Canterbury Park Festival of Champions preview

The 31st Minnesota Festival of Champions

What: The last of Canterbury Park’s four-event Signature Stakes Series that started in June with the Northern Stars Turf Festival and ends Saturday with the state championship of racing with more than $450,000 in purses.

Where: Canterbury Park, Shakopee

When: Saturday. Gates open 4 p.m. First race is 5:12 p.m., with each successive race about 30 minutes later. Last race is 8:52 p.m.

Entry: General admission $10 for adults, $7 for youth ages 6-17. Children under 6 admitted free.

Parking: Free.

The Minnesota Festival of Champions started in 1992 at what was then called Canterbury Downs. Owners and breeders aimed to showcase Minnesota-bred racing at the Shakopee racetrack that soon would close for the next three years.

The first festival was the final day of racing at Canterbury until it opened for a live race meet in 1995 as Canterbury Park. A race meet has been held every summer since then and the Minnesota Festival of Championship, now celebrating its 31st year, remains a centerpiece.

Eight races: two quarter horse stakes and six thoroughbred stakes, for registered Minnesota breds only.

The $75,000 Northern Lights Futurity, race 3, 6:12 p.m. a six-furlong race for 2-year old colts and geldings.

The $50,000 Blair’s Cove Minnesota Turf, race 4, 6:42 p.m., 1 1/16 miles for 3-year-olds and up.

The $75,000 Northern Lights Debutante, race 5, 7:12 p.m., six furlongs for 2-year-old fillies.

The $50,000 Princess Elaine Minnesota Distaff Turf, race 6, 7:42 p.m., 1 1/16 miles for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up.

The $50,000 Bella Notte Minnesota Distaff Sprint, race 7, 8:12 p.m., 6 furlongs for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up.

The $50,000 Crocrock Minnesota Sprint, race 8, 8:42 p.m., six furlongs for 3-year-olds and up.

There’s also the Minnesota Quarter Horse Futurity for 2-year-olds and Minnesota Quarter Horse Derby for 3-year-olds.

A prominent Canterbury Park trainer since 2005, Mac Robertson has eight horses combined in the six thoroughbred races, including one each in races 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 and three in race 6 alone.

Second-leading thoroughbred jockey Eduardo Gallardo – trailing only Luis A. Fuentes so far this season – will ride all six stakes, as will Alonso Quinonez, fifth-ranked among Canterbury Park jockeys.

Trained by Joel Berndt, Midnight Current will end her career in the Princess Elaine Minnesota Distaff Turf Championship. She’s won that race the past two years and will face Robertson-trained Let’s Skedaddle, who finished second in the race the past two years

The Canterbury Park season ends Sept. 28.