Into the Break at Canterbury Park; Racing Resumes July 23

Racing resumes Wednesday, July 23 following a 10-day break. This respite allows for the Canterbury Rodeo to be held over three days, July 18 through 20 and also give horses and humans some rest. Entries for the 23rd, which begins a four-day race week, will be taken Friday and if last year’s numbers are any indication, full fields should be expected.

Overall handle, the amount of dollars wagered, held up well. With .43 fewer races per day compared to the same timeframe last year, a decrease of 6% in average daily handle was not unexpected. The per race handle, a more apples to apples comparison, was basically flat.

Average field size for thoroughbreds was 7.12 per race compared to 7.15 last year during this time. Unique starters, 537 compared to 613, is down 12%, likely due to a combination of factors including one fewer 2-year-old race having been run, fewer horses on the grounds and lost training opportunity due to heat and rain.

Harry Hernandez won at a 29% clip with 32 wins, 13 more than Alonso Quinonez and twice as many as Fausto Da Silva. Hernandez, leading rider in 2022 and 2023 but absent last season, has purse earnings of $578,348, nearly $220,000 more than Quinonez. His wins were spread across several barns:  10 with trainer Mac Robertson, five with Tony Rengstorf, and three each with Coty Rosin and Joel Berndt. Hernandez delivered the goods when favored, winning 53% of the time. He has been equally proficient on turf and dirt, going short and long.

Jose Silva, Jr. is the leading trainer with 16 wins. His top rider is Da Silva. They combined for nine victories. Robertson and Tim Padilla are tied for second with 14 wins. Silva Jr. has saddled a meet-leading 86 starters compared to Padilla’s 48 and Robertson’s 57.

There is a three-way tie for leading owner between Silva Jr., Novogratz Racing Stables and the partnership of Padilla and Pete Mattson. They each have seven wins. Mattson and Padilla have won seven of 10 starts with Quinonez accounting for six of the wins. Thealligatorhunter is their top earner with two wins and a second from three starts. The Minnesota-bred, one of the top earners in the history of the track, started the meet by winning the $50,000 10,000 Lakes Stakes.

There was little doubt that quarter horse trainer Jason Olmstead would win his 11th consecutive training title and he is well on his way to that accomplishment. Olmstead currently has nine wins, six more than Haley Hobbs and Vic Hanson. Armando Alvidrez is the leading Q jockey with six wins, five of them for Olmstead.

Pari-Mutuelly Speaking

Syntactic provided the largest Win payout of the season returning $66.20. The largest Place payout was $80.00 by B L’s Concerto. The Pick 5 payout on June 18 of $41,265.90 is the highwater mark for that pool.

Nineteen horses have two wins thus far. One of the more impressive two-time winners is state-bred Frosty View trained by Joel Berndt for owner Charlene Gabler. As a 2-year-old in 2023 he won the Northern Lights Futurity but 2024 saw him go zero for six with only one in-the-money finish. New year and Frosty View began it by winning both of his turf starts by open lengths, recording the fastest times of the meet for five furlongs and seven and one-half furlongs. And yes, Hernandez was aboard each time.

Wagering Format Change

The 50 cent Pick 5 with an industry low 10 percent takeout will no longer always begin with the second race daily, rather it will now be comprised of the final five thoroughbred races.

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