Fewer ’23 Dates, Cut in Purses Proposed by Canterbury

Despite coming off a record-handle season, Canterbury Park is proposing a 10-day schedule slice and a $45,000 average daily purse cut for 2023.

The reductions were made public this week as the Minnesota track faced a Nov. 15 racing commission deadline to apply for next year's dates at the same time it is trying to extend or renegotiate an expiring agreement with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. Since 2012, that deal has provided purse funding in exchange for the track and horsemen not pursuing additional forms of gambling, and it expires Dec. 31.

The 54-date season would begin May 27, the latest start in Canterbury Park history, and end Sept. 16. The track would cut back by hosting just three-day race weeks for the bulk of the season, although parts of July and August would feature four days of racing.

Rachel Blount of the Minneapolis Star Tribune first broke the story, quoting Canterbury's chief executive officer, Randy Sampson.

“At this point, we need to plan for how we will manage the racing season if there isn't an extension,” Sampson told the Tribune. “We would all like to run more days, but I think this is a great compromise. I'm quite optimistic it will work out fine.”

Canterbury handled $97.6 million in 2022 over a 64-day season that paid an average of $245,000 in daily purses.

Mike Cronin, the executive director of the Minnesota Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, told the Tribune that horsemen are attempting to focus on the longer-term future.

“We knew we would have to make some compromises for next year, and Canterbury would have to make some compromises,” Cronin said.

“The hope is that we can navigate this together. All things considered, we're excited about next year, but our real focus has to be on 2024 and beyond.”

The potential lack of a funding agreement isn't the only issue. Racing in general in the Midwest will be shifting for 2023 in ways that could increase competition to Canterbury from other regional tracks.

Ellis Park in Kentucky is racing under new ownership, and although Ellis is scheduled to race essentially its same block of 24 dates next year over the same summer template, new owner Churchill Downs, Inc., is expected to put a renewed emphasis on racing there by strengthening the racing program.

In Illinois, Hawthorne Race Course will return a summer Thoroughbred season to greater Chicago after a one-year absence in the aftermath of the sudden and permanent closure of Arlington International Racecourse by racing Mar. 4-Sept. 4.

And in Nebraska, casino gaming and sports betting at tracks are in the pipeline for 2023, with Legacy Downs (formerly Lincoln Race Course) and Fonner Park both expanding their schedules.

Extensive renovations are also planned for Canterbury, so the later start to the season at least affords extra time to complete a new barn and a new dormitory, plus replace the track's lighting system.

Canterbury's proposed dates must be still approved by the Minnesota Racing Commission in December.

“A lot of tracks around the country are already running three days per week, so the horsemen are used to it,'” Sampson told the Tribune.

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Expensive West Coast Colt Gives Sire First Winner

Carolyn Wilson's Fit to Fly (West Coast), a $570,000 OBSMAR acquisition, lived up to his name with a dominant 7 1/4-length score, becoming her freshman sire (by Flatter)'s first winner. Hammered down to even-money favoritism for this debut, the bay went straight to the front and never looked back, clear at every call to win for fun over stablemate Rivzonaroll (Good Samaritan). A $155,000 FTKJUL yearling, she more than tripled that price as a juvenile after breezing in :21 flat for Eddie Woods. Fit to Fly is a half to SW Keke Kimono (Laoban) and has a yearling full-brother. Her SP dam Kimono was bred to Win Win Win for this season, but no live foal has been reported yet.

3rd-Hawthorne, $43,200, Msw, 6-11, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :52.53, ft, 7 1/4 lengths.
FIT TO FLY (c, 2, West Coast–Kimono {SP}, by Bernardini) *$155,000 Ylg '21 FTKJUL; $570,000 2yo '22 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $24,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Carolyn Wilson; B-Woodford Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Larry Rivelli.

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Kevin Costello Captures 2021 NHC Title

Joseph (Kevin) Costello, a 53-year-old executive from Chicago, IL, rode the strength of four victories and 14 top 10 finishes in handicapping contests to run away with the 2021 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Tour title. Costello, who has qualified to the NHC each year since 2016, earned $75,000 for winning the NHC Tour and is eligible for a $5-million bonus if he captures the 2022 NHC Jan. 28-30 at Bally's Las Vegas.

“I always wanted to have the knowledge that I'm consistently good and that's what the Tour does,” said Costello.

Costello said he does all of his handicapping using a pen, a piece of paper and the Daily Racing Form Classic past performances. “I handicap races the way our grandparents did,” he said.

Costello won the Last Chance, First Chance NHC qualifier in Las Vegas on the eve of the 2021 NHC and won three other contests, including two at his hometown racetrack of Hawthorne Race Course, over the course of 2021. Costello concluded the 2021 Tour season with 22,540 points amassed from his top seven scores.

The post Kevin Costello Captures 2021 NHC Title appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Hawthorne Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over Violations Of Biometric Privacy Act

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney, Ill. alleging track management has violated the state's Biometric Privacy Act (BIPA), reports the Cook County Record.

According to the complaint, Hawthorne's security system uses facial recognition scans to help keep out “unwanted visitors.”

The problem, per the complaint, is that Hawthorne allegedly failed to provide notice or obtain consent before the scans were conducted and shared with a security company for comparison against a database. That is a violation of BIPA, which allows plaintiffs to be awarded damages of $1,000 to $5,000 per individual violation.

Based on attendance figures obtained by the Cook County Record, Hawthorne's potential liability in the case could exceed $200 million.

Read more at the Cook County Record.

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