It’s Canterbury Park’s opening night! Let’s cap the races.
Race 1 6:10 EST The 5 Street of Dreams is the likeliest winner here in this AOC for fillies and mares 3YO and up and figures to be forwardly placed. There is the possibility that the 1 Tour for Gold presses her on the front end, so I’m going to go with the 2 Come On Sweet Pea and the 3 Stars of Bluegrass to fill out the exacta. Both have shown late closing kick, and Harry Hernandez gets aboard Come On Sweet Pea. The play: 2,3,5 exacta box
Race 2 6:40 EST A short field of five in this $7.5K SOC dirt race. If we get anything close to the 6-5 morning line odds on the 1 Shinny, I suppose we’d be getting some value. He’s the lightest raced gelding in this bunch, winning 14 of his 24 lifetime starts. Anticipate that the post time odds will be closer to 2-5 so I’ll probably pass here. If you are looking for a longer price, go no further than the 4 Texas Long Bow, who is a horse for the course and should be forwardly placed. Perhaps he can wire the field.
Race 3 7:10 EST A MSW for fillies and mares 3YO and up going six furlongs on the dirt. The 7 Asena drops in for Valerie Lund after finishing a game second last month at Tampa Bay Downs. None of the other fillies here can match up. Don’t leave bred sprinter 2 Goldie’s Delight (Super Saver) out of your exactas and tris. The play: Win bet on the 7
Race 4 7:40 EST It is said that when it is dry in Minnesota, the turf course plays fast and favors early speed. That would seem to favor morning line favorite 2 Rozey Cheeks in this claimer for fillies and mares 3YO and up. There are a couple of others I like here though. The 4 Creating Memories tries the grass for the first time after running on the dirt in her first two starts (1 win). Same for 6 Toosie out of the Karl Broberg barn. Although this feels more like a stab rather than a calculated move, Broberg rarely puts horses in bad spots. I will box those three, trying to catch the price up top. The play: 2,4,6 exact box
Race 5 8:10 EST Eight are tabbed to line up in the gate for this $36K Allowance sprint on the dirt. I’m gonna play against the morning line favorite here and put 1 Cousinvinnysacaunuck and 6 Happy Hour Bobby in the top two spots and add the 7 Bayou Benny in the second spot in a straight exacta. The play: 1,6/1,6,7 straight exacta
Race 6 8:40 EST Going with the 3 College Party to wire the field in this 5.5-furlong turf sprint. Second choice on the morning line but I expect that to float up given the company here. The play: Win bet on the 3; 3/1,4,6,7 straight exacta
Race 7 9:10 EST The first of two non-graded stakes races, the $50K 10,000 Lakes is a six-furlong sprint on the dirt. The 5 Thealligatorhunter is 6-for-12 lifetime, goes second off the bench here and is a logical choice. However, the 2 Dame Plata has been in fine form in 2022, winning 2-of-3 and only beaten by a nose in the loss. The play: 2/4-7 straight exacta
Race 8 9:40 EST The $50K Lady Slipper closes Canterbury’s first night of racing, and at first, I find it’s tough to get past the 7-5 morning line favorite 6 Clickbait. In twelve career starts, she’s won six and completed the exacta four times. I’ll knock her down for coming into the race off an eight-month layoff. Likewise for top competition 4 Ready to Runaway, who makes her first start of 2022 off an almost identical layoff. Based on similar form from last year, this is little more than a paid workout with non-graded stakes company. I’ll take a stand against the top two choices and with the hope that one of them has enough in the tank to get up for second. The play: 1,3,7/4,6 straight exacta