We’ll be expanding on these items later in the week, but here are three major highlights from opening weekend:

• Canterbury has a new paddock analyst to replace the departed Angela Hermann: Native Minnesotan Brian Arrigoni (above) was selected after trying out opening weekend with Candace Hare, also an outstanding candidate.  Both have very bright futures.
• The lower takeout experiment is looking terrific.  The track reported that overall handle was up 31% over opening weekend last year.  With field size increasing as more horses get to the grounds, the summer looks bright and the decision inspired.  One weekend does not a meet make but…
• Advanced Deposit Wagering is coming…legally.  The ADW bill in the state legislature was passed in the last few days of the session and is awaiting the signature of the governor.  Minnesota residents will still not be able to wager on in-state races but now they will be able to wager on races elsewhere through legally registered ADWs with government oversight and meeting state regulations.

Again, we will expand more on opening weekend later in the week but for now, racing is back in the Gopher State.