The Mystic Lake Derby will be the big race Wednesday of the Mystic Lake Northern Stars Turf Festival at Canterbury Park. Eleven 3-year-olds have been entered for the one-mile turf race that offers a $150,000 purse — the richest of the Canterbury season.
Four additional turf stakes, all with purses of $100,000 and field sizes of 12 or greater, are on the 10-race card. The Dark Star Turf Sprint attracted 15 entries, the Curtis Sampson Oaks drew 13, the Mystic Lake Mile 12 and the Lady Canterbury Stakes 13 fillies and mares. Post time is 5:10 p.m.
"The card really came together well. All the turf stakes drew full fields," said Andrew Offerman, senior vice president of racing. "The Northern Stars Turf Festival will be extremely competitive with horses from Kentucky, local horses, horses from across the country. It should make for very exciting racing."
Six of the Mystic Lake Derby entrants are based at Canterbury Park. Bens Malice, who will break from the outside post position, has two wins over the Shakopee turf course. Owned and bred in Minnesota by Pete Mattson of Prior Lake, Bens Malice is trained by David Van Winkle and will be ridden by Alonso Quinonez.
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The Minnesota Aurora FC, coming off a 3-1 win at Chicago City on Friday, will play Kaw Valley FC (3-1-1) at 1 p.m. Sunday at TCO Stadium in Eagan. The Aurora (5-0-1) beat the Cranes 2-0 on June 2 in Kansas City, Mo., for its first win in the USL W League.
Sarah Bacon, who recently finished her sixth-year senior season for the Gophers , will compete in diving at the 19th FINA World Championships in Budapest. The event began Saturday and ends July 3. Current Minnesota swimmer Bar Soloveychik will represent Israel in the World Championships and incoming Gophers freshman Viviana Del Angel Peniche will dive for Mexico. Soloveychik placed 16th in the 400-meter freestyle in his first event with a school record time of 3 minutes, 49.87 seconds.
