Minnesota-bred Mr. Jagermeister takes aim at Mystic Lake Derby
The $200,000 Mystic Lake Derby, the richest horse race of Canterbury Park’s 70-day season, attracted a full field of 14 3-year-olds for the mile turf race, the fifth of 10 events run starting at 6 p.m. Saturday. It's also one of five stakes races to be run that evening as part of the Northern Stars Racing Festival.
The 7-2 morning line favorite, Captivating Moon, will be ridden by Carlos Marquez Jr. He is trained by Chris Block and owned by Minnesota resident Robert Lothenbach, who won the race in 2017 with Giant Payday.
Six locally based horses are entered in the Derby, including Minnesota-bred Mr. Jagermeister, who has won four races and $171,975 in purses in his eight-race career, with victories in the Northern Lights Futurity and 10,000 Lakes Stakes. He also finished second at Oaklawn Park in the $150,000 Bachelor Stakes to one of the fastest sprinters in North America, Mitole. The Mystic Lake Derby will be the first time Mr. Jagermeister has raced the one mile distance and also his first race on the turf.
“The biggest factor will be the grass,” Mr. Jagermeister’s trainer, Valorie Lund, said. “The distance, I don’t believe, is a problem for him at all.”
She worked the colt on the turf course last weekend with jockey Leandro Goncalves aboard and was pleased with what she saw. Goncalves will ride Saturday, breaking from post position five. A horse bred in Minnesota has never won the Mystic Lake Derby and only a few have tried.
This will be the seventh edition of the race that began in 2012 following the signing of a cooperative marketing and purse enhancement agreement earlier that summer between Canterbury Park and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, owners and operators of Mystic Lake Casino Hotel. The agreement calls for SMSC to contribute more than $70 million to horsemen purses over 10 years and has more than doubled the annual purse payments.
Stakes purses Saturday will total $500,000. The $100,000 Mystic Lake Mile, also on the grass, drew a field of 12. The 26th running of the $100,000 Lady Canterbury Stakes has eight entered, including undefeated filly Sirenusa owned by Barry and Joni Butzow of Eden Prairie, Minn. The $50,000 Dark Star Cup and the $50,000 Hoist Her Flag Stakes each drew seven.
Post time Thursday and Friday is 6:30 p.m. and Saturday has a special 6:00 p.m. first post.
|
PP |
Horse |
Jockey |
Owner |
Trainer |
M/L |
|
1 |
CURLIN’S HONOR |
Gary Boulanger |
John C. Oxley and Breeze Easy, LLC |
Mark Casse |
5-1 |
|
2 |
NOBRAG JUSTFACT |
James Graham |
Super XLIV |
Eric Heitzmann |
15-1 |
|
3 |
COWBOY CREED |
Ry Eikleberry |
Nevada Litfin and Mark D Kane |
Nevada Litfin |
15-1 |
|
4 |
UNITED PATRIOT |
Orlando Mojica |
Rob Nokes |
Robertino Diodoro |
12-1 |
|
5 |
MR. JAGERMEISTER |
Leandro Goncalves |
Kristin Boice, Leslie Cummings, and Valorie Lund |
Valorie Lund |
8-1 |
|
6 |
CAPTIVATING MOON |
Carlos Marquez Jr. |
Lothenbach Stables, Inc. |
Chris Block |
7/2 |
|
7 |
HARDBOOT |
Dean Butler |
Silver Creek Stables |
Michele Dollase |
10-1 |
|
8 |
NAVY ARMED GAURD |
Jareth Loveberry |
H. Waldron, R McDaniel, R Johnson, D. Schar, F.Coniglio, and R. Rendina |
Joan Scott |
20-1 |
|
9 |
DUBBY DUBBIE |
Adam Beschizza |
Emmet Randall, Jack Jolley and Mitch Butler |
Michelle Lovell |
15-1 |
|
10 |
SNIPER KITTEN |
Tyler Gaffalione |
Kenneth L. and Sarah K. Ramsey |
Michael Maker |
10-1 |
|
11 |
PLAYOFF BOUND |
Francisco Arrieta |
Ted Graling and Randy Howg, |
Robertino Diodoro |
20-1 |
|
12 |
HYNDFORD |
Santiago Gonzalez |
Cory Wiest, Rick Wiest, Clayton Wiest, R 6 Stable and Norman Tremblay |
Robertino Diodoro |
12-1 |
|
13 |
RERIDE |
Ramon Vazquez |
Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC |
Steven Asmussen |
6-1 |
|
14 |
PRIMO TOUCH |
Andrew Ramgeet |
Dino Bates |
Dan McFarlane |
20-1 |