Canterbury Park's season finale lasts just three races because of unsafe conditions

Canterbury Park's final day of the season ended after three races Saturday, with the rest of the card canceled because of unsafe track conditions caused by heavy rains Friday.

The Shakopee track was scheduled to wind up a 53-day season with a 13-race card. After the first two races, which were run on the turf course, jockeys concluded the main track—still sloppy more than 24 hours after the rain—was not safe and refused to ride the third race. Track officials announced the rest of the card would be moved to the turf course.

The third race was run on the turf, but jockeys said they felt horses slipping, and the final 10 races were canceled.

Chris Merz, Canterbury's senior director of racing operations, said about half an inch of rain fell Friday during morning training. Horses also trained on the main track Saturday morning, and Canterbury officials were hopeful the dirt surface would dry out before racing began. Merz said cool temperatures and the lack of wind kept the moisture in the track.

"It's unfortunate we had to stop racing today,'' Merz said. "But the most important thing is that horses and riders need to be safe.''

With 13 races, large fields and a big crowd, Merz anticipated Canterbury could have taken in $2 million in handle Saturday. He said track officials would review their maintenance protocols to try and prevent similar situations in the future.