John Mentz admitted he was a little nervous Wednesday. His star filly, Ready to Runaway, was the biggest favorite on the Minnesota Festival of Champions card, and persistent rain had made a muddy mess of the Canterbury Park track.
Ready to Runaway handled everything like a champ. The 4-year-old beat Pinup Girl by 4¼ lengths in the $100,000 Bella Notte Minnesota Distaff Sprint, her fourth victory in five Canterbury starts this season. The leading candidate for the track's horse of the year has nine wins now in 11 races in Shakopee.
All turf races, including the $100,000 Blair's Cove for males and the $100,000 Princess Elaine for females, were run on the sloppy main track. Drop of Golden Sun captured the Blair's Cove, winning for the third time in four outings this season at Canterbury. Clickbait, co-owned by Mentz, scored a 7½-length victory in the Princess Elaine.
Other Festival of Champions winners included Star of the North ($100,000 Northern Lights Debutante), Sneeky Diversion ($100,000 Northern Lights Futurity) and Fireman Oscar ($100,000 Crocrock Minnesota Sprint).
Bethel AD to retire
After 23 years at Bethel University, including the past 17 as the athletic director, Bob Bjorklund announced he will retire at the end of May 2021.
He arrived at Bethel as the head men's basketball coach in 1997, and still has the second most wins (146) and second highest winning percentage (.621) in the program's history. In 2004, he became the AD, while continuing to coach for two more seasons.
Etc.
• Cousins David and Michael Christensen of Elk River GC and Northland CC, respectively, won the Minnesota Golf Association Amateur Four-Ball Championship by seven strokes at Crow River Golf Club in Hutchinson. After a tournament record 59 their first round, the two fired a final-round 66 to tie another record with a 125 total.
• John Silviano hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning and the St. Paul Saints scored two unearned runs in the eighth to edge the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 4-2 at CHS Field.
