Mr. Jagermeister has easy win in Minnesota Classic

No Minnesota-bred has a shot at beating Mr. Jagermeister.

The 3-year-old gelding left his rivals staggering again Sunday at Canterbury, winning the Minnesota Classic Championship. Now it is off to vacation for the rest of 2018 as Mr. Jagermeister’s connections aim to order from the top shelf in 2019.

Mr. Jagermeister, under regular rider Leandro Goncalves, won the Classic Championship by 4 1/4 lengths over defending champion True West.

Coulda been more. Goncalves kept his mount well off the fence through fractions of 23.94, 47.41, and 1:11.72 as True West pressed from the rail, and if Goncalves did more than briefly smooch to Mr. Jagermeister at the top of the stretch, it sure wasn’t apparent. In any case, under very little urging Mr. Jagermeister bounded clear and won, as the official chart’s short comment reads, “easily.”

Final time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:43.39, and Mr. Jagermeister paid $2.10 to win a toast all around heavily populated Canterbury Park. True West held second over his Mac Robertson-trained stablemate Herbie.

Mr. Jagermeister is out of the Corinthian mare Frangelica and by Atta Boy Roy, who had the same trainer, Valorie Lund, as Mr. Jagermeister. Lund is one of three owners along with breeder Kristin Boice and Leslie Cummings.

Mr. Jagermeister was an odd combination of precocious and immature; he has only the last few months started growing into his frame. He has a lot of speed and has proven his sprint chops, but Lund has run him two turns three times this summer and wants to keep Mr. Jager-meister in longer races when he returns from an Arizona farm break this winter.

“I actually look down the line and say he’s going to be a brilliant miler,” Lund said. “The mile and a sixteenth is obviously within his scope. We’re still trying to teach him things. The key to every good racehorse is to relax.”

Mr. Jagermeister now has seven wins and three seconds from 12 starts. He has yet to win a good race outside Minnesota-bred company, but looks capable of doing so in 2019.

Robertson sweeps sprint stakes

Trainer Mac Robertson won four races on the Sunday card including both $75,000 sprint races, the Minnesota Sprint Championship with Speeding Kid and the Minnesota Distaff Sprint Championship with Honey’s Sox Appeal.

Speeding Kid ran much faster, but Honey’s Sox Appeal gets an extra commendation for winning the Distaff Sprint Championship for the third year in a row. Under Orlando Mojica, Honey’s Sox Appeal came gamely inside pacesetting third-place finisher Shipmate at the furlong grounds and ground out a three-quarters-length victory over Ta Kela Warning.

Honey’s Sox Appeal ran six furlongs on a fast track in 1:10.85 and paid $3.40 to win. The 5-year-old mare, by Successful Appeal out of A J’s Honey, by Indian Charlie, now has a record of 8-5-3 from 19 starts for owner Bob Lindgren, who co-bred her with Paul Knapper.

Hotshot Kid ($4.60) was cutting back from route races but had plenty of speed and grit to match. Always prominent under Dean Butler, Hotshot Kid was confronted by the razor-sharp Mines Made Up in upper stretch, turning back the challenge and drawing clear late to win by 3 1/2 lengths, stopping the timer in a lively 1:09.22 for six furlongs on a fast track. Mines Made Up finished well clear of third-place Hold for More.

Hotshot Kid is a 4-year-old gelding by Majestic Warrior and the Officer mare, Our Sweet Mary B.

Dame Plata plates Futurity

Dame Plata, who is a gelding, not a dame, ran his record to three wins from three starts wearing down 6-5 favorite Mr. Banjoman to win the $100,000 Northern Lights Futurity.

Dame Plata already had a maiden win and a sales-stakes win coming into this six-furlong dash for Minnesota-bred 2-year-olds and paid a generous $8 with Mr. Banjoman taking so much betting. Mr. Banjoman had no doubt impressed by winning his lone previous start, and he took a clear lead after breaking sharply Sunday, but Dame Plata and jockey Jareth Loveberry ranged up to engage the leader after stalking the pace from second, and while Mr. Banjoman battled back, Dame Plata wore him down stride by stride through the final furlong.

Winning time over a fast track was a snappy 1:10.13, 1.53 seconds faster than the Northern Lights Debutante a race earlier. Minnesota Miracle finished several lengths behind the top pair in third.

Francisco Bravo trains Dame Plata for Ann Sachdev and Lori Bravo. Dame Plata is by the Unbridled's Song stallion Cross Traffic and out of the Lucky Lionel mare, Dana's Lucky Lady.

Dangerous Wave breaks sharp, wins Debutante

Dangerous Wave, patiently handled by Dean Butler after breaking alertly from an inside draw, ran past Giving Tree and Sonadora in the Canterbury Park homestretch to win the $100,000 Northern Lights Debutante for Minnesota-bred 2-year-old fillies.

Bernell Rhone trains Dangerous Wave ($5.20) for her breeders, Rake Farms. Dangerous Wave is by Graydar and out of the Mt. Livermore mare Gentle Wave, and she has put together a nice three-race campaign this summer at Canterbury.

Second in her career debut, she won a statebred-restricted maiden race in her second start and allowed Butler to ease her off the pace Sunday and wait to attack the speed. Dangerous Wave, the favorite, ran six furlongs on a fast track in 1:11.64 and paid $5.20 to win. Giving Tree set the pace and held second over Sonadora.

Pinup Girl repeats in Distaff

Pinup Girl won the $75,000 Minnesota Champions Distaff last year at age 3 and won it again Sunday, coming up the rail under Ry Eikelberry to beat her old rival Double Bee Sting by 1 1/2 lengths.

Pinup Girl, a model of consistency, now has a record of 15-8-2-3 for trainer Sandra Sweere and owners Gary and Brenda Bergsrud. She’s an eight-time winner at Canterbury and quickly overhauled Double Bee Sting once Eikelberry found room to run at the rail in upper stretch.

Pinup Girl ($3.20) ran 1 1/16 miles on dirt in 1:44.81 as Double Bee Sting was a clear second over Firstmate. Pinup Girl is by Stephen Got Even out of Vicar’s Daughter, by Vicar.