Mr. Jagermeister blows em away in 10,000 Lakes Stakes

Mr. Jagermeister had finished second to Mitole in the Bachelor Stakes at Oaklawn Park on April 12, his most recent start. Mitole is the best 3-year-old sprinter in North America and suffice it to say none of the Minnesota-breds Mr. Jagermeister faced Saturday at Canterbury Park in the $50,000 10,000 Lakes Stakes was anything close to that class.

This time, it was Mr. Jagermeister who had all the talent, and he flaunted it, winning the 10,000 Lakes by 8 ½ lengths as the 3-10 favorite.

Hot Shot Kid won the battle to finish a distant second, coming home three lengths better than Smooth Chiraz in third. Mr. Jagermeister, who got a weight break of three to five pounds as a 3-year-old facing older horses, paid $2.60 and ran six furlongs over a fast track in 1:10.81.

Valorie Lund, one of the partners that owns the horse, trains Mr. Jagermeister and trained his sire, the good sprinter Atta Boy Roy. Mr. Jagermeister had raw talent from the start, but he has filled out his frame this year and has learned how to race. Headstrong and eager to lead in his early starts, he sat comfortably in second on Saturday until jockey Leandro Goncalves let him roll to the front midway around the turn. Mr. Jagermeister opened up without being asked and won like a horse far, far superior to the standard Minnesota-bred.

A race earlier, in the $50,000 Lady Slipper for Minnesota-bred fillies and mares, the odds-on favorite fared much more poorly as Honey’s Sox Appeal tracked the pace inside but never really got untracked, finishing fourth at odds of 7-10.

As Honey’s Sox Appeal ran in place, Pinup Girl, making her 4-year-old debut, gained momentum on the far outside after stalking the pace, made the lead in the final furlong, and went on to a two-length win. Ta Kela Warning pressed pace-setting Shipmate and passed her in midstretch but proved no match for the winner.

Pinup Girl ($12.40) is trained by Sandra Sweere for her breeders, Gary and Brenda Bergsrud. Pinup Girl is a daughter of Stephen Got Even and the Vicar mare Vicar’s Way. After looking decent early last Canterbury season, she got quite good in the late summer and fall. Pinup Girl might ultimately be better suited to routes than sprints, but she was fast enough to run six furlongs in 1:12.37 on Saturday and provide the Bergsruds with a trophy.