Robertson, Diodoro dueling for Canterbury training title

Most trainers won’t admit to chasing a training title, but the way Mac Robertson and Robertino Diodoro have been entering races at Canterbury Park suggest both men covet the 2018 crown.

On Friday, the penultimate day of the Canterbury meet, Robertson entered 13 horses in nine of the card’s 13 races. Diodoro has an incredible 19 entrants in eight races.

The two go head to head in both Friday night stakes, the $50,000 John Bullit and the $50,000 Tom Metzen H.B.P.A. Sprint. In the 1 1/16-mile John Bullit (race 11, post time 9:52 Central), Diodoro entered Patriot’s Rule and Izzy the Warrior; Robertson has Malibu Max and Beach Flower, who is a mare facing males. In the six-furlong H.B.P.A. Sprint (race 12, 10:21), Diodoro has Bourbon Cowboy, Coastline, and Super Touch. Robertson counters with the salty Minnesota-bred Hot Shot Kid, who looks like the horse to beat.

Since Aug. 1, Robertson has 25 wins from 93 Canterbury starters, Diodoro 23 wins from 82 starts, and no other Canterbury trainer more than nine wins. Robertson, however, has gone 11 for 34 during September to Diodoro’s 4 for 20, and enters this week’s racing with a 53 to 50 lead in the standings.

The Robertson-trained Malibu Max is the pick to win the John Bullit. Malibu Max hasn’t tried a two-turn dirt race like the Bullit since he finished sixth in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap early this spring, and two previous Oaklawn routes were plenty good enough to capture Friday night’s stakes race. Underpressure, trained by Chris Richard, looks like another key player.

Hot Shot Kid must cope with the rail draw in the H.B.P.A. Sprint but has won from the fence before. Robertson cut him back from routes to Friday’s six-furlong trip on Sept. 2, and Hot Shot Kid responded with a three-length win over fellow Minnesota-breds in the $75,000 Minnesota Sprint Championship. Hot Shot Kid is 6-2-0 from eight starts over Canterbury’s dirt track and his last loss there came to the standout Mr. Jagermeister.

First post for the marathon 13-race card, which drew a whopping 162 entrants, is 5:07.