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TRACK CHATTER
VO Fantastic Aira earned Quarter Horse of the Meet honors after banking $50,301 from five starts.
CANTERBURY MEET CONCLUDES
Canterbury Park concluded its 2020 meet on Sept. 17 and recognized the leading horse and horsemen.
Corey Wilmes’ VO Fantastic Aira, who was bred in Minnesota by Rodney Von Ohlen, earned Quarter Horse of the Meet honors after banking $50,301 from five starts. Ed Hardy trained the 3-year-old son of Fantastic Corona Jr for his four wins, which included a nose victory as the odds-on favorite in the 400-yard $67,250 Minnesota Derby on Sept. 9. Leading Quarter Horse jockey honors went to Nik Goodwin, who amassed 10 wins from 32 mounts. Jason Olmstead led all Canterbury Quarter Horse trainers with 19 wins from 103 starters. Wilmes led all Quarter Horse owners with six wins from 15 starters.
The final night of racing at the Shakopee, Minnesota, track was sold
out, which was a great way to conclude a season postponed and shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canterbury Park officials were pleased with the meet especially considering racing was in jeopardy in April. Canterbury was able to conduct an uninterrupted 53-day race meet that began June 10, a month later and 12 days shorter than originally planned.
With capacity limited to 750 spectators, when in 2019 the track averaged 6,592
daily, and race days reduced by 20 percent, wagering on track declined 65 percent to $3.7 million. Off-track wagering from across the country increased 115.6 percent to $64.7 million. Average handle per race, perhaps the best comparison under the circumstances, increased 114 percent due to a 174 percent increase in per race out of state handle.
“We are pleased with the results of the 2020 live racing season and our record all- sources handle,” Vice President of Racing Andrew Offerman said. “Although the substantial increase in off-track handle didn’t fully offset our losses in admissions, food and beverage and on-track handle revenues, the increase in exposure of our racing product
and the national acceptance of it were encouraging. These off-track gains helped us salvage a mostly successful season in the midst of a global pandemic.”
Canterbury officials made the decision to pivot from a traditional schedule
that included weekends to a Monday- Thursday race week designed to capture national wagering dollars when facing less competition. The gamble paid off as total handle of $68,388,504 for 53 days far exceeded the 2018 record of $48,142,704 when 66 racing programs were conducted.
ZIA PARK OPENS AFTER DELAY
Zia Park opened Oct. 5 with a 36-day race meet continuing through Dec. 23. The Hobbs, New Mexico, track was originally scheduled to begin its 2020 meet Sept. 21.
Due to the pandemic, Zia’s casino operations shutdown March 16, which significantly reduced available purse funds. The New Mexico Racing Commission approved an 18-day reduction in the track’s live racing calendar from the planned 54 days.
The track will race on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays with a post time on noon. On-track spectators will not be allowed at the track until further notice.
If casino operations resume by Nov. 1, Zia Park will add one racing date to each of the final four weeks of its 2020 season. Overnight purses are projected to be approximately $95,000 per day with Quarter Horse races comprising the first four races of each card with the final six featuring Thoroughbreds.
Due to the consolidated racing calendar and limited purse funds, the Hobbs America Futurity and Derby will not be run in 2020, and all nomination fees for those events will be refunded. The stakes schedule will also be abbreviated and feature only state-bred races, with the annual New Mexico Cup races to be contested on Nov. 9 for Quarter Horses and Nov. 11 for Thoroughbreds.
“This year has been a roller coaster
to date and while our 2020 season will
be shortened, we are glad to be able to provide the New Mexico racing industry with a needed bridge in terms of racing opportunities and stabling,” said Zia Park Vice President and General Manager
Bill Belcher.
Visit ziaparkcasino.com/racing for safety protocols to be implemented for the upcoming race meet.
EVANGELINE DOWNS MEET OPENS
Evangeline Downs’ fall American Quarter Horse meet began Oct. 1, after
a two-week delay supported by the state’s racing commission. The Evangeline meet was originally scheduled to start Sept. 17, but the Louisiana State Racing Commission unanimously approved the move by a 10-0 vote. The first 10 days of the season will still be the dates originally scheduled to be contested at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans.
In October, racing will be on a Thursday- Saturday schedule while November and December racing at Evangeline Downs will be conducted on a Wednesday-Saturday schedule, with no live racing held during Thanksgiving week. Post time for the season will be 5:35 p.m.
Visit www.evdracing.com for more information.
Got Good News to Share?
Do you have a positive story that you’d like to share?
Send photos and news items to Jennifer Hancock: jennifer_k_hancock@ hotmail.com.
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