Canterbury Park will host its annual Northern Stars Turf Festival on Saturday with eight races and a 5:10 p.m. central start time. Five of the races, including four one-mile $50,000 stakes, will be run over the turf course.
As is typical, several horses will ship in from other states to compete for the purses including two trained by Jonathon Thomas, three by Patrick Swan, two by Larry Rivelli, and one each from the barns of Riley Mott, Mike Maker and Tom Proctor. Horses based at Canterbury are favored in three of the stakes while Tirupati, trained by Thomas, is the morning line choice in the 34th running of the Lady Canterbury. Thomas won the 2023 Lady Canterbury with betting favorite Regal Realm who, like Tirupati, is owned by Augustin Stables. Jockey Emmanuel Esquivel will be in to ride for Thomas.
Thunders Rocknroll, trained by Swan, won the 2024 Lady Canterbury and finished second last year. The 6-year-old mare will make her third start in 21 days having won the state-bred Lady Slipper, a dirt sprint, at Canterbury June 6 and the Prairie Rose Stakes at Prairie Meadows June 12. The field also includes Arijana's Pearl for trainer Valorie Lund, Salty Senorita for Maker and Wrigleyville, with Keiber Coa aboard, for Proctor.
Canterbury's turf course is an asset that some other Midwest tracks lack and is used extensively at various distances and class levels. Of the 95 races conducted this meet, 45 races or 47%, have been on the lawn.
"The grass course is holding up well. It's a clean, consistent surface where trip and timing matter most," turf course superintendent Kevin Cole said.
Shakopee was hit with two substantial rainstorms in the past seven days including nearly an inch and a half last Friday, but racing on the turf continued uninterrupted the following evening.
"The rain actually is a huge help right now as it evens out the course and allows my crew to do additional things that keep the course healthy, leading to a quick recovery," Cole said.
The Curtis Sampson Oaks is led by Clearly Authentic for trainer City Rosin and owner and breeder Novogratz Racing Stables. The 3-year-old filly recorded a convincing 5 1/4 length victory at the one-mile turf distance May 25. Eduardo Gallardo has the mount. Essential Lady is the other Thomas trainee. She most recently raced at Santa Anita in Southern California but has been training at Turfway Park in Kentucky. She will make her first start for Thomas. Her lone victory was at this distance on the Santa Anita turf in February. Also in the Sampson Oaks field is Minnesota-bred Summer Winner, the 2025 Canterbury champion 2-year-old, who will make her first turf start and first around two turns.
Trainer Lynn Rarick has a pair in the Canterbury Derby, Knick's Honor and morning line favorite Mr Mo's Magic, upset winner of the $110,000 Lambholm South Sophomore Turf at Tampa Bay Downs March 29. The colt will make his first start since that win. Constantino Roman will ride. How About Bob is the shipper for Swan. He won the six-furlong Golden Circle at Prairie Meadows May 16 and was third in the Prairie Mile June 13. The son of Mister Lucky Cat samples the turf for the first time.
Swan also trains Rockin His Socks Off, the only horse not locally based in the field of nine for the Brooks Fields Mile. Tonka Warrior, trained by Mac Robertson and ridden by top jockey Manuel Americano, is the favorite in the Brooks Fields off an impressive 3 1/2 length win June 7 over 2025 Horse of the Meet Frosty View who was making his first start of the year. "He's fit," trainer Joel Berndt said of Frosty View. "He needed that race." The state bred has four wins on the Canterbury turf and finished a close third in last year's Brooks Fields.
The card also includes a $30,000 five-furlong turf allowance named the Dark Star Turf Sprint. Berndt sends out Street Warrior who owns the best Beyer Speed Figure in the seven-horse field, earned June 6 in the main track 10,000 Lakes Stakes. Unproven on grass with just one start and an out-of-the-money finish Street Warrior has tactical speed that can win on this course. "He's fast," was Berndt's summary.
Both Rivelli's entrants land in the Dark Star, Monsieur Candy who is cross entered on Thursday in Chicago and morning line favorite Can't Deny It with Jareth Loveberry slated to ship in for the mount. Loveberry was leading rider at Canterbury in 2017.
Canterbury's Pick 5 wager with an industry low 10 percent takeout begins in the fourth race. Xpressbet is hosting a handicapping contest that encompasses all eight races and awards a $10,000 entry to the 2026 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge. More information is available at canterburypark.com
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