Canterbury Park's turf course takes center stage Wednesday at the Northern Stars Turf Festival, the second-richest card of the Shakopee track's 54-day season. Five stakes races worth a total of $400,000 in purses will be run on the lawn, with locally based horses facing off against several out-of-staters hoping to grab some Canterbury cash.
Canterbury Park ready for for Wednesday's Northern Stars Turf Festival, featuring $400,000 in purses
Horses who made their most recent starts at Santa Anita, Belmont Park, Churchill Downs, Keeneland and Pimlico are among the stakes entries.
June 20, 2023 at 5:26PM
When: First post 5 p.m.
Admission: $5
TV: FS1
Internet: YouTube
The program: The stakes portion of the nine-race card begins with the $75,000 Brooks Fields Mile (race 2). That's followed by the $75,000 Curtis Sampson Oaks (race 4); the $75,000 Lady Canterbury (race 6); the $75,000 Dark Star Turf Sprint (race 7) and the $100,000 Canterbury Derby (race 8). The card concludes with the $50,000 MTA Stallion Auction Stakes on the dirt course.
JLove's return: Horses who made their most recent starts at Santa Anita, Belmont Park, Churchill Downs, Keeneland and Pimlico are among the stakes entries. The card attracted some visiting jockeys, too, including former Canterbury riding champion Jareth Loveberry.
Loveberry, currently riding in Kentucky and Chicago, piloted Two Phil's to second place in last month's Kentucky Derby. On Wednesday, he will ride the morning-line favorites in the Lady Canterbury (She Can't Sing) and the Dark Star (Artemus Citylimits), as well as the second choices in the Canterbury Derby (Worthington), Curtis Sampson Oaks (Lure 'em In) and Brooks Fields Mile (Max K.O.).
Florent Geroux, a seven-time Breeders' Cup winner and one of the nation's top jockeys, also will ride all five turf stakes.
Bet on Bob: Bob Lothenbach of Wayzata has been Canterbury's leading owner for the past three years, and he tops the current standings with eight victories. He went all-in for the Lady Canterbury with three entries.
The favorite, She Can't Sing (9-5), has $855,258 in career earnings and is the defending champion. Another Lothenbach entry, Midnight Current (6-1), was Canterbury's horse of the year last season after going five-for-five on the Shakopee grass. She and stablemate Let's Skedaddle (12-1) have never been out of the money on Canterbury's turf.
Sam Rinzel had two of the Gophers’ three power play goals against the Irish.
