Canterbury Park: Success for Ness

SHAKOPEE, Minn. - Trainer Jamie Ness is enjoying the best year of his career since first taking out his license at Canterbury Park in 1999.

Ness, a 28-year-old native of South Dakota, came to Canterbury to work as a press-box intern after graduating from South Dakota State University in 1998. He still works at the track during the off-season, managing the simulcast center information booth.

Ness put his time in the simulcast center to good use this past winter, following the races in Texas, Chicago, and northern California, and finding runners to claim on all three circuits.

Before the Canterbury backstretch opens each April, Ness routinely preps his runners at the Shakopee Valley Training Center, and this year's rather dry spring gave the trainer ample time to ready his stock for the meeting. Ness is tied for third in the Canterbury trainer standings with four wins from 14 starts.