Mary Paintyourwagon is the 3-1 morning line favorite in the 2018 Boehringer Ingelheim Canterbury Park Distaff Challenge on July 4.

© Coady Photography

SHAKOPEE, MN—JULY 1, 2018—The exacta from the 2017 Canterbury Park Distaff Challenge will return to compete in the 2018 $34,740 Boehringer Ingelheim Canterbury Park Distaff Challenge on July 4.

Last year’s winner, Jr Rock Star, will compete for leading trainer Jason Olmstead, with Nakia Ramirez aboard. The 5-year-old daughter of Fantastic Corona Jr won last year’s running of this qualifier and went on to run fourth in the Distaff Challenge Championship (G1) at Prairie Meadows.

Though she has yet to win since that start, Jr Rock Star worked in a prep race for the event in June over the Canterbury track, finishing third to Gold Diggin Queen, the second-choice on the morning line for Wednesday’s stake.

Blacks Cartel, second in last year’s Canterbury Park Distaff Challenge, will start for trainer Casey Black as the lone Minnesota-bred in the field. Blacks Cartel, who often competes against open company, has earned over $100,000 in her career and competed in the Distaff Challenge Championship (G1) at Prairie Meadows. Ismael Suarez Ricardo will have the mount on Wednesday.

The 3-1 morning line favorite in the competitive field of ten fillies and mares is Mary Paintyourwagon from the Stacy Charette-Hill barn. Her usually rider, Jorge Torres, will be aboard.

Mary Paintyourwagon is a 4-year-old daughter of Pyc Paint Your Wagon, and she has yet to miss the board in two career starts at Canterbury, where she ran as a 2-year-old.

When trials were deemed not needed for the Canterbury Park Distaff Challenge, many of the nominees entered in an optional claiming event for fillies in mares in mid-June. The 350-yard prep race was won by daylight by Gold Diggin Queen, fresh off a ship from Los Alamitos. The Tres Seis filly has won multiple allowance races in Calfornia; she is now trained by Bob Johnson and will be ridden by Chase Clark again in the Challenge qualifier.

The Independence Day card in Shakopee kicks off with the Canterbury Park Distaff Challenge, followed by the Championship Challenge and several Thoroughbred stakes.

The $34,740 Boehringer Ingelheim Canterbury Park Distaff Challenge is Race 1 on Wednesday, July 4. Estimated post time is 12:47 pm CT.

The field, by post position, with trainer, jockey and morning-line odds:

1. Kaelies Dividend: Tim Holdaway, Brayan Velazquez, 15-1
2. Gold Diggin Queen: Bob Johnson, Chase Clark, 4-1
3. Glen Ellyn: Dean Frey, Nik Goodwin, 15-1
4. Jr Rock Star: Jason Olmstead, Nakia Ramirez, 5-1
5. Blacks Cartel: Casey Black, Ismael Suarez Ricardo, 6-1
6. Late N Dirty: Bob Johnson, Jake Samuels, 20-1
7. Country Curl: Ed Ross Hardy, Berkley Packer, 12-1
8. Corona Springs: Jason Olmstead, Cristian Esqueda, 5-1
9. Ima Dashin Follie: Bob Johnson, Stormy Smith, 15-1
10. Mary Paintyourwagon: Stacy Charette-Hill, Jorge Torres, 3-1

The 2018 Canterbury Park Quarter Horse stakes schedule includes 16 stakes races worth over $660,000. The 70-day race meet offers racing on Thursday and Friday evenings at 6:30 pm CT and Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 12:45 pm CT. in June and July. Quarter horse racing is held at the beginning of each race card.