Canterbury Park announced Wednesday that the $200,000 Mystic Lake Derby will highlight its 2016 thoroughbred stakes schedule, which will pay a track-record $1.89 million in purses.
The Shakopee track will host 25 stakes during its May 20 through Sept. 17 season. The Mystic Lake Derby, a 1-mile turf race for 3-year-olds, is the richest race on the schedule.
Other highlights of the stakes schedule include the Aug. 21 Festival of Champions for Minnesota-bred horses, which will offer $410,000 in purses, and the July 30 Minnesota Derby and Minnesota Oaks, whose purses of $85,000 each are the highest ever for those races.
Rachel Blount
Three with U ties in volleyball tourney
Three current or former Gophers — Tori Dixon, Daly Santana and Dalianliz Rosado — are on teams that will participate in the NORCECA women's Olympic volleyball qualification tournament, which begins Thursday in Lincoln, Neb.
Dixon, of Burnsville, is among 14 players for the top-ranked American team. Santana, who just completed her eligibility at the U, and Rosado, a sophomore, will play for Puerto Rico. The winner of the three-day, four-team tournament earns a berth in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Rachel Blount
Etc.
• The Gophers' Yu Zhou, a junior from Wuhan, China, and Matt Barnard, a junior from Brisbane, Australia were named the Big Ten's women's and men's divers of the week. Zhou won the 1-meter event and placed second on the 3-meter board at the Georgia Invitational. Barnard won the platform event, placed second in 3-meter diving and eight in 1-meter at the same meet.
