Opening Day 2009 - Canterbury Park

re: Opening Day 2009 - Canterbury Park

Priscilla Turner — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 02:32:05 GMT

I worked at canterbury for the first 7years. Worked as a hotwalker

and walked John Bullit every weekend. Is their I can still get any pitures of his races. I was in the winner cicle everytime he won.

I never forget when stepped in front of me when a lose horse was comming right at me. He just stood there and never moved. He was my hero. I'll never forget John Bullit.

re: Opening Day 2009 - Canterbury Park

Haker — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:04:21 GMT

Getting a rancino at Cantebury will be next to impossible as our legislature is very beholden to the native american lobby which spends millions against any rancino thoughts.

re: Opening Day 2009 - Canterbury Park

Ted Grevelis — Fri, 22 May 2009 23:38:02 GMT

@ hopingtoit - excellent point. I should clarify that horses that make Canterbury home over the summer can achieve success elsewhere, not necessarily Minnesota breds, though a few have achieved a measure of success outside of Canterbury: see Perfect Bull winning an open allowance at TBD before shipping north.

re: Opening Day 2009 - Canterbury Park

Carolyn in ND — Fri, 22 May 2009 19:57:59 GMT

Ted, you are welcome to ND Horse Park anytime. Thanks for the nice words.

I loved the pictures too!

re: Opening Day 2009 - Canterbury Park

aspradling — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:56:56 GMT

Thanks for the photos, I really enjoyed them and it helped show the scenes.

re: Opening Day 2009 - Canterbury Park

Ted Grevelis — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:32:32 GMT

@ Hopingtoit - You're right. I should clarify: I'm not talking about Minn breds, just horses that compete at CBY regularly, be they Kentucky breds, Florida breds, etc. Thanks for bringing that up - a very important distinction!

re: Opening Day 2009 - Canterbury Park

Ted Grevelis — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:30:51 GMT

@ John - I'm actually a transplant, though I've been here four years. I grew up in New England and spent most of my formative racetracking years in the Mid-Atlantic when Maryland racing was king of the region. AJ Bakes campaign is one that sticks out in recent memory for sure. Loads of speed and a nice looking filly to boot.

@ Wanda - WOW, that is one heckuva ride!

@ Slyder - You do go back a ways. As you know, both John Bullit and Hoist Her Flag have stakes named after them here as well.

@ Favoritebury - I assume you meant "Form" not "forum"? Hardly "most" from TUP given the large number from TBD, ARL, HAW and OP as well. Not sure what "top horse" and "different track" you refer too. Again, I didn't say you'll see Canterbury's best dominate graded stakes, but against same size tracks around the country, they do just fine - you can tell by actually reading the Form.

@ Carolyn - I've never made it up there but have heard some nice things.

@ berttheclock - Great stories and insight!

re: Opening Day 2009 - Canterbury Park

Wanda — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:20:10 GMT

slyder: They're watching you buddy so you don't slip across the border and try to take over.

re: Opening Day 2009 - Canterbury Park

Hopingtohit — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:49:13 GMT

Hey Ted that combo is leathal! However best stock might be a stretch, case and point Bellenote. Couldn't win (or come close) elsewhere but picked up from last year at the ol' bury

re: Opening Day 2009 - Canterbury Park

berttheclock — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:37:42 GMT

Haker, sorry to read of your problems at Canterbury. Have seen such at Remington and, even, the old Longacres on special Give-away days. However, your story reminds me of the first time the Breeder's Cup was held in New York - Santa Anita pumped this up for several days, but, their scheduling people did not converse with marketing. The track opened early for the bettors, but, only one mutual clerk was placed on each row of windows. As the early races featured young runners from D Wayne's stable and the California runner Precisionist was running in the Sprint, the lines were long. In fact, each line went backwards across the room to the other side which were empty windows. Shutouts ruled. The bettors were screaming at officials, who, were frantically grabbing any mutual clerk walking through the gates and throwing them online. Apologies galore with such as "We had no idea".

However, there was a tie-in between SA and the early Canterbury. Owned by SA, they sent a racing secretary, Lew Elkins, to Minnesota. He thought he would write chalk for the public. They came out in droves, but, sat on their collective hands. Many knew they had a better chance of hitting long prices by driving to Wisconsin for the dogs. Canterbury compounded their error the following year. They raised all of their prices and the fans diminished rapidly.

re: Opening Day 2009 - Canterbury Park

Carolyn in ND — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:02:14 GMT

Never been to Canterbury for their "Big" races, but nice place.

ND Horse Park, Fargo, ND, has some of the same trainers & horses that race at Canterbury. Would love to have you at our "little track on the praire." Stop by the Gift Horse Store & say "HI". I would love to meet you. More info of NDHP races at hrnd.org. Happy racing to all!!

re: Opening Day 2009 - Canterbury Park

Favoritebury! — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:43:18 GMT

Teddy if you go back to the forum and actually read it canterbury's top horse got smoked when he went to a different track and tried to compete. Most horses are from turf paradise not exactly what I call a stellar track. Your right though the season is short if you want to win just take the favorite to win and you will do very well at canterbury! Average trifecta payout is 7 dollars!

re: Opening Day 2009 - Canterbury Park

slyder — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:52:43 GMT

John,

I'd have to throw in the old turf star John Bullit as one of my all time favorites. Also on the list would be a regular invader from Ak-Sar-Ben Who Doctor Who. Probably one of the best races I have ever witnessed was Who Doctor Who going up against a speedster from California (the name escapes me) in a 7f stakes race to the wire. They were nose to nose all the way down the stretch and the Doctor lost the head bob but the time was blazing and is probably still a track record. Another old favorite was the gray filly Hoist Her Flag. She regularly took on the boys and beat them.

Back in the day the likes of D. Lukas, and Carl Nafzger had regular stables here. Those days are gone but Curtis Sampson and the rest do a great job of keeping this little corner of paradise going. I am hoping and praying that our current economy doesn't bring about the demise of this track or others like it. As they say, there's no place like "home".

re: Opening Day 2009 - Canterbury Park

slyder — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:39:27 GMT

Ted,

Over the years we have seen some top caliber horses run here. Unbridled ran as a two year old in the CBY Juvenile and was beaten (I believe he could manage no better than 3rd), Smile who was a Breeders Cup Champion won the CBY Cup, Torbo Launch was the best 2 yr old filly I've seen at Cby (injury cut short what could have been a great career)and all she did was beat Lost Kitty who won the 2yr old Breeders Cup Championship shortly thereafter, Lost Code won the St. Paul(Cby) Derby over Cryptoclearance, and there have been others.

The one race I would love to see back is the Cby Derby. Back in the day the purse for that race topped out at 300K. Then they started to whittle that down until they finally eliminated it. Slots would go a long way to making it possible without harming the general purse structure to bring that one back along with others like the Cby Cup.

Wanda,

Tell me again what those guys in the red suits are doing up there sitting on horses. I looked out to the north from the top mezzanine the other day and there they were again.

re: Opening Day 2009 - Canterbury Park

Wanda — Fri, 22 May 2009 03:38:09 GMT

Ted I was lucky enough to go to (the then Canterbury Downs) the first year it opened. I drove down with

my boss at the time from Edmonton,

Alberta. I really enjoyed the time I spent in Shakopee and have fond memories of the people I met. We had about 10 head there and won a few but what a great track!