Saturday’s Hall of Fame Night at Canterbury Park Features Five Handicaps
Midnight Current defends MN Turf Distaff title
Top state bred 3-years-prep for Derby and Oaks
Saturday’s Hall of Fame Night at Canterbury Park includes turf races for accomplished older thoroughbreds as well as main track sprints for 3-year-olds whose connections hope they make a name for themselves when five $40,000 overnight handicap races will be run as part of an eight-race program that begins at 5:10 p.m. CT. The Ralph Strangis Handicap is restricted to Minnesota-bred colts and geldings while the Minnesota Turf Distaff is a state-bred handicap for filles and mares. Both will be contested at seven and one-half furlongs on the turf course. The 3-year-old races, the Victor Myers for males and the Frances Genter for fillies, are both six furlongs and serve as a prep for the upcoming Minnesota Derby and Minnesota Oaks. The inaugural running of the Mr. Dale Filly & Mare Turf Sprint is an open company handicap.
Last season’s leading trainer Joel Berndt has the top two choices in the five-horse field of the Victor S. Myers. Street Warrior is the 8 to 5 morning line favorite while Frosty View, winner of last year’s Northern Lights Futurity, is 2 to 1. Street Warrior has raced once, scoring a decisive 14 1/2 length victory over a sloppy track June 15 when facing state-bred maidens. Frosty View has raced twice at Canterbury this season finishing fourth and third against open company.
Street Warrior is owned and was bred by Suzanne Stables. “He’s intelligent, he’s athletic, and he’s one for one,” Berndt said.
Berndt also trains Midnight Current, the favorite to win the Minnesota Turf Distaff for the third consecutive year. The 6-year-old mare will make her second start following an eight-month layoff. Eduardo Gallardo will ride both Street Warrior and Midnight Current for Berndt. Midnight Current faces Let’s Skedaddle and Scent of Success who finished second and third respectively in the 2023 Turf Distaff. Both are trained by Hall of Famer Mac Robertson.
Robertson conditions the even-money favorite Xtreme Diva in the Frances Genter and Gallardo also has that mount. Owned by Xtreme Racing Stables of Vicki and Mike McGowan, Xtreme Diva (pictured above) is four for seven lifetime. She broke her maiden and won the Northern Lights Debutante at Canterbury last season. In February she won twice at Oaklawn Park including a victory by a nose in the $150,000 Dixie Belle with Gallardo aboard.
The Ralph Strangis Handicap attracted a field of 10 including Thealligatorhunter and Xavey Dave who won the race last year. Thealligatorhunter has earned $420,460 in his 31-race career. He is trained by Tim Padilla who co-owns the 6-year-old with Pete Mattson. Xavey Dave is trained by Robertson and owned by Linda Bush.
The Mr. Dale Filly & Mare Turf Sprint, at five furlongs on the grass, appears to by a wide-open event with eight entered including two Minnesota breds. Thundersrocknroll won the Lady Slipper Stakes, a dirt sprint, and the Lady Canterbury, a mile race which was transferred from the turf to dirt June 22 before most recently finishing fifth in a dirt allowance sprint. She is trained by Jon Arnett. The other Minnesota-bred is Cupids Crush, 2023 winner of the Curtis Sampson Oaks and the Frances Genter. Cupids Crush is trained by Robertson and owned by Xtreme Racing.
The post Saturday’s Hall of Fame Night at Canterbury Park Features Five Handicaps appeared first on Canterbury Park.