FESTIVAL OF CHAMPIONS
Canterbury Park set for annual Festival of Champions with several big draws
Saturday's entries include three morning-line favorites for this season's leading thoroughbred owner, Bob Lothenbach of Wayzata, who has 48 victories and $1.18 million in purse earnings.
As the Canterbury Park season winds down, the Shakopee track will host one of the biggest events on its calendar: the Festival of Champions. Saturday's 29th edition of the festival, an annual celebration of Minnesota-bred thoroughbreds and quarter horses, offers $855,000 in total purses for a 12-race card.
When: Saturday, first post 4 p.m.
Admission: $8 adults, $3 ages 6-17 if purchased online in advance; $10 and $5 at the entrance. Advance tickets are available at www.canterburypark.com.
The card: Each of the six thoroughbred stakes offers a purse of $100,000. The state's top 2-year-olds will compete in the Northern Lights Futurity for colts and geldings and the Northern Lights Debutante for fillies. Older horses will vie in the Crocrock Minnesota Sprint Championship and the Blair's Cove Minnesota Turf Championship, along with the Bella Notte Distaff Sprint and the Princess Elaine Distaff Turf.
The card concludes with a pair of $70,000 stakes for quarter horses, the Minnesota Quarter Horse Futurity for 2-year-olds and the Minnesota Quarter Horse Derby for 3-year-olds.
On a roll: This season's leading thoroughbred owner, Bob Lothenbach of Wayzata, already has set a Canterbury Park record with 48 victories and $1.18 million in purse earnings. His stable, overseen by trainer Joel Berndt, will send out the morning-line favorite in three races Saturday.
It's Bob's Business (7-5) headlines the Northern Lights Futurity, Cousvinnysacanuck (7-2) is favored in the Blair's Cove and Midnight Current (6-5) tops the field in the Princess Elaine. Midnight Current is undefeated this season at Canterbury, with four victories and $91,800 in earnings.
Big Mac: Mac Robertson, who leads the thoroughbred trainer standings with 59 victories, brings another powerhouse lineup to festival day. The 14-time Canterbury training champ will saddle 16 horses, including Clickbait, the defending champion in the Bella Notte. Robertson's 39 festival victories are the most of any trainer.
What's next: Canterbury will conclude its 65-day season next week, with racing on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Four days after leading wire-to-wire against the Trail Blazers, the Wolves fell behind in the first quarter and never recovered in their first of back-to-back games at Portland.