Issues loom as meet opens

On the surface, things look relatively normal at Canterbury Park, the Minnesota racetrack that opens a 65-day race meet Wednesday evening. The usual central issue applies: Too many Midwest tracks operating concurrently with too few horses to fill fields the way bettors, if not horsemen, would prefer.

Roiling beneath the surface, however, is a larger concern for Canterbury: The 10-year agreement the track made with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux tribe, which operates a nearby casino, expires at the end of 2022. A decade ago, with Canterbury pushing for ontrack slot machines, the track and the tribe inked a deal whereby Canterbury would end its bid to become a racino in exchange for payments of $75 million spread over the life of the agreement. That money has propped up purses that otherwise would lag behind regional competitors.

Negotiations between Canterbury and tribal representatives are ongoing, but a lack of clarity regarding 2023 and beyond won’t affect 2022 operations, said Andrew Offerman, Canterbury’s senior vice president of racing operations.

Purses for the 2022 season are nearly identical to those offered during the 2021 meeting, with roughly $200,000 daily in overnight money.

“We’re optimistic we’ll have a good summer once everyone gets here,” said Offerman.

Stables still are rolling in from winter quarters at Tampa Bay, Oaklawn Park, and Turf Paradise. Offerman said about 1,350 of Canterbury’s 1,500 stalls have been allocated. Horsemen from Chicago will fill most of the remainder once the Hawthorne spring meet ends June 25.

The eight-race opening day card drew just 59 entrants. Two grass races are carded, Canterbury’s grass course having only come around the last week or so after a long, lingering winter.

“Spring didn’t really ever show up,” Offerman said.

Canterbury races Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. First post Sunday is 1 p.m. Central with the other cards beginning at 5. Standard programs will feature eight or nine races. Starting June 1, Canterbury begins adding Quarter Horse races to the end of cards.

The trainer colony, Offerman said, will look much like 2021, though three trainers who weren’t present last year took stalls this season – Miguel Hernandez, Vann Belvoir, and Jonathan Wong. There’s more turnover among Canterbury jockeys. The 2021 leading rider Lindey Wade returns, but Ry Eikleberry is riding at Lone Star Park and Alex Canchari at Prairie Meadows. Quincy Hamilton and Dean Butler, both in the top 10 last year, have retired.

Also familiar are many of the entrants in the two $50,000 Minnesota-bred stakes featured on Wednesday’s card. Hot Shot Kid, a 13-time Canterbury winner, and Dame Plata head the 10,000 Lakes, a sixfurlong dirt sprint. Hot Shot Kid finished sixth in this race last year but won it in 2020, while Dame Plata, usually stronger in routes than sprints, exits a nice Will Rogers Downs win in the six-furlong Highland Ice.

The Mac Robertson-trained duo of Clickbait and Ready to Runaway finished one-two last year in the six-furlong Lady Slipper and are among the seven entrants in Wednesday’s renewal.