Horses owned by Robert Lothenbach of Wayzata, Minn. won four of the six $100,000 Thoroughbred stakes Saturday during Canterbury Park's 12-race Minnesota Festival of Champions for state-breds.
Joel Berndt trained all Lothenbach winners, including an allowance winner earlier on the card.
The first stakes victory came in the Princess Elaine with Midnight Current, a 4-year-old Midnight Lute filly who has won five consecutive races this season at Canterbury. She paid $3.20 as the favorite with leading rider Harry Hernandez aboard.
Lothenbach next won the Northern Lights Futurity with favorite It's Bobs Business. The 2-year-old Bolt d'Oro gelding missed the break but was able to navigate through traffic, circling the field and drawing off to win by 7 1/4 lengths under Constantino Roman. He paid $2.80.
Love the Nest, a 3-year-old Blame filly, won the Crocrock Sprint for Lothenbach and Berndt with rider Ry Eikleberry. The Minnesota Derby winner, facing older horses for the first time, raced behind a pace battle between The Alligatorhunter and Doctor Oscar before passing both to win by 2 3/4 lengths. Love the Nest returned $7.00.
Eikleberry was aboard the fourth Lothenbach winner as well. Charlie's Penny, a 4-year-old daughter of Race Day, prevailed in the Bella Notte Distaff Sprint by 5 1/4 lengths over Ready to Runaway and defending champion Clickbait, returning $3.80.
Eikleberry has now won 11 Festival Thoroughbred stakes in his career, tying Scott Stevens for the third most in the 29-year history of the event. Eikleberry also has five additional Festival wins aboard quarter horses.
Lothenbach's allowance victory that came earlier on the card when Loring Park, a 4-year-old Orb gelding, won as the favorite with Eikleberry riding. Lothenbach is also the breeder of Loring Park, Midnight Current, Its Bobs Business, and Charlie's Penny.
Lover Girl, trained by Matt Williams and ridden by Karlo Lopez, secured the Northern Lights Debutante as a longshot. The 2-year-old Congrats filly paid $28.80, defeating odds-on favorite Thunders Rocknroll by two lengths. The winning filly was bred and is owned by Gary and Brenda Bergsrud
Stitzy won the Blair's Cove Minnesota Turf Championship with jockey Ezequiel Lara aboard. The gate-to-wire winner is trained by Jose Silva Jr. and owned by 5th Street Stables. The 6-year-old English Channel gelding paid $17.80.
Wagering reached a Minnesota Festival of Champions high of $2,446,940, the fourth largest handle total of the season. The previous Festival handle record was the 2020 total of $2,048,915.
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