Merz resigns position at Canterbury Park

Chris Merz, the senior director of racing operations at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., has resigned from his position and has moved to Maryland to “pursue other opportunities” in racing, Merz said on Tuesday.

Merz, who has previously held top racing jobs at Santa Anita Park and the Maryland Jockey Club, was the director of racing at Canterbury Park for one year. He submitted his resignation shortly after Canterbury closed its 2023 race meet, and shortly after the track had announced a decision to eliminate the run-up for its races starting with the 2024 season, a policy that Merz strongly supported.

With Merz’s departure, the decision to eliminate the run-up is now being re-considered, according to Jeff Maday, a spokesman for Canterbury Park.

“It is uncertain if we will move ahead with the project to eliminate the run-up,” Maday said.

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If the track goes ahead with the plan, Canterbury would be the first track in the U.S. to begin timing races at the moment the starting gate opens. The use of the run-up is controversial among some handicappers, who contend that it is an outdated policy that is confusing and inaccurate.

Merz declined to comment on the reasons for his departure, but said in a statement that he appreciated “the opportunities that Canterbury Park has given me.”

“My journey in the horse racing industry is one that I’m profoundly proud of and I look forward to continuing down the path of executing new and innovative ideas that benefit key stakeholders, owners, trainers, the betting public, and our athletes in the years to come,” Merz said in a statement.

Merz was previously the director of racing and racing secretary at Santa Anita Park for three years. Prior to that, he was the racing secretary for Laurel Park and Pimlico in Maryland. He has also held racing-office jobs at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and Los Alamitos in Southern California.

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