Harry Hernández rides 4 straight winners at Canterbury Park
Canterbury Park’s leading jockey Harry Hernández won four consecutive Thoroughbred stakes races among the six that were run Saturday. The 32nd Minnesota festival of champions featured horses bred in the state.
“Theres nothing better than being in the job that I love with my family and my kids and enjoying a great day,” Hernández said.
His four consecutive stakes wins began when Cupids Crush became a repeat winner of the $50,000 Princess Elaine Distaff Turf Championship. Hernández rode the 5-year-old mare for trainer Mac Robertson and Mike and Vicky McGowan’s Xtreme Racing Stables. The prohibitive favorite in the four-horse field paid $2.10.
The second win came with Thunders Rocknroll, the wagering favorite, who tracked behind pacesetter Retired Kathy in the $50,000 Bella Notte Distaff Sprint and took control at the top of the stretch. Hernández asked for run, and the mare owned by Bob Lindgren responded and drew away to win by two lengths as Xtreme Diva chased to finish second. Trained by Wade Rarick, Thunders Rocknroll paid $4.40.
“We wanted to teach her to rate instead of just going to the front,” Rarick said. “It worked. She’s a really nice racehorse.”
Hernández chose to ride 4-year-old Frosty View over 3-year-old Sushi Man, both of whom he won with multiple times this season, in the $50,000 Blair’s Cove Minnesota Turf. The move paid off as Frosty View raced in front, gate to wire over the turf listed as good following afternoon rains, to win by 6 1/4 lengths in front of Sushi Man. Frosty View is trained by Joel Berndt, owned by Charlene Gabler and paid $4.40 to win.
“He was a really nice 2-year-old, he won the Futurity, but last year as a 3-year-old he had hiccups,” Berndt said. “Most of the races are on the dirt for Minn-bred 3-year-olds, and obviously turf was his gig all along.”
Hernández fourth win came aboard 2-year-old How Bout That Curt, racing for Sampson Racing Stables, as the duo prevailed by 5 1/4 lengths in the $75,000 Northern Lights Futurity. Tony Rengstorf trains the odds-on winner who paid $2.40.
“We were lucky when (Hernández) brought him up the rail that he found a spot,” Sampson racing manager Russ Sampson said. “Harry did a great job.”
Handle for the evening was $1,082,571.