Preview Racing


Remington Park Connections Figure Prominently in Mystic Lake Northlands Trials at Canterbury
A Tres of Sign is among a group of Oklahoma-bred 2-year-olds set to contest the 2019 Mystic Lake Northlands Futurity is $156,000 trials on Saturday.

© Dustin Orona Photography
Remington Park Connections Figure Prominently in Mystic Lake Northlands Trials at Canterbury

SHAKOPEE, MN—JUNE 13, 2019—Six trials will determine the field for Canterbury Park’s biggest Quarter Horse race, the Mystic Lake Northlands Futurity, on Saturday. The 350-yard final will be held on Sunday, July 7, on a card featuring seven stakes worth over $350,000 in purses.

The purse for the 2019 Mystic Lake Northlands Futurity is $156,000, the second highest in the race’s history. The Northlands Futurity is the richest race for Quarter Horses and the second richest for any breed at Canterbury, second only to the $200,000 Mystic Lake Derby for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds on the turf scheduled for June 22.

Minnesota-bred 2-year-olds have won two the last three editions of the race, including last year’s winner, Jess Doin Time, who also qualified for the 2019 Heritage Place Derby. Oklahoma-bred 2-year-olds dominate this year’s trials, but there are 13 states represented in the 51 starters on Saturday.

The horse to beat in the Northlands trials may be the horse on the rail in the fifth trial: A Tres of Sign. Leading Canterbury Park trainer Jason Olmstead and jockey Cristian Esqueda team up for the Tres Sies filly out of multiple graded stakes winner First Painted Sign. A Tres of Sign is a full sister to stakes winner A Tres of Paint and a half-sister to graded stakes winners Apollitical Sign and First Valiant Sign.

A Tres of Sign finished fourth in the Remington Park Oklahoma Bred Futurity (G1).

Undefeated Political Candyhouse has drawn into the third trial for trainer Clinton Crawford and owner/breeder PV Quarter Horse Farms LLC. The Apollitical Jess gelding has won both of his career starts, a maiden and an allowance, at Remington Park this spring.

In the same trial, Alto Rojo will start for Canterbury Park Hall of Fame trainer Ed Hardy. The High Rate of Return gelding is out of the stakes winning mare Ja Desert Evening and finished second in his recent debut at Remington, with plenty of run left after the 250-yard race ended.

In the first trial, Olmstead and Esqueda team up again with Relentless Surfer for owners Tom and Bill Maher. Relentless Surfer is out of the First Down Dash mare Little Surfer, a full sister to champions Wave Carver and Ocean Runaway. The gelding has made two career starts, both at Remington. He finished fourth in the same trial that produced Heritage Place Futurity (G1) winner Uptowne Babe.

Sizzling Fajita enters the same race after recently breaking her maiden at Remington. Prior to that, she qualified for the Oklahoma Futurity (G2).

The trials start in the first race on the Saturday card at Canterbury; first post is 12:45 pm CT.

The 2019 Canterbury Park Quarter Horse stakes schedule includes 17 stakes races worth over $70,000.

Live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing continues through Saturday, September 14, 2019. The race meet offers racing on Thursday and Friday evenings at 6:00 pm CT and Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 12:45 pm CT. in June and July. Quarter horse racing is held at the beginning of each race card.