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Canterbury Park receives approval
to conduct 62-day mixed meet in 2012
Shakopee, MN - Nov. 18, 2011 - Canterbury Park
received approval from the Minnesota Racing Commission on Thursday
to conduct a 62-day thoroughbred and quarter horse race meet in
2012. The meet will begin Friday, May 18 and run through Monday,
September 3. Thursday and Friday racing will begin at 7:00 p.m. with
weekend and holiday racing beginning at 1:30 p.m.
The 2012 meet will run on the same number of days as in 2011, but
track officials said last summer's state shutdown, which caused the
Shakopee track to lose revenue, will mean smaller purses next
season.
Featured race days in 2012 will include the 19th renewal of the
Minnesota Festival of Champions, a day dedicated to the best race
horses bred in the state, and the second annual Fillies Race For
Hope, a day of races exclusively for fillies and mares that will
benefit Hope Chest for Breast Cancer Foundation. Dates for those
events will be announced in January along with a complete stakes
schedule.
“The 2012 race meet will closely resemble the meet we ran this year,
minus the state government shutdown that caused Canterbury and the
horse owners, trainers and breeders to lose 20 days of business,”
track president Randy Sampson said. “While the shutdown and loss of
revenues had a negative impact on next season’s purses, it is
necessary to offer sufficient racing opportunities so that
Canterbury continues to attract enough horses to make the meet a
success,” Sampson said.
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