Canterbury Park plans to shrink 2023 racing season

For the past 11 years, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has helped fund purses at Canterbury Park. With that arrangement set to expire on Dec. 31 — barring a last-minute extension — the Shakopee track is planning to downsize next summer's racing season.

Canterbury announced Thursday it is proposing 54 days of live racing in 2023, 10 fewer than last summer. The season would begin May 27, the latest start in Canterbury Park history, and end Sept. 16. While the track has typically run four racing days per week, it would conduct a mix of three-day and four-day weeks next year.

Canterbury Park CEO Randy Sampson said discussions continue with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) about an extension to the agreement, which has contributed about $70 million to Canterbury purses since 2012. But the track faced a Tuesday deadline to submit 2023 racing dates to the Minnesota Racing Commission.

Should the deal end, Canterbury would see a significant drop in purse funds. SMSC provided $7.28 million of the $15.7 million paid last season. By reducing the number of racing days, Sampson said, the track could pay average daily purses of about $200,000 — less than the $245,000 per day paid last season, but enough to remain viable.

"At this point, we need to plan for how we will manage the racing season if there isn't an extension,'' Sampson said. "We would all like to run more days, but I think this is a great compromise. I'm quite optimistic it will work out fine.''

The proposed schedule must be approved by the Minnesota Racing Commission, which will discuss it at a meeting next month.

Canterbury Park set a record for total handle last season, with $97.6 million bet during a 64-day season. The coming summer will bring a new set of challenges. In addition to the potential loss of the SMSC money, Canterbury also faces increasing competition for horses, with Chicago's Hawthorne Race Course joining the list of Midwestern tracks running during the same time frame.

The new schedule is designed to expand and contract along with Canterbury's horse population. During the first six weeks of the season, when there are fewer horses on the grounds ready to run, races would be held on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. In July and early August, when the number of horses is at its peak, Thursdays would be added to the schedule.

Under this plan, Canterbury would return to shorter race weeks later in August as stables begin leaving for other tracks. That will allow it to keep fields as full as possible, which attracts more wagering.

"A lot of tracks around the country are already running three days per week, so the horsemen are used to it,'' Sampson said. "Scheduling more races when we have more horses here, ready to run, makes sense for everyone.''

Starting the season later also fits with that philosophy, though that move was made for a different reason. Canterbury is renovating its stable area, and it needs extra construction time in the spring to complete a large new barn and a dormitory and to replacethe track's lighting system.

Sampson hopes those improvements help attract quality stables at a time when tracks are competing fiercely for horses. Mike Cronin, executive director of the Minnesota Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association — which represents Canterbury's thoroughbred trainers and owners — said his constituents are "ecstatic'' about the renovations.

While they aren't enthusiastic about having fewer racing days next year, Cronin said the horsemen understand the situation. They're also ready to move forward if the SMSC agreement ends, and Canterbury becomes free to seek new ways to supplement purses.

"We knew we would have to make some compromises for next year, and Canterbury would have to make some compromises,'' Cronin said. "The hope is that we can navigate this together. All things considered, we're excited about next year, but our real focus has to be on 2024 and beyond.''