Former Canterbury Park jockey champion Luis Quinonez returned to the track to pilot Gold Medal Dancer to victory in the $75,000 Minnesota HBPA Distaff. The day's races drew an announced crowd of 11,472, fueled by California Chrome's bid to win the Triple Crown at Belmont Park.
In another Canterbury feature race, Jimmy Simms, ridden by Dean Butler, won the $75,000 Brooks Fields Stakes. Both stakes races were scheduled for the turf but moved to a muddy main track.
2 with U ties drafted
The Colorado Rockies selected Gophers pitcher Alec Crawford in the 25th round and Gophers recruit Lucas Gilbreath in the 36th round of the 2014 major league draft. Crawford was the 743rd overall pick, and Gilbreath, a pitcher from Legacy High School in Colorado, the 1,073rd.
Crawford, a native of Wilton, Iowa, was 4-2 with a 3.79 ERA for the Gophers this season. Gilbreath, a lefthander, was 6-2 with a 1.45 ERA for Legacy this year.
Saints sign MIAC alumnus
The St. Paul Saints signed righthander Ben Hughes, who was MIAC pitcher of the year for St. Olaf in 2011.
Hughes, 24, spent the past three seasons in the Colorado Rockies organization, which drafted him in the 10th round in 2011.
