Honey’s Sox Appeal, True West give trainer Mac Robertson bookend wins in Minnesota Festival stakes

Trainer Mac Robertson extended his own record in the Minnesota Festival of Champions when sending out a pair of winners Sunday in the annual celebration of statebreds at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn.

Robertson now has won 30 races in the 24-year history of the Minnesota Festival after heavily favored Honey’s Sox Appeal won the first Thoroughbred stakes of the day and True West pulled an 11-1 upset in the last one.

All 11 Sunday races were restricted to horses bred in Minnesota and contested over a fast main track or turf rated good. Six were Thoroughbred stakes, with the balance of the card filled out by three overnight races and two stakes for Quarter Horses.

Here is a rundown of the Thoroughbred stakes:

$60,000 Minnesota Distaff Sprint: Honey’s Sox Appeal ($2.60), ridden by Alex Canchari, came through a tight spot along the rail in the turn and went on to prevail by 1 1/2 lengths over Rockin the Bleu’s. Owned and co-bred by Bob Lindgren, Honey’s Sox Appeal, a 4-year-old filly by Successful Appeal, gave Robertson his eighth career win in this six-furlong race when finishing in 1:11.17.

$60,000 Minnesota Distaff Classic: Pinup Girl ($21.40), ridden by Leslie Mawing, nailed heavily favored Double Bee Sting on the wire in an improbable finish to this 1 1/16-mile race. A 3-year-old filly by Stephen Got Even, Pinup Girl is trained by Sandra Sweere for owner-breeders Gary and Brenda Bergsrud. She had finished a distant third behind Double Bee Sting three weeks beforehand in the Minnesota Oaks.

$85,000 Northern Lights Debutante: Firstmate, making her career debut as a poorly kept secret, blew away nine other 2-year-old fillies, returning $6.20 as favorite after getting six furlongs in 1:13.24. Quincy Hamilton was aboard the chestnut daughter of Midshipman for trainer Joe Sharp and owners Barry and Joni Butzow.

$85,000 Northern Lights Futurity: Mr. Jagermeister ($2.10) easily put away a couple of would-be challengers en route to winning this six-furlong race by a whopping 15 1/2 lengths in 1:10.90. Andrew Ramgeet was aboard the Atta Boy Roy colt for a partnership that includes breeder Kristin Boice and trainer Valorie Lund. Speeding Kid was second.

$60,000 Minnesota Sprint: Smooth Chiraz ($20.60) took sole command in the turn and never looked back in upsetting a field that included his odds-on stablemate, Hold for More. Jareth Loveberry rode Smooth Chiraz, a 4-year-old gelding by Chitoz, for owner-breeders Ann Sachdev and Lori Bravo and trainer Francisco Bravo. Smooth Chiraz finished six furlongs in 1:10.49.

$60,000 Minnesota Classic: True West ($25.60), always on the pace, put away his odds-on stablemate, A P Is Loose, as the stretch run unfolded, then staved off a mild rally by Vanderbilt Beach when finishing 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.76 under Israel Hernandez. True West, a 4-year-old gelding by Langfuhr, was privately purchased following his most recent start just eight days beforehand by John Mentz and the trainer’s father, Hugh Robertson.

Modeled after similar statebred programs such as the Maryland Million, the Minnesota Festival of Champions was first held in 1992 as the final program at Canterbury prior to current owners Curt and Randy Sampson and Dale Schenian buying the track in 1994 and proceeding to revitalize racing in the state.

Purses for all of the Sunday races included substantial enhancements stemming from an historic 2012 agreement with the locally popular Mystic Lake casino located just a few miles from the track.