Original Tweet: https://x.com/jbauer2581/status/1956023723451928803
Congratulations @rail_talk on 100 eps! This post may be long, but it’s a good read.
Ever since I had a conversation with @RenCarothers about what shows to listen to that discuss the overall workings regarding horse racing, she recommended listening to @JoeBiancaWPT and @JonGreen2022. Once I started listening, I became quite intrigued with the show. One of the eps that really got my attention was the discussion which included Joe, John, @Tinky47flat and @RepoleStable from earlier this year. I know it was supposed to be a debate, but it really came to more of an understanding of where the horse racing industry is currently at, while giving a glimpse of what the industry could turn into, good or bad.
After saying that, I would like to bring up that after a successful yearling sale at Saratoga, and Keeneland’s sale right around the corner, please consider looking into some of the regional sales as well. They may not have the prestige of Keeneland, Fasig Tipton, or the pageantry of the likes, but to the blue-collar breeders, this is their livelihood. And to the tracks that put on or support these sales, this is the future talent.
With foal crop sizes decreasing in areas, it is now more than ever, imperative to get fresh eyes on these sales. I know the likes of @DJ_Stable and @westpointtbred have great ownership programs and with the rise of ownership groups like @MyRacehorse and upcomer @IconRacingLFG, that sell micro shares that can give the average horse racing fan a taste of the forbidden fruit that is the Triple Crown races, and Breeder’s Cup events. But for most people, that’s only a taste. Not all who buy shares of horses from those groups will ever be able to afford to make it to those races. But they may have a track down the road or an hour or two away that they can visit and attend races. It’s these tracks that are truly the gateway to bigger dreams.
8 years ago, when anyone mentioned Canterbury Park to me, I knew the name but I had never attended a race until I met my wife and her family. They have been breeders and owners for 30+ years. It is through them, that I have discovered a passion and enthusiasm for these animals and the sport. This family has been around racing in Minnesota and surrounding tracks since the days of Canterbury Downs, having bred homebreds, IA Breds and KY Breds with their current most notable foal being, Stradale, a KY bred colt by Yaupon out of Twitterpated (by Stormy Atlantic). That horse is held in high regard to them for competing at the highest level of our sport. We wish nothing but great things for him and are excited to follow his career.
The horses that Steepwood Farm bred have won stakes races in-state and out in open company (ie: Burner Account, a MN Bred, won the 2025 Main Line Stakes at PARX). This family is the epitome of a mom-and-pop farm. When the Broodmares are in foal at 2am in the middle of February, it is them that get up and handle the delivery and care for mother and foal. When getting horses ready for auction, it is them that are putting the horses through the steps of how to handle being in the auction ring. They are not the people you see on the Netflix show, Race for the Crown, these are the types of people that are helping populate the regional circuits with horses. All while hoping that they make enough each year to cover bills and continue having a career in an industry they love.
A lot of the horses that race at tracks like @CanterburyPark
(CBY) , @prmracing
(PRM) , and @ClubHawthorne
(HAW) are not done for the year once the season of racing at those tracks end. In fact, after the Canterbury meet is done. You tend to see a lot of these horses move on to other tracks like; @TampaBayDownsFL
(TAM) , Fairgrounds(FG), @RemingtonPark
(RP), @turf_paradise
(TUP), and @OaklawnRacing
(OP) to name a few.
Canterbury Park is no slouch either. With current stalwarts for trainers like Mac Robertson, Joel Berndt, Tony Rengstorf and Mike Biehler to name a few. Along with former Joe Sharp apprentice, Coty Rosin, and up-comers, Nik Goodwin and Isaiah Ortiz, there are good options for entrusting your horses while they are racing at Canterbury.
Besides a good stable of trainers, the track offers both, dirt and turf for surfaces, a handful of tracks within shipping range (ie: Prairie Meadows, Hawthorne and Horseshoe Indianapolis), and a variety of accomplished jockeys have been a part of its jockey colony (i.e.: @mikeesmith10, Julie Krone, @jareth16 to name a few…).
Canterbury has also produced the likes of @FanDuel_Racing’s @MattCTVG and Sr. VP of Racing & Operations at NYRA, @Andrew_Offerman.
I can’t toot Canterbury’s horn enough. Without the track’s operation, many homebred breeders in the state face tough decisions due to the increase of financial strain on the part of having to foal in other states (ie: boarding, vet, vanning bills, etc…) that they wouldn’t incur to such an extent as if they were foaling on their home farms.
I mention this because I want to see the likes of this track and others continue to thrive. I think with a little help from others willing to enter the region, as new MN Bred owners, that can happen. So, like I said earlier, before you start preparing for the Keeneland Yearling Sale, consider checking out some regional sales as well. Hell, I’ll even include a link to the online version of the Minnesota sales catalog below.
https://www.canterburypark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2025_MNThoroughbredSale_5.5×8.5.pdf
