Midnight Current looks to go back-to-back in Princess Elaine
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Midnight Current will be looking for her ninth win over the Canterbury Park turf course on Saturday night, when she attempts to take down the $75,000 Princess Elaine for the second year in a row during the 30th annual Minnesota Festival of Champions.
The race, which is for fillies and mares over 1 1/16 miles, is one of six stakes on the card. The races are worth a total of $500,000 and are restricted to horses bred in Minnesota.
Canterbury will offer a reduced 10 percent takeout on both a pick four sequence that starts in the first race and a pick five that begins in the sixth race, which is the Princess Elaine.
Midnight Current will be a single for many based on her 8 for 11 record over the turf at Canterbury and the fact she has not lost a race against Minnesota-breds in more than two years. She was the horse of the meet last season at Canterbury and is looking for her third straight win Saturday as she moves back into the Minnesota-bred ranks after taking an allowance over open company Aug. 24.
Midnight Current had to change up her style in the allowance, which featured a lone speed horse in a field of four. It was her first race under Lindey Wade, who was subbing for regular rider Harry Hernandez.
“The last start, that was a tricky one because the turf course was playing to speed because of the lack of rain,” said trainer Joel Berndt. “Lindey had never ridden her before but Harry was down at Remington. We came up with a gameplan. We knew we couldn’t let the speed get away because speed was just carrying. She laid closer than she would have liked and the last sixteenth of a mile she found another gear and kicked past.”
Midnight Current improved her career record to 9 for 17. She will start from post 3 in the Princess Elaine field of 7. Hernandez has the mount Saturday.
“I like that this race has more horses,” Berndt said. “It should make for a more honest pace.
“She’s doing well, and she has not missed a beat. She’s going into the race as well as I’d like.”
Berndt trains Midnight Current, a 5-year-old by Midnight Lute, for her breeder, Lothenbach Stables.
“Typically, she just runs the Canterbury meet and goes home,” Berndt said. “This year, it’s 50-50 we may take a group of turf horses to Sam Houston. We may just give them a little break after the meet and try to go into Houston after the first of the year. That’s a beautiful turf course there.”
Lothenbach and Berndt also have Let’s Skedaddle in the Princess Elaine. In her last start, she was second by a head to Midnight Current in the $50,000 Minnesota Turf Distaff at Canterbury on July 15.
Stagecoach Boys, a half-brother to Let’s Skedaddle by Kitten’s Joy, goes in the $75,000 Blair’s Cove. The race for 3-year-olds and up is at 1 1/16 miles on turf and the distance is appealing for Stagecoach Boys, who closed for second in a two-other-than allowance over 7 1/2 furlongs on turf Aug. 17 at Canterbury. Before that, Stagecoach Boys raced prominently when second by a half-length in the $50,000 Ralph Strangis at the same distance, against two other rivals. He breaks from post 4 in a field of six Saturday.
“I like the fuller field,” said Berndt. “I think in this race you’ve got Angel’s Magic and Jose Patio that are front-runners – like really good front-runners. They’re challenge is each other and that should make for a very honest pace. And then we’re going to a mile and a sixteenth on top of it. He wants distance. He could run a mile and a quarter, a mile and a half.”
Robertson juveniles in stakes
Mac Robertson, who leads all trainers in Festival of Champions wins with 39, has leading contenders in both of the stakes for 2-year-olds. Superstar Swank goes in the $100,000 Northern Lights Futurity off a 5 1/4-length debut win, while Xtreme Diva should start as the favorite in the $100,000 Northern Lights Debutante. She was a 12 1/2-length debut winner on Aug. 9 at Canterbury. The daughter of Coal Front faces a Delaware Park debut winner in A Primera Vista.
In other races, Thealligatorhunter and Robertson trainee Xavey Dave cutback to six furlongs for the $75,000 Minnesota Sprint after finishing one-two over 1 1/16 miles in the Wally’s Choice. The horses were separated by a neck in that race.
Robertson trainee Cupids Crush, who is 5 for 8, will add a set of blinkers for the $75,000 Minnesota Distaff Sprint. She is cutting back from two turns. The last time she raced over six furlongs she romped by more than 11 lengths.
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