Sushi Man wraps up Minnesota Derby; Carson Bay takes Oaks
Odds-on favorite Sushi Man got the better of an all-out stretch battle with Towner Too to win the $75,000 Minnesota Derby for state-bred 3-year-olds on Saturday night at Canterbury Park.
The top two exchanged the lead as the finish line approached before Sushi Man prevailed by a neck.
Click here for Canterbury Park entries and results.
The 3-year-old gelding by Astern is owned by his breeder One Bid Stable. Trained by first-time Minnesota Derby winner Coty Rosin and ridden by leading jockey Harry Hernández, Sushi Man paid $2.80 to win. He covered the one mile and 70 yards on the main track in 1:45.71.
“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 on the Canterbury turf course in June.
“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-López. T C Gold, also trained by Robertson, was third.
Carson Bay cruises in Minnesota Oaks
Carson Bay won The $75,000 Minnesota Oaks, carrying jockey Erica Murray to her first career stakes win.
In the race for 3-year-old fillies, Carson Bay set all the fractions drawing away to win by 5 1/2 lengths with a time of 1:45.20 for the mile and 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 Midshipman filly is trained by Gary Scherer and owned by Valene Farms. She paid $3.60 to win as the 4-5 favorite.
Vintage Port, trained by Rosin, finished second. Wildcat Minny, trained by Tim Padilla, was third.
All-sources handle for the eight races was $918,611, a drop of 33% from last year’s $1,361,784. Unlike 2024, four races were moved off the turf Saturday after heavy morning rain.