hard and he couldn’t get her to slide toward the rail so we were wide through the first turn – and wide most of the trip – while up much closer to the lead than where we would have ideally chosen to be.

The fractions were slow enough but we couldn’t rate and when the real running started in the lane Laura Ray was empty.  We finished 4th.

She’ll get back to the barn and Nevada will see how she came out of the race and we’ll go from there.

Eyes will now turn to see if we can get Ender in before the break and keep rolling along.

Details regarding the tour on Saturday will be posted early in the week, so make sure that you check back.

NOTICE: Just wanted to remind everyone that when the Club horse runs we try and make sure that we have a special spot for Clubbers to gather if they wish.  While we get a spot, usually in Silks, and free admission, we are not able to get no charge Clubhouse/Buffet tables. Please do not call horsemen’s relations for these, this service is for MRC licensed owners only, which we are not.  You may, of course, pay to reserve a table at any time.

The Club is looking to add an third day of fireworks to Canterbury’s schedule sending Laura Ray out Saturday to face five foes in the 3rd race.

The race is a $7500 claiming race going about a mile and 70 yards over the turf course with Orlando Mojica aboard.  We drew the outside in the six horse field.  Part of the field is the Paul Allen/Mike Zimmer partnership horse, Jeana Baby, which should make for an even more fun day.  We wish them a safe trip and the best of luck, though we’d still like to beat them all to the winners’ circle and get the Club home for the second race in a row.

While Group 1 is in the paddock, I would also invite those individuals in Group 3 who were at the track, saw the tweet that there wouldn’t be a paddock and missed it when the rain suddenly stopped and we actually DID have a trip to the paddock before the race to join us as well since you missed your turn.

When know that the Club will have a spot but we’re not quite sure where so make sure and check the signs welcoming the various groups to Canterbury when you come in if you choose to utilize our spot.

Here is the short field in post position order:

Papa’s Isla Doll (Rengstorf/E. Gonzalez) – Should be relatively quick to the lead as a sprinter stretching out.  Her singular turf race was nothing special but it was also against a solid group of state bred turf allowance horses last season.

Lookin Ata Runaway (Rengstorf/Butler) – Will be looking to take advantage of her stablemate’s quick pace to close late to win.  7 1/2 furlongs may be her best distance but that remains to be seen and she’ll be prominent late.

Housemaker (Van Winkle/Loveberry) – First off a long layoff for the Van Winkle barn who has been clicking along at 25% with these types.  She just closed to a nose at Turf Paradise at a mile and the extra 70 yards could be just what she needs.

Jeana Baby (Rhone/Eikleberry) – 1 for 4 over the Canterbury turf, she appreciates being near or on the lead.  She had a tough break last out but don’t count on that happening again.

Ocean Dream (Silva Jr./S. Gonzalez) – Most definitely a late closing type who got her last win in Arizona from way out of the clouds.  She ships from Arizona Downs to Canterbury and joins a barn that is enjoying a great meet.

LAURA RAY (LITFIN/MOJICA)

This is an interesting little race.  Though the field is only six, there is some speed and most definitely some closers.  Added into the mix is that the inner rail is set at 20 feet which makes it a little tougher to swing wide and close strong.  Hopefully the small field will mitigate that disadvantage for us.

Papa’s Isla Doll and Jeana Baby should be prominent early.  While I’m not sure if Doll can get the distance, Jeana Baby should be able to hold her speed longer.  She also should be in a controlling position and have the rail placement to her advantage as well. That doesn’t mean the race is over by any means.

Seven and a half furlongs MAY be the end of Jeana’s range (maybe not) and there will be pressure coming late from not only Laura but Ocean Dream, Lookin Ata Runaway and Housemaker.  It also remains to be seen if Housemaker needs a race before really hitting her stride off the layoff but Van Winkle has proven to be very adept at getting them ready to fire.

At the end of the day much will depend upon how much the early speed wear each other, if at all, and who can close the stoutest.  Laura should really be in the mix late but it may take a photo to sort it all out.

GOOD LUCK!