Department of Agriculture, will require stallion owners to verify the status of their stallions as (1) still in Michigan, (2) left the state, (3) deceased or (4) other by September 30 annually in order to receive stallion awards. Forms will be mailed out to members early in January. The 2017 MTOBA Stallion Season Auction will be January 23-24 at mtoba.com. We will have a list of donated seasons on our website beginning in January and will be updating it as additional seasons come in. Donation forms are available on our website for download or call our office at (231) 457-4979 to have one mailed or emailed to you. MTOBA would like to wish all of the horsemen a happy, healthy and prosperous holiday season.
MINNESOTA THOROUGHBRED ASSOCIATION NEWS 2017 Stallion Service Auction The Minnesota Thoroughbred Association is pleased to announce that our 2017 Stallion Service Auction will be held online at thoroughlybred.com January 2-8. This is a terrific opportunity for mare owners from around the country to bid on stallion seasons throughout the United States. We are hard at work recruiting stallions for our auction, and we’re looking forward to offering an extensive list of top quality stallions. As seasons are donated, we will update our stallion auction page at minnesotabred.com. All 2018 progeny of stallions sold during our auction, regardless of where they are foaled, will be eligible for nomination to the 2021 MTA Stallion Auction Stakes at Canterbury Park. This 3-year-old race will run for an estimated $75,000 purse, in addition to special bonuses. Mare owners purchasing a season during the 2017 online auction will have the opportunity to name the mare bred by October 31, 2017. If the foal resulting from this breeding wins the 2021 MTA Stallion Auction Stakes, the mare owner and the stallion donor will share a $10,000 bonus. In addition, if a Minnesota-bred finishes first, second or third in the stakes, it will receive the usual percentage of an additional $5,000 bonus. Nominating to the 2021 MTA Stallion Auction Stakes is easy. Owners have several opportunities to ensure that their 2018 foals are eligible for this race. A $300 nomination, paid on or before June 1, 2020, is the first and least expensive option. A late nomination, paid on or before June 1, 2021, will cost $1,000. And finally, a late nomination paid on entry day for the race will come at a price of $10,000. Do you have a stallion season you’d like to donate? The MTA is accepting stallion season donations until December 30. Donation forms are available on our website at minnesotabred.com or by calling (952) 233-4802. As you look ahead, please keep in mind that you may have horses in your stables that could run in the MTA Stallion Auction Stakes. There’s no better place to visit than Canterbury Park during the summer. As you acquire horses, know that they could also be eligible for nomination since there is no restriction as to where these horses are foaled. All progeny of eligible stallions, regardless of where they are born, are eligible to be nominated to the MTA Stal-
lion Auction Stakes. Please feel free to contact us with questions at (952) 233-4802 or email kay@minnesotabred.com. A complete list of eligible stallions organized by foaling year is available on the MTA website.
Robertson Wins Another Canterbury Training Title, Track Reports Increased Handle Canterbury Park’s 69-day race meet came to a close September 17 with the leading Thoroughbred trainer Mac Robertson winning the first four races on the 11-race program. Robertson concluded the season with 71 wins and a Canterbury record $1,571,658 in purse earnings, tallying his 10th training title at the Shakopee, Minnesota, racetrack. Robertson trainee Majestic Pride, winner of four races this meet including the Brooks Fields and John Bullit stakes, was named Horse of the Year along with titles for top older and grass horse. Determining the leading Thoroughbred rider of the meet came down to the meet’s final race. Alex Canchari trailed Dean Butler by one win. The Shakopee-native had already won three times on the day and Butler once. Canchari and Il Brigante chased the eventual winner, Break In and jockey Orlando Mojica, in deep stretch but settled for second-place, giving Butler his fifth riding title and first since 2013. Butler ended the meet with 82 wins and also set the record for jockey purse earnings with $1,800,261. Joe Novogratz of Chanhassen, Minnesota, racing as Novogratz Racing Stables, was the leading Thoroughbred owner with 18 wins. Nik Goodwin won the American Quarter Horse riding title with 19 wins. Trainer Jason Olmstead led all Quarter Horse trainers with 23 wins. Summer Run Inc. was the leading Quarter Horse owner with seven victories. Handle for the meet totaled $43.3 million, an increase of 5.3 percent over 2015. Average daily handle increased by 6.8 percent, with the on-track average decreasing by 1.5 percent but out-ofstate showing an increase of 10.5 percent over 2015. Daily attendance averaged 6,560, down 2 percent from last season. A record of $14,401,205 in purse money, an increase of 1.8 percent over last season, was paid during the meet’s 654 races. Following are Canterbury Park’s 2016 divisional champions: Horse of the Year, Grass Horse and Older Horse—Majestic Pride Owner: Hugh Robertson, Jeff Ryan and Gary Chanen • Trainer: Mac Robertson 3-Year-Old Colt or Gelding—One Mean Man • Owner: L.T.B. Inc. and Hillerich Racing LLC • Trainer: Bernard Flint 3-Year-Old Filly and Sprinter—Honey’s Sox Appeal • Owner: Bob Lindgren • Trainer: Mac Robertson Older Filly or Mare—Secret Someone • Owner: Mt. Brilliant Stable LLC • Trainer: Michael Stidham 2-Year-Old—Line Judge • Owner: Barry and Joni Butzow Trainer: Joe Sharp Claimer—True West • Owner: Cheryl Sprick and Richard Bremer Trainer: Karl Broberg Quarter Horse—PYC Jess Bite Mydust • Owner: Lunderborg LLC Trainer: Jason Olmstead
AMERICAN RACEHORSE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016 45