In his first race at Sunday's Festival of Champions, Mac Robertson saddled Bella Notte to her third consecutive victory in the $50,000 Minnesota Distaff Sprint Championship. Things just got better from there, as Robertson ended his afternoon at Canterbury Park with two more stakes victories that vaulted him into the lead in the trainers' standings with one weekend remaining in the season.
Robertson also won the $55,000 Northern Lights Futurity with Heliskier and the $35,000 Minnesota Turf Championship with Tubby Time during the track's annual day of racing for Minnesota-bred horses. The 10-race card drew 11,214, the largest crowd in the Festival's 18-year history, and generated $712,933 in total wagering.
Bella Notte, a 7-year-old mare owned by Art and Gretchen Eaton, tied Crocrock and Glitter Star for the longest winning streak in a Festival race with her seven-length victory. Robertson, who has won the past six training titles at Canterbury, now has 34 victories this season, one more than Bernell Rhone. There are five racing days left in the season, which ends Sunday.
Tubby Time won his fourth race of the Canterbury meet to remain a leading candidate for the track's horse of the year.
Stakes records were set in both of the Festival's quarter horse races. Streak N Hot won the $19,400 Minnesota Futurity by a head, covering the 350 yards in 17.896 seconds for his third consecutive victory. In the $18,650 Minnesota Derby, Pithia ran away from the field to win the 400-yard race by 1¼-lengths in a time of 19.962 seconds.
• Canterbury Park moved many of its July 4 activities to Labor Day after the government shutdown canceled the July 4 race card. Monday's race day includes Canterbury's annual weiner dog races, a hot dog eating contest and free hot dogs.
RACHEL BLOUNT
Gophers fall to UW-Milwaukee Sarah Hagen headed in the game's only goal in the 76th minute to lift the Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer team over the Gophers 1-0 at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium in the Minnesota Gold Classic on Sunday.
