Minnesota Stallion Breeders’ Futurity winner BHR Flashing Effort (inside) will start in the opening trial Saturday for the Mystic Lake Northlands Futurity.

© Coady Photography

By Jennifer Perkins

SHAKOPEE, MN—JUNE 14, 2018—Trials for the premier Quarter Horse futurity at Canterbury Park, the $145,000-est. Mystic Lake Northlands Futurity, will be held on Saturday. The final is scheduled for Sunday, July 8.

48 2-year-olds have been split into five trials to determine this year’s field. Those that do not are qualify are preferred for entry in the $20,000-guaranteed Mystic Lake Northlands Juvenile Stakes on the same day as the futurity final.

Northlands trials are races 1 through 5 at Canterbury Park; post time for the first trial is 12:50 CT. There will be an all-Quarter Horse Pick 4 in races 2 through 5.

The trials will get off to a strong start with recent Minnesota Stallion Breeders’ Futurity winner BHR Flashing Effort (7-2) in the first trial. Trained by Bob Johnson for owners and breeders Broken Heart Ranch in South Dakota, the gray colt was a mild upset in the $30,305 MSBF after debuting in the $15,000 South Dakota-bred Futurity.

Highlighting the second trial are Mildred Diderickson (7-2), who recently broke her maiden by a length at Remington Park with a 93 speed index, and morning line favorite Uptown Girl (5-2), trained by leading trainer Jason Olmstead and ridden by Cristian Esqueda. The trainer/jockey duo have combined for wins in two of the three 2018 Quarter Horse stakes in Minnesota. Mansory (6-1), out of the Mr Jess Perry mare Sinuous, is a full brother to multiple Canterbury stakes-placed Marfilmio.

Pedigree plays a role in several entrants in the third trial. Miss Energy P (7-2) is out of the First Down Dash mare First Down Energy, making Miss Energy P a half-sister to Terrific Energy, a multiple graded stakes winning mare who also produced stakes winners such as Terrific Synergy and Thermonuclear Energy.

Sunlight Seven (3-1), by Valiant Hero and out of the Ivory James mare Midnight Sunlight, winner of the 2012 Northlands Futurity, is also in the third trial, as is $45,000 Ruidoso sale graduate Maghelene, out of Belle Helene, the runner-up in the 2013 Rainbow Futurity (G1).

The Bald Eagle is the one to watch in the fourth trial. The Olmstead/Esqueda team partner on a One Famous Eagle colt who sold for $100,000 in the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale. He is out of Corona Deluxe, making him a full brother to All American Futurity runner-up Reagal Eagle, with career earnings of $467,790.

Trainer/owner/breeder duo Tommy and Patrick Swan bring Take Me Ta Church (10-1), out of Hollie Jollie, to the fifth and final trial. Take Me Ta Church’s half-sister, Olivias Jett, was the fastest qualifier to last year’s Mystic Lake Northlands Futurity.

In 2017, A Jordon Reed gave trainer Ed Hardy his seventh career victory in the Mystic Lake Northlands Futurity. Owned and bred by the Kendricks Brothers in Oklahoma, A Jordan Reed is by the Chicks Beduino sire Jumpin Chic, out of the Corona For Me mare Parr for Me.

The gelding also won the $289,830 Valley Junction Futurity at Prairie Meadows last fall. He has won five of his 10 lifetime starts and earned $226,843, including several stakes appearances at Remington as a 3-year-old.

The 2018 Canterbury Park Quarter Horse stakes schedule includes 16 stakes races worth over $660,000.

Live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing continues through Saturday, September 15, 2018. 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.