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Half to Nemoralia Debuts at Kempton

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday’s Insights features a half-sister to MG1SP Nemoralia (More Than Ready).

6.55 Kempton, Mdn, £5,400, 3yo/up, f/m, 8fT
AUREUM (Medaglia d’Oro) debuts for Godolphin and John Gosden, having cost $800,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2018. The half-sister to More Than Ready’s G3 City of York S. winner and triple group and grade one-placed Nemoralia and Ides of August, who was off the mark on his debut on Sunday, the April-foaled bay encounters another newcomer of note in Khalid Abdullah’s Sun Tide (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), a Ralph Beckett-trained half-sister to the luminary Midday (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and smart pair Hot Snap (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and Sun Maiden (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

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Gainesway Secures Breeding Rights To Grade 1 Winner McKinzie

Gainesway Farm has purchased the breeding rights to four-time Grade 1 winner McKinzie (Street Sense-Runway Model, by Petionville). He will begin his stud career at Gainesway Farm upon his retirement from racing, the farm announced today.

“It is very exciting to stand a horse with McKinzie's credentials at Gainesway,” said director of bloodstock, Alex Solis II. “I don't believe there is a more exciting prospect than McKinzie out there. We are grateful to Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, Paul Weitman, and Bob Baffert for this fantastic opportunity.”

To date, McKinzie has earnings of over $3.4 million and has run first or second in 13 of 15 graded stakes during his career.

“McKinzie is a Grade 1 winner at two, three, and four from distances of seven furlongs to 1 1/8 mile,” said Gainesway general manager Brian Graves. “His speed, versatility, and soundness make him an absolute standout. His 10 individual triple-digit Beyer figures are truly impressive.”

McKinzie burst onto the scene as a juvenile, breaking his maiden on debut and was named a TDN Rising Star. He went on to win a Grade 1 at two when he took the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity.

At three, the colt picked up two more Grade 1 wins, the G1 Pennsylvania Derby, and the G1 Malibu Stakes.

At four, he added two more graded wins in the Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs and the G1 Whitney at Saratoga over dual Grade 1 winner Yoshida and eventual Breeders' Cup Classic winner and Eclipse champion Vino Rosso, where he ran a 111 Beyer and a 1/4 Ragozin figure.

“From day one, McKinzie has just been exceptional,” said his trainer, Bob Baffert. “He is a gorgeous physical with brilliant speed and stamina. I've only had one other horse in my career that has been able to accomplish what he's done by winning a Grade 1 at two, three, and four. It takes an extraordinary horse to achieve that.”

McKinzie is out of Runway Model, who is a dual Grade 2 winner that was third in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at two, second in the G1 Ashland Stakes at three, and sold to Summer Wind Farm for $2.7 million.

“The plan with him going forward is to return in the July 4 Runhappy Met Mile,” said Baffert. “Hopefully, this will put us in an excellent position to earn Horse of the Year honors and champion older horse of 2020.”

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Monmouth Park Can Open With Fans

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced Monday that, as of July 2, the state’s casinos and racetracks can open at 25% capacity.

Dennis Drazin, who heads the operations team at Monmouth Park, said that while some details still need to be clarified by Murphy’s office, he is of the belief that Monmouth can allow as many as 15,000 people a day at the races. Drazin bases that number on Monmouth being able to accommodate as many as 60,000 fans, roughly the number that attended American Pharoah’s GI Haskell Invitational in 2015.

“I think this is huge,” Drazin said. “This is a great development for us now.”

Monmouth was already scheduled to begin its abbreviated meet July 3.

Should Monmouth be allowed to have 15,000 people in attendance that would mean that, for most days, no one will be turned away.

The only day during the meet where the demand would likely exceed 15,000 people is Haskell Day. The race usually draws about 40,000 people. Drazin thinks that this year there may only be about 15,000 people who want to see the race in person.

“How many people are not going to want to come simply because they are afraid to come out?” he said. “I think we will lose a lot of our customers anyway. People aren’t ready to venture out yet. I think we will be ok with 15,000.”

Drazin said if it becomes clear that more than 15,000 people want to attend the race, he would reach out to the governor’s office and seek a one-day exception to the 25% rule. Monmouth had planned not to charge for admission or parking throughout the meet, but Drazin said an exception could be made for Haskell Day in an effort to keep the crowd down.

Monmouth experimented with having fans in the building last Saturday as it opened up the Lady’s Secret Cafe and let fans come in and watch and wager on the GI Belmont S. Drazin said that was permissible because the cafe is considered an outdoor dining area. Drazin also said that, starting this Friday, owners will be allowed in an area near the top of the stretch and will be able to watch their horses train from there.

Murphy said that face masks will be mandatory in the Atlantic City casinos. It is likely the same protocols will be in place at the state’s racetracks.

“If any visitor refuses to comply with these simple safeguards, you will be escorted out of the casino,” the governor said. “We are not going to tolerate any knuckleheads trying to ruin it for those who want to enjoy themselves responsibly and those who need to get back to work, especially if those knuckleheads could be spreading Covid.”

Drazin said it is imperative that patrons, horsemen and frontside employees strictly follow all the guidelines Murphy imposes.

“There will be further guidelines coming out over the next several days,” he said. “There will certainly be social distancing and mask requirements. We plan to screen people before they can enter the track. Whatever the governor says we have to do, that’s what we will do. I do not think that the governor will let us stay open if we don’t make sure that there is social distancing. If we don’t do our job, frankly, he should tell us we have a problem. We need to do our job and we need to keep people six feet apart when they are standing in line and six feet apart when watching races. We just can’t let people get carried away.”

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Canterbury Park, Greystone Construction Partner To Develop 13 Acres Of Canterbury Commons

Canterbury Park Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: CPHC) (the “Company”) and Greystone Construction (“Greystone”) announced Monday that the two longstanding Shakopee, Minn. companies have formed a joint venture to develop a 13-acre land parcel located on the southwest portion of the 140-acre Canterbury Commons. Canterbury Park, who is contributing 13 acres of land to the joint venture valued at approximately $261,000 per acre, will hold a roughly 62% interest in the venture. Greystone will provide development, management and construction services for the project and will hold a roughly 38% interest in the joint venture.

Canterbury Park and Greystone envision a multi-use development that will feature up to six pad-ready sites and two internal roads. Potential uses within the new 13-acre development are expected to include hospitality, dining, residential, commercial offices and service-oriented retail. In addition, Greystone, a general contractor with projects in more than 27 states, will relocate its corporate headquarters to a newly constructed 26,000 square foot office at the site. The joint venture has commenced initial site work, and Greystone intends to break ground on its new headquarters in the fall of 2020 with occupancy expected in 2021.

“From the very beginning, our vision for Canterbury Commons has been to attract residential, hospitality, commercial, entertainment and retail elements that enhance and strengthen the economy and social experiences in Shakopee and beyond,” said Randy Sampson, Canterbury Park President and CEO. “This new joint venture with Greystone represents a critical and positive step toward expanding the programming of the Canterbury Commons development beyond residential and into potential commercial, retail and dining offerings which will drive visitation to Shakopee and expand the city's tax base. We're delighted to partner with a leading Shakopee company and excited to become their neighbor as they bring their employees to Canterbury Commons in a few years.

“This is an exciting time for Canterbury and Greystone as well as the future of Shakopee, and this new joint venture represents further progress in the ongoing transformation of our excess land into a vibrant new community. This new partnership, combined with the development of the Triple Crown Residences and our two recently announced land sale agreements, is unlocking new value for the Company's stakeholders as we continue to monetize the excess real estate that surrounds the Racetrack and Card Casino at Canterbury Park.”

“Shakopee has been home to Greystone Construction since its inception in 1987. We have experienced steady growth since our modest beginning and we have designed and built projects throughout the United States,” said Kevin O'Brien, President and CEO of Greystone Construction. “That being said, it is always special to complete projects in our home town. Greystone has made its mark in Shakopee partnering with many of the great businesses located here to build facilities that provide for growth in production, services and employment. We are very excited to partner with another great Shakopee business and corporate citizen in Canterbury Park. In addition to working with Canterbury Park to develop these 13 acres, this provides us with the opportunity to build a new corporate headquarters. Growth has dictated the need for this space. However, the decision to stay here in Shakopee was based on the amenities the Canterbury Commons development plans provide. Our goal is to build a first-class corporate headquarters, which will help us attract and retain the top talent in our industry. The amenities being built in the Canterbury Commons development will help in providing the atmosphere we want to create for the Greystone Team.”

Canterbury Park and its development partners are currently transforming 140 acres of underutilized land into Canterbury Commons. Development began with the 2018 joint venture agreement between Canterbury and Doran Companies with the two-phase Triple Crown Residences of over 600 units at completion. In April 2020, the Company announced two real estate sales agreements for an aggregate 14 acres of land that will add 160 more residential units to the site. Increased access to the development site at Canterbury Commons was made possible by the completion of city streets in 2019 and the upcoming completion of Unbridled Avenue on the northern border of the property in fall 2020.

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