Canterbury Park Proposes 51-Day Meet For '25

Canterbury Park is proposing a 51-day Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet for 2025 that will trim three dates off the schedule that was conducted at the Minnesota track in 2024 while also including a nine-day break in the middle of next year's season.

The schedule, which will be up for approval at the December meeting of the Minnesota Racing Commission, will run from Saturday, May 24 through Saturday, Sept. 20, beginning one week later and concluding one week earlier than this past season.

Racing would be conducted primarily on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 5 p.m. (CT) and Sundays at 1 p.m. Thursday programs at 5 p.m. are planned for six dates (July 3, 10, 24; Aug. 7 and 21, plus Sept. 18), and the nine-day break is slotted from July 14-22.

“We have proposed a calendar that works well for our horse population and offers multiple opportunities to enter and race,” Canterbury president Randy Sampson said. “We look to build on the success of last season with continued handle and field size growth.”

The recently concluded meet saw a 13% increase in handle and a 13% increase in Thoroughbred field size.

Canterbury ran 54 dates in 2023 and 2024 and had been approved for 65 dates as recently as 2022 and 2021.

Stall applications will be available in March and are due in mid-April. The stable area is expected to be open for arrivals in the second week of May. The first condition book and stakes schedule will be released in the first quarter of 2025.

A $15 million stable area and racing infrastructure improvement project is nearing completion.

The project began in 2023 with the addition of a 36-unit dormitory, a complete replacement of the main track lighting system, and a reconfiguration of the training track.

This past season saw the opening of three new barns that provided a summer home to more than 300 horses, the installation of a new safety rail on the main track, the relocation of the stable entrance gate, and construction of a main track chute to accommodate races at seven furlongs.

Expected to be completed in May is a 33-pad permanent RV park and newly paved circulation roads throughout the backside and barn areas.

“We believe improvements and changes made to our backstretch and racing infrastructure make Canterbury Park the best and safest place to train and race in the Midwest,” Sampson said.