The Canterbury Park Hall of Fame's newest inductees were announced Tuesday. The Class of 2023 includes Thoroughbred owner and breeder Bob Lothenbach of Wayzata, former jockey Ry Eikleberry, and retired Minnesota-bred Thoroughbred racehorse Mr. Jagermeister. These inductees join a group of more than 50 individuals and horses that comprise the best of Minnesota horse racing.
Lothenbach has raced at Canterbury and nationally at the highest levels for decades. He won his first Canterbury leading-owner title in 2002. Two years later Mayo On the Side, bred in Kentucky by Lothenbach, won the 2004 Grade 1 Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs with trainer Carl Nafzger. Lothenbach has owned nine graded stakes winners including additional Grade 1 winners Bell's the One and Vacare.
Lothenbach's familiar royal blue silks with red diamonds began appearing in the Canterbury winner's circle on a regular basis in recent years. He has been the leading owner the past three seasons, setting an earnings record in 2022 with $1,521,176 in purses. Lothenbach has won more than 200 races at Canterbury with earnings in excess of $5.2 million.
Eikleberry first rode at Canterbury Park in 2006 after beginning his career at the age of 16 the year before at Arapahoe Park in Denver. He quickly matured as a rider, winning multiple Canterbury titles first with Quarter Horses then with Thoroughbreds. He was champion Quarter Horse jockey in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and won the Thoroughbred riding title in 2014, 2018 and 2020. Eikleberry retired at the end of the 2022 Canterbury meet, winning the final race of the season. He is third in all-time Thoroughbred earnings at Canterbury with $13,163,965 in purses and fourth all-time in wins with 723. Eikleberry is second all-time in wins and earning with Quarter Horses.
The summer of 2017 at Canterbury Park was electric, in part, thanks to Mr. Jagermeister, who was one of the fastest 2-year-olds in the nation. The following season Mr. Jagermeister, owned by Kristin Boice, Leslie Cummings and trainer Valorie Lund, won four Minnesota-bred stakes and was named Canterbury Park Horse of the Year, Champion 3-year-old and Champion Sprinter for 2018.
When he retired in 2022, Mr. Jagermeister had amassed more in career earnings, $700,839, than any other Minnesota-bred in history. He won the 2019 Chesapeake Stakes at Colonial Downs and the 2020 Phoenix Gold Cup at Turf Paradise in addition to seven Canterbury stakes. Mr. Jagermeister also won races at Oaklawn and Tampa Bay Downs and raced at Churchill Downs, Santa Anita, Keeneland and Prairie Meadows.
The Canterbury Park Hall of Fame was founded in 1995 to recognize people and horses that have made important and lasting contributions to the racing industry within the state. The selection committee consists of representatives of local horseperson organizations, media, and Canterbury Park. The new members will be recognized during the races on Hall of Fame Night this Saturday and inducted at a July 14 ceremony.
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