Good start crucial for Even Thunder in Shakopee Juvenile

Even Thunder lost his last race at the start, and with a better break Saturday, he can win the $75,000 Shakopee Juvenile, the closing-day feature at Canterbury Park.

The 11-race card also features the $40,000 Tom Metzen H.B.P.A. Sprint, which goes as race 9, one race before the Shakopee Juvenile.

Even Thunder raced without blinkers when debuting July 4, pressing the pace in a maiden race and fading to fifth. Back 18 days later, he raced in blinkers, tracked the pace, and scored a two-length maiden win over Line Judge. Line Judge and Even Thunder met again Aug. 27 in the Careless Navigator, where Line Judge burst from the gate, took a clear early lead, never slowed much, and won by 6 1/2 lengths.

Meanwhile, Even Thunder broke a step slowly and then was awkwardly into stride, falling far behind the rest of the pack while Line Judge zipped along alone. But Even Thunder started passing horses before the far turn, came around the bend with good energy hugging the rail, and finished faster than anyone except the winner to gain second.

Line Judge isn’t in the Shakopee Juvenile, but two other last-start, front-running winners, Jack Snipe’s and Shipmate, are among the eight 2-year-olds entered. Jack Snipe’s broke sharply from the rail in his career debut, made a clear lead, and turned back an upper-stretch challenge from He’s Munnie, who also returns for the Shakopee. By the good Louisiana sire Half Ours, Jack Snipe’s appears to be talented, but he’s drawn inside his main pace rival, Shipmate, while stretching out from 5 1/2 furlongs to six.

Shipmate, a Minnesota-bred filly, won the $83,000 Northern Lights Debutante on Aug. 23, her third win without a defeat. Shipmate has yet to be headed in a race but was growing noticeably weary while stretching out from shorter sprints to six furlongs in the Debutante, and she should be vulnerable if hooked early by Jack Snipe’s.

He’s Munnie also could show speed from an inside draw. He’s trained by Dan McFarlane, who also starts Bella’s Back in the Shakopee, as well as Even Thunder. With pace help from his stablemate and a better start, Even Thunder can make it rain on closing day.

◗ With 63 wins entering this racing week, leading trainer Mac Robertson is having his best Canterbury season since 2009, and his starters have been getting bet accordingly. Robertson has Superstar Leo in the Tom Metzen Sprint, and while Superstar Leo is capable of winning this restricted race, he does not quite have the established class of a couple of rivals and could be overbet on the basis of his trainer’s success.

The deserving favorite is Storm Power, who has faced stronger competition than Superstar Leo, ran well below his best when last seen at Prairie Meadows, and would be a generous price at anything close to his 5-1 morning-line odds.