Robertson Wins Another Canterbury Training Title, Track Reports Increased Handle

Canterbury Park (Photo by Coady Photography)
Canterbury Park (Photo by Coady Photography)

Canterbury Park’s 69-day race meet came to a close Saturday afternoon with the leading Thoroughbred trainer Mac Robertson winning the first four races on the 11-race program. Robertson concluded the season with 71 wins and a Canterbury record $1,571,658 in purse earnings, tallying his tenth training title at the Shakopee, Minn. racetrack.

It came down to the final race to determine the leading Thoroughbred rider of the meet. Alex Canchari trailed Dean Butler by one win. The Shakopee-native had already won three times on the day and Butler once. Canchari and Il Brigante chased the eventual winner, Break In and jockey Orlando Mojica, in deep stretch but settled for second place, giving Butler his fifth riding title and first since 2013. Butler ended the meet with 82 wins and also set the record for jockey purse earnings with $1,800,261.

A pair of stakes highlighted the final day. Storm Power won the $41,700 Tom Metzen HBPA Sprint with Scott Stevens aboard. Storm Power is trained by Robertino Diodoro and owned by Mercedes Stables LLC. He returned $6.80 to win.

Two-year old colt Even Thunder and jockey Erik Cruz finished with a flourish to win the $75,000 Shakopee Juvenile Stakes by an easy four lengths. Even Thunder is trained by Dan MacFarlane for owner Michael Barro. Even Thunder paid $12.80. Both stakes were run at a distance of six furlongs and each was run in the identical time of 1:09.92 over a fast main track.

Handle for the meet totaled $43.3 million, an increase of 5.3 percent over 2015. Average daily handle increased by 6.8 percent overall with on-track average decreasing by 1.5 percent but out-of-state showing an increase of 10.5 percent daily. Attendance averaged 6,560 daily, down 2 percent over last season.

A record of $14,401,205 in purse money, an increase of 1.8 percent over last season, was paid during the meet which saw 654 races conducted.

Joe Novogratz of Chanhassen, Minn., racing as Novogratz Racing Stables, was the leading Thoroughbred owner with 18 wins. Nik Goodwin won the quarter horse riding title with 19 wins. Trainer Jason Olmstead led all quarter horse trainers with 23 wins. Summer Run Inc. was the leading quarter horse owner with seven victories.

Robertson trainee Majestic Pride, winner of four races this meet including the Brooks Fields and John Bullit Stakes, was named Horse of the Year.

Canterbury Park’s 2016 divisional champions:
Horse of the Year – Majestic Pride (owner: Hugh Robertson, Jeff Ryan, and Gary Chanen; trainer: Mac Robertson )
Three-Year-Old Colt or Gelding – One Mean Man (owner: L.T.B. Inc. and Hillerich Racing LLC; trainer: Bernard Flint)
Sprinter – Honey’s Sox Appeal (owner: Bob Lindgren; trainer: Mac Robertson )
Older Horse – Majestic Pride (owner: Hugh Robertson, Jeff Ryan, and Gary Chanen; trainer: Mac Robertson)
Grass Horse – Majestic Pride (owner: Hugh Robertson, Jeff Ryan, and Gary Chanen; trainer: Mac Robertson)
Three-Year-Old Filly – Honey’s Sox Appeal (owner: Bob Lindgren; trainer: Mac Robertson )
Older Filly or Mare – Secret Someone (owner: Mt. Brilliant Stable LLC; trainer: Michael Stidham)
Two-Year-Old –Line Judge (owner: Barry and Joni Butzow; trainer: Joe Sharp)
Claimer – True West (owner: Cheryl Sprick and Richard Bremer; trainer: Karl Broberg)
Quarter Horse – Pyc Jess Bite Mydust (owner: Lunderborg LLC; trainer: Jason Olmstead)

(From Canterbury Park news release)