Sampson will accept the award at the eighth annual Jockeys and Jeans fundraiser July 2 at Churchill Downs.

“Of course, I am truly honored,” Sampson said. “But there are likely some out there who more deserve the recognition. But it is not about recognition, it's about the opportunity to speak for and help disabled former riders.”

Jockeys and Jeans President, Barry Pearl called Sampson, “a Godsend.”

“Not only have he and the track been major contributors, he is a roll up your sleeves type of guy who not only knows how to get a lot of things done but is willing to spend the time to get them done,” Pearl said.

Jockeys and Jeans, an all-volunteer group founded by five former jockeys, has raised over $2 million for Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

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In 2021, all-sources wagering reached a record $90.9 million with racing conducted Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons, surpassing the $68.4 million record set in 2020 when 53 days of racing were conducted. The 2022 request would replace Tuesdays with Saturday evening racing programs while continuing Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday programs. Racing would begin at 1:00 p.m. on Sundays and 5:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Sunday afternoon out-of-state wagering in 2021 exceeded company officials' expectations with an average $894,736 in off-track handle, nearly triple the pre-pandemic 2019 figure when the Shakopee, Minn. track last conducted Sunday programs. The success in maintaining wagering levels with the shift to Sundays in 2021 leads to optimism amongst track officials about the possibilities regarding the return of Saturday racing, absent since 2019.

“Canterbury Park has been successful over the past two seasons in drawing the interest of the national horseplayer through running a race schedule focused on the less competitive days of the week and by providing a strong value proposition for the wagering dollar,” company president Randy Sampson said. “In 2022, we plan to continue to offer a strong wagering proposition at opportunistic times in the weekly calendar while making it easier for our passionate on-track fan base to return to the races by adding Saturday evening programs,” Sampson said.

Canterbury first experimented with weeknight-only racing in 2020 when pandemic restrictions caused a delay to the start of the race meet with severe limitations on attendance. National handle soared as a result. Mondays were eliminated last season in favor of Sunday afternoons.

The 2022 schedule also includes a nine-day break from July 18 through July 26 to accommodate Twin Cities Summer Jam, an annual multi-day music festival held in the racetrack infield.

The Minnesota Racing Commission, a nine-member panel appointed by the state's governor tasked with overseeing the integrity and safety of horse racing at Minnesota's two pari-mutuel racetracks, is expected to consider Canterbury's race date request at its December meeting. Minnesota Administrative Rule 7872.0100 requires Canterbury Park to submit its request for 2022 racing dates no later than November 15, 2021.
Canterbury Park's 24/7 card casino and simulcast racebook remain open daily. For more information, visit www.canterburypark.com .

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With no COVID-19 restrictions in place this season, spectators returned and daily average on-track wagering increasing by 87.1 percent to $130,304, leaving officials at the Shakopee, Minn. racetrack thrilled about the season and optimistic for the future.

“It really was an encouraging racing season,” track president Randy Sampson said. “We maintained wagering levels out of state but most importantly we saw racing fans return to Canterbury Park. Business levels increased throughout the summer which allowed us to continue to bring employees back to work and provide the race-day experience that our guests expect.”

Purse money averaged $239,365 daily, with $7.28 of the more than $15 million total contributed by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community through a cooperative marketing and purse enhancement agreement reached with Canterbury Park in 2012. SMSC owns and operates nearby Mystic Lake Casino Hotel. More than $6.6 million in purses was paid to owners of horses that were foaled in Minnesota.

“With the support of horse trainers and owners, we presented an excellent racing product which continued to attract wagering across the country,” Vice President of Racing Operations Andrew Offerman said. “We are grateful for the owners, trainers, breeders, patrons and team that contributed to this record season and we celebrate the record purse distribution of more than $15 million dollars in 2021 that will allow industry participants to reinvest their earnings into future racing prospects and support vitals components of Minnesota's agriculture industry.”

Mac Robertson won the Thoroughbred training title for the 14th time with 62 wins. Lindey Wade, riding at Canterbury for the first time, was leading Thoroughbred jockey with 80 wins, 13 more than last year's champion Ry Eikleberry. Lothenbach Stables Inc. was leading thoroughbred owner with 32 wins and $886,904 in purse earnings. Jason Olmstead continued his dominance in the quarter horse ranks, easily winning his seventh consecutive training title. Tom Maher was leading owner and Edwin Escobedo was top quarter horse jockey.

Cinco Star, trained by Robertson, was named Horse of the Meet. The 6-year-old Minnesota bred, owned by John Mentz of Lakeville, won three times this summer including the Blair's Cove and Ralph Strangis Stakes.

Thursday's 13-race card attracted $2,892,591 in wagering. Minister of Soul under jockey Luis Fuentes won the $50,000 Tom Metzen HBPA Sprint Stakes. The 7-year-old is owned and trained by Esteban Martinez.

Robertson capped the season winning the $50,000 Shakopee Juvenile, a race he has now won five consecutive times, with 2-year-old Misyneedsacocktail. The filly was ridden by Luis Negron for owner Jac Mac Stable, LLC.

Canterbury Park's 2021 Horse of the Year and divisional champions:
• Horse of the Year – Cinco Star (owner: John Mentz : trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Sprinter – Clickbait (owner: Hugh Robertson, John Mentz & Jeff Larson : trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Older Filly or Mare – Ready to Runaway (owner: John Mentz : trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Older Horse – Cinco Star (owner: John Mentz : trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Grass Horse – Cinco Star (owner: John Mentz : trainer: Mac Robertson)
• Three-Year-Old Colt or Gelding – Thealligatorhunter (owner: Pete Mattson & Tim Padilla : trainer: Tim Padilla)
• Three-Year-Old Filly – Star of the North (owner: Michael Grossman : trainer: Francisco Bravo)
• Two-Year-Old – Love the Nest (owner: Lothenbach Stables, Inc : trainer: Joel Berndt)
• Claimer – Wild Behavior (owner: Empire Racing Stables : trainer: Robertino Diodoro)
• Quarter Horse – Jess Rocket Man (owner: Lunderborg LLC : trainer: Jason Olmstead)

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Canterbury will race on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 5 PM as well as Sundays beginning May 30 at 1 PM through Sept. 16. In May, capacity will be 2,500 but will increase in June.

“We are thrilled to be racing and to have more fans in the stands,” Canterbury Park President Randy Sampson said. The announcement by Gov. Walz was welcomed but more sudden than most state entertainment venues like Canterbury had expected. Many are now facing the challenge of staffing to the levels needed to be successful. “Our priority is to provide the quality guest experience that we are known for,” Sampson said. “To do that we will start with 2,500 guests and increase capacity in a responsible and safe way as we onboard more employees. I expect to welcome in excess of 7,500 to 10,000 guests as the summer progresses.”

Canterbury's marketing department made the decision this spring to release its promotional schedule and sell admission tickets month by month as guidance from the state regarding capacity became clear. Events such as Corgi Dog races, Extreme Day, and a fireworks display, which complement a day at the horse races and attract thousands of fans, are now possible and will be added to the schedule throughout the summer.

“Many of our most popular race-day events were just not operationally and financially feasible without knowing how many guests would be allowed,” Vice President of Marketing John Groen said. “We can now schedule those events that bring so much enjoyment to our fans.”

Groen plans to push many of the events to the later months of summer.

The horse racing itself will be at full stride from the start if Tuesday's opening night entries are any indication. The nine-race program drew a total of 86 horses in the body of the races and an additional nine on the also- eligible list. Racing officials expect nearly 1,500 horses to be stabled in the barn area.

Wednesday's program features a pair of $50,000 sprint stakes for horses bred in Minnesota, the Lady Slipper and the 10,000 Lakes Stakes. Hot Shot Kid and Mr. Jagermeister, the all-time leaders in purse earnings by a Minnesota-bred thoroughbred, will meet again in the 10,000 Lakes. In 2020, Hot Shot Kid defeated Mr. Jagermeister by 1 1/2 lengths. Hot Shot Kid, trained by Mac Robertson, has earned $617,961 in a 35-race career, while Mr. Jagermeister, who has started 29 times, has earned $615,434. He is trained by Valorie Lund.

More information and a complete schedule can be found at canterburypark.com. Canterbury officials are recommending that guests purchase admission tickets online for a touchless experience. A discount is offered to encourage advance purchases at: tickets.canterburypark.com.

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Under his chairmanship, Canterbury Park was transformed from a shuttered facility into one of the most attended racetracks in the nation through a unique blend of entertainment and a relentless focus on its family-friendly atmosphere. Canterbury Park expanded beyond racing in 2000 with the launch of the Canterbury Card Casino under Sampson's leadership. Recently, the company has announced a significant redevelopment plan to maximize the surrounding property secured during his chairmanship.

Throughout a career that began in 1955, Sampson was instrumental in the formation and growth of several multi-million dollar telecommunications companies, all while operating out of his hometown of Hector, Minn., where he was born in 1933.

Sampson graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1955 with a Business Administration degree. After working three months as an accountant in Minneapolis, he returned to Hector and remained there until his death, first helping build Minnesota Central Telephone, then Midwest Telephone Company, and in 1970 forming Communications Systems Inc. (CSI). Later in his career came North American Communications Corporation (NACC II) in 1986 and in 1990, CSI formed Hector Communications Corporation which was eventually sold, with great returns to shareholders, in 2006.

Sampson had become involved in racehorse breeding in the 1980s along with his son Randy and they raced the family horses at what was then Canterbury Downs. The track flourished initially but quickly faltered, losing $10 million in 1992, its final year of operation before closing.

Curt and Randy along with South St. Paul businessman Dale Schenian purchased the racetrack and surrounding property in 1994, took the company public later that year, with Curt as Chairman of the Board, Schenian as Vice Chair and Randy as company president. In 1995 live horse racing returned to the state at the newly branded Canterbury Park.

During his speech while being inducted into the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame in 2012, Sampson said that “horse racing and horse owners need a track” to be successful. He thought it possible to turn a business that lost millions of dollars into a profitable venture but more importantly he knew what it could mean for those involved in the industry. “It had taken our whole team [at CSI] 15 years to generate 1,500 good jobs. In one fell swoop, by buying Canterbury, there could be 1,500 people back to work.”

It is that dedication to people and an industry he had come to love, that is ingrained in the culture of Canterbury and was the trademark of any Sampson business. Curt created a culture of loyalty, ethical business dealings, honesty, and community service.

In 2012, his leadership was instrumental in a partnership created with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, owners and operators of Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, just three miles from Canterbury. A cooperative marketing and racing purse enhancement solidified the future of racing and breeding in the state.

Curt is survived by wife Marian, daughter Susan, and sons Randy, Paul and Russ along with 11 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

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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.

“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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