Aaron's Belt, A P Is Loose get stakes wins

SHAKOPEE, Minn. – Aaron's Belt, who was 10th of 11 fillies and mares as they turned for home in the $60,000 Princess Elaine on Friday night at Canterbury Park, made a spirited rally under jockey Eddie Martin Jr. and nabbed defending champ Dear Fay for a three-quarter-length tally.

Over a turf course rated firm, Sky and Sea set fractions of 23.78 seconds and 48.41 before fading. Dear Fay kicked clear in the stretch while Aaron's Belt, B J's Angel, and Talkin Bout commenced their rallies. Martin was able to coax the best response from longshot Aaron's Belt ($88.20), with Dear Fay in second, 1 1/2 lengths ahead of B J's Angel.

The favored Talkin Bout, who was last at the top of the stretch, finished well but ended up fourth.

Aaron's Belt, a 7-year-old Barkerville mare, is owned and trained by Greg Weir, who also bred her. The win was the biggest of her 26-race career, and the $36,000 pushed her lifetime earnings to $120,762.

Aaron's Belt won for the fourth time over Canterbury's turf course and defeated her Minnesota-bred competition in a time of 1:43.05 for the 1 1/16 miles.

A P Is Loose takes Blair’s Cove

The favored A P Is Loose ($6) tracked Lil' Apollo's tepid pace before giving his best for a one-length win over Bourbon County in the $60,000 Blair's Cove Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile turf event for Minnesota-breds.

Geovanni Franco, aboard Lil' Apollo, grabbed the early lead, and the tandem set fractions of 25.23 and 51.08, with the 4-year-olds A P Is Loose and Bourbon County perched to strike in the field of 11. A P Is Loose, ridden by Alex Canchari, timed the Monarchos gelding's bid impeccably, and Bourbon County kept on to get past Lil' Apollo by a head.

Trained by Mac Robertson, A P Is Loose collected $36,000 for his breeder and owner, Joel Zamzow, and covered the distance over firm turf in 1:44.63.