SHAKOPEE, MN – This evening the 33rd Minnesota Festival of Champions night will be held at Canterbury Park this evening. Six state bred stakes worth a total of $380,000, along with a maiden and allowance race will be run. First post will be at 5:10 PM.
The Babies: The Northern Lights Debutante and Futurity ($75,000)
Rick Bremer and Cheryl Sprick bred both the male and female winners of the Northern Lights races on Minnesota Festival of Champions Day in 2024. They come into this year’s Festival Day with the chance to do it again.
Sprick and Bremer bred 2024 Futurity winner Able Seaman and Debutante winner Where’s Marilyn. This year they have a pair of contenders in the six-furlong sprints with Merit Badge and Rhyme Away. Similarly to 2024, they own one (Merit Badge) and sold one (Rhyme Away).
Rhyme Away (Bethke), the morning line favorite in the Debutante, was purchased by Carin Offerman out of the 2025 Minnesota Yearling Sale for $48,000. Trained by Troy Bethke, the Flameaway filly crushed in her debut here at Canterbury and then was second in the Iowa Stallion Futurity last out at Prairie Meadows. Leading jockey Manny Americano will be on board.
Charlies Mint (Westerman/Roman) and Minny for the Max (Rushton/Gallardo) are the other two fillies in the race with impressive local wins, though with Beyer Speed Figures considerably below those of Rhyme Away. Derby Day Rose and Heavensgoldengift round out the Deb Field.
In the Futurity, Merit Badge (Meah/Americano) launched his career with a third in a $95,000 Maiden Special Weight at Ellis Park before breaking his maiden at Horseshoe Indiana last out.
Twin City Boy (Espinoza/Fuentes), bred by Mary and Eric Von Seggern, was purchased in the 2025 Minnesota Yearling Sale for $5,000 by Eric Henson and Todd Whisenant. He’s had one start, but it was an impressive one, crushing the locals by 8 ½ lengths.
Owner/breeder Pete Mattson has another homebred vying for a divisional title in Mighty Samurai (Padilla/Roman). After an impressive maiden breaking performance in late June, he followed that up with solid second in $100,000 optional claiming race at Prairie Meadows.
Local winners Strike One More, Blazin Spirit and Found the Secret will join maidens Jackfire, Fun Loving Guy and first-time starter Rockin Powerhouse in the Futurity.
The Turf: The Princess Elaine and Blairs Cove ($55,000)
In the mile and sixteenth Princess Elaine, the 3-5 morning line favorite is Cupid’s Crush (Robertson/Hernandez) in her return to the races after a nearly 7-month absence. The two-time winner of this event, along with other stakes wins and placings across the country, is clearly the one to beat but the long absence leaves some questions to be answered.
Trainer Mac Robertson comes into the Festival ’26 with 43 wins, tops among trainers, while Cupid’s Crush has lifetime earnings of over a half million dollars.
Looking to track closely to the early speed of most in the race will be Vintage Port (Rosin/Gallardo) who has a win and three seconds in five starts at Canterbury this season. Go KJ Go and three-year old Flatter Me Billy fill the Princess Elaine Field.
2025 Horse of the Meet, Frosty View (Berndt/Fuentes), is the favorite in the mile and sixteenth Blair’s Cove. Last year’s dominating win in this race was followed up by a win in the Carey Memorial Stakes at Hawthorne and a $100,000 allowance win at Keeneland.
This season Frosty View is two out of three locally with wins in an allowance and the Brooks Fields Stakes. He’ll be out in front early and the one to catch late.
Should Sushi Man, High Ransom and Haunted Haze push the early pace enough to weaken the favorite, Victorious Vanda could be poised to storm past the field late.
The Sprints: Crocrock Minnesota Sprint and Bella Notte Distaff Sprint ($55,000)
Robertson, proving he is once again loaded headed into Festival Day, trains the morning line favorite, Distorted Pro (Hernandez). After a disappointing third in the 10,000 Lakes after a slow start, Distorted Pro came back o August 9 to win a $50,000 optional here with ease going gate to wire.
The winner of the 10,000 Lakes, speedster Street Warrior (Berndt/Roman) has been second and third locally, showcasing his versality with a turf sprint placing.
Both of the top two have shown the ability to go gate to wire as well as to sit off the pace. This will be the rubber match in their rivalry with Distorted Pro defeating Street Warrior in last year’s Crocrock.
Minnesota Derby champion, That Type Ofa Deal (Berndt/Americano) closed very well to win the mile and 70 Derby but returns to sprinting for his first try against older horses. Closing into this field may prove tough for the youngster but he has been improving with every race this season.
The very deserving 4/5 favorite in the Bella Notte is Bob Lindgren’s homebred, Thunders Rocknroll (Swan/Americano). The last time this winner of 14 races and $512,137 lost to a state bred foe was in the 2025 Lady Slipper. She won that race this year along with wins in the Prairie Rose at Prairie Meadows, a state bred allowance and a 4th on the turf in the Lady Canterbury. At her best she towers over this field and is coming in sharp.
Taking up the chase, because races aren’t won on paper, will be the winner and third place fnishers in the Minnesota Oaks, Summer Winner and Heavenly Captive. Veteran Carson Bay and lightly raced 4-year old Mitole Princess (are the other challengers.
