Canterbury Park Races Into Action Wednesday Following 10-Day Hiatus
Large fields greet horse players; Pick 5 will now be comprised of final five thoroughbred races.
Live racing at Canterbury Park resumes Wednesday following a 10-day break that began July 14. Racing will be conducted Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at 5 p.m. central and 1 p.m. Sunday. For several seasons Canterbury has taken a break near the midway point of the meet allowing for horses and the humans that work with them to have a short respite. Over the years the break also allowed for Canterbury’s marketing team to host events such as an infield music festival and, for past two years, a rodeo on the main track.
Entries benefited with trainers seeking a race going into the break and filling the entry box coming out of it. On July 13, the final day prior to the break, average field size was 8.5 horses per race compared to a 7.12 average overall. Wednesday’s eight-race program averages 9.5 with an average for the four days of racing being 7.9 entries per race.
“The mid-summer, mid-meet break from racing gives everyone a chance to rest and recuperate from the daily demands of live racing,” senior manager of racing operations Amber Carlisle said. “It’s just as much for the horses to have some rest as it is for all the people involved in our program, from the grooms who work 24/7, to trainers who work 25/8, to the racing office staff and track surfaces team who also contribute a significant amount of time and energy. It helps us all reflect on what we enjoy most about our sport and that’s the great quality of horse racing and all of the people we interact with on a daily basis.”
Weather was a factor during the first part of the season. Two days were cancelled due to extreme heat and a portion of another card was rain cancelled. A rain-saturated turf course also forced 12 of 70 scheduled turf races to be transferred to the main track, two fewer than 2024. In all 155 thoroughbred races and 17 quarter horse races have been conducted with average per race handle flat compared to last year.
“The meet thus far has gone very smoothly and has been very safe which is our standard, one we are very proud of,” Carlisle said. “It’s a true testament to the hard work and dedication from all of our horsepeople, our attending and regulatory vets, track surfaces team and racing team.”
The 51-day meet, with 28 days remaining, concludes Sept. 20. Harry Hernandez, who won the riding title in 2022 and 2023, leads the jockey colony with 32 wins, 13 more than second-place
Alonso Quinonez. Trainer Jose Silva, Jr. has been extremely active thus far. He has 86 starts and leads all other trainers with 16 wins. Tim Padilla and Mac Robertson each have 14 wins with 48 and 57 starts respectively.
Racing officials have altered the positioning of the Pick 5 wager so that it now will include the final five thoroughbred races each day. Previously it began with the second race. Canterbury’s 10 percent takeout on the Pick 5 wager is an industry low. The Pick 5 pool has averaged $48,463 with an average payout of $4,478.
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