Sushi Man by a neck in $75k Minnesota Derby; Carson Bay wires Minnesota Oaks giving jockey Erica Murray her first stakes win

Sushi Man, the odds-on favorite in Saturday’s $75,000 Minnesota Derby at Canterbury Park, prevailed by a neck after an all-out stretch battle with Towner Too which saw the two exchange the lead as the finish line approached. The 3-year-old Minnesota-bred gelding is owned by his breeder One Bid Stable. Ridden by leading jockey Harry Hernandez, Sushi Man paid $2.80 to win and covered the 1 mile 70 yard distance on the main track in 1:45.71. Coty Rosin, winning his first Minnesota Derby, is the trainer.

“When you win the Minnesota Derby like we just did, I’ll tell you what, it takes a team and here we are,” Steve Erban of One Bid Stable said. “We’re the ones that own the horse but there’s a lot of work behind it.”

Sushi Man’s two prior victories were both on the turf course. “You’ve all seen probably the last time he’ll ever run on the dirt. This horse is definitely destined for the turf,” Erban said. “He’s bred for the turf; but we did get by with this today.”

Second-place finisher Towner Too is trained by Mac Robertson and was ridden by Daylor Berrio-Lopez. T C Gold, also trained by Robertson, was third.

The $75,000 Minnesota Oaks was won by Carson Bay and jockey Erica Murray who recorded her first career stakes win. Carson Bay set all the fractions drawing away to win by 5 1/2 lengths in 1:45.20 for 1 mile 70 yards.

“Every step they took closer, she put it on them,” Murray said. “I couldn’t be happier right now. It’s unreal. I’ve been riding 10 years and this is my first stakes win so it’s really special.”

The filly is trained by Gary Scherer and is owned by Valene Farms LLC. She paid $3.60 to win as the wagering favorite.

Vintage Port, trained by Rosin finished second and Wildcat Minny, trained by Tim Padilla, was third.

Heavy rains throughout the early morning hours caused officials to transfer four races originally scheduled for the turf to the main track. Total handle for the eight races was $918,611.

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