Gold Medal Dancer, Jimmy Simms win Canterbury stakes

SHAKOPEE, Minn. – Though patrons had to wait through an 18-minute United Tote system delay early in the card and the rain took the Saturday stakes off the turf at Canterbury Park, it did nothing to dampen the return of jockey Luis Quinonez to Canterbury Park.

Quinonez, the leading jockey at Canterbury five times in the late 1990s, captured the $75,000 Minnesota HBPA Distaff aboard the favored Gold Medal Dancer.

“She didn’t break as well as we had hoped, so we had to go with Plan B,” Quinonez said. “I was able to weave between horses, and about the three-eighths pole, I thought, ‘I have to put her in a position to be able to win.’ ”

The Donnie Von Hemel trainee responded with a flourish, making a sweeping four-wide move through the turn, overtaking early pacesetters Femme Fatale and Vitameta, and looming on the outside of second choice Every Way.

Quinonez worked her hard down the lane to get up in the final strides by a head, covering the mile over the muddy track in 1:40.05. She paid $4.40 to win. Every Way was second, and Polar Plunge closed for third.

In contrast to the stirring finish in the Distaff, the $75,000 Brooks Fields Stakes was a gate-to-wire victory by the Steve Asmussen-trained Jimmy Simms.

Jimmy Simms took the lead through the first turn under jockey Dean Butler and never looked back. Diamond Joe loomed on the winner’s flank through the turn, but Butler found another gear, and Jimmy Simms drew off through the lane.

“He’s a very classy 9-year old,” Butler said. “He knows how to win – as does his trainer.”

Jimmy Simms paid $8.40, stopping the timer at 1:38.22. Stachys closed into second, with Keg Party third.