Ready to Runaway, Clickbait among winners of Minnesota-bred stakes

They spread the wealth Wednesday night at soggy Canterbury Park, where five different trainers and five different jockeys won the six Minnesota-bred stakes races. All 12 races on the card were run over a sloppy main track.

Trainer Mac Robertson and jockey Roimes Chirinos were the only human participants with a stakes double, teaming up to win the $100,000 Minnesota Distaff Sprint with Ready to Runaway and the $100,000 Princess Elaine Distaff with Clickbait.

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Ready to Runaway ($2.20) has become a virtual cinch in Minnesota-bred turf races, though she did finish a close second in a turf try earlier this summer. She was 1-10 on Wednesday night when she rallied wide into a strong pace and won going away, with her margin of victory over second-place Pinup Girl 4 1/4 lengths and her six-furlong time on a sloppy track 1:10.12. Robertson and owner John Mentz claimed Ready to Runaway for $25,000 in June 2019 and the filly has made back her purchase price more than 10 time over. She is a 4-year-old daughter of First Dude and Ready to Rip.

Clickbait ($3.20) won even more convincingly than Ready to Runaway, rolling to a 7 1/2-length win over Hotasapistol. Mentz owns a part of her, too, along with Hugh Robertson and Jeff Larson. Clickbait, by Lovango out of Blue Gene Song, got crunched by Ready to Runaway in her most recent start, her two-turn debut, but bossed this group, running 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.90.

Drop of Golden Sun looked competitive regardless of surface, but the move to dirt might have helped hin win the $100,000 Blair’s Cove Minnesota Turf. Drop of Golden Sun ($5.20) led from the start. Francisco Arrieta rode for trainer Tony Rengstorf, who also owns the 5-year-old son of Neko Bay and Deer a Dough.

In the $100,000 Minnesota Sprint, Fireman Oscar probably ran the best race of his life, closing ferociously along the inside to overhaul pace-setting Ray’s Oscar in midstretch and easily outfinish favored Cinco Star, who closed wide and not nearly so fast as the winner. Fireman Oscar ran a fast six furlongs, 1:08.80, and paid $12 under Alonso Quinonez. David Van Winkle trains the 6-year-old gelding by Law Enforcement out of Brandy Bai for owner-breeder Pete Mattson.

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Front-runners dominated the $100,000 races for 2-year-olds, the Northern Lights Futurity for 2-year-olds and the Northern Lights Debutante for 2-year-old fillies.

The gelding Sneeky Diversion ran the faster race in the Futurity, clocking 1:09.80 for six furlongs while winning by 1 1/2 lengths over Fitzpatrick. Sneeky Diversion ($9.80) had won his lone previous start by almost six lengths and proved equally effective going a longer distance Wednesday as he had racing 4 1/2 furlongs first out. Dean Butler rode the winner, a son of Majestic Perfection and Divot Doll, for trainer Joel Berndt and owner Lothenbach Stable.

In the Debutante, Star of the North ($8) cruised to a 4 1/2 -length score over Hell of the North, running six furlongs in 1:10.12. Star of the North, ridden for trainer Francisco Bravo and owner Michael Grossman by Ry Eikelberry, is by The Hunk out of Always a Star.