Robertson takes two shots at winning another Shakopee Juvenile
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Trainer Mac Robertson won five straight runnings of the Shakopee Juvenile from 2017 to 2021 at Canterbury Park – but he’s not resting on his laurels heading into Saturday’s closing night renewal in which he saddles Xtreme Smoke Show and Bourbon Aficionado.
“We hope we win this one,” he said.
The $50,000 Shakopee Juvenile shares a card with the $50,000 Tom Metzen HBPA Sprint for 3-year-olds and up. Both races will be run over six furlongs.
Xtreme Smoke Show will vie for favoritism after winning her debut Aug. 12 in a maiden special weight over 4 1/2 furlongs at Canterbury. She was up for a neck win when facing fillies and now faces colts in her second start.
“I think she’ll run faster this time and she’ll need to,” Robertson said. “She came out of the race fine and we put a couple of more five-eighths [moves] in her and she worked really well.”
Xtreme Smoke Show is the lone filly in the field of seven. Robertson has won the Shakopee Juvenile with a filly four times.
Xtreme Smoke Show is a daughter of Frosted and the Grade 3-winning mare Imposing Grace. Eduardo Gallardo has the mount from post 6 for Xtreme Racing Stables.
Bourbon Aficionado was a debut winner of a maiden special weight at five furlongs Aug. 30 at Canterbury.
“He closed the first time,” Robertson said. “It was turf. The mare is a really good mare. The horse looks great.”
Bourbon Aficionado’s dam, Barouchka, has produced a pair of $400,000 stakes winners in Artful Splatter and Taco Supream.
Harry Hernandez has the mount from the rail for Novogratz Racing Stables.
Another leading contender is General Battle Axe, runner-up in the Northern Lights Futurity on Sept. 9 at Canterbury.
In the Tom Metzen, Doctor Oscar should go favored off his six-length romp in the Minnesota Sprint on Sept. 9 at Canterbury. Earlier in the meet, he won an allowance sprint with a Beyer Speed Figure of 102. Alonso Quinonez has the mount from post 2 for trainer Tim Padilla.
Hot Shot Kid retires on top
Hot Shot Kid, who became the all-time leading Minnesota-bred earner when he won a Sept. 4 turf race at Canterbury, has been retired from racing, Robertson said.
“He’s just going to go to a second career – go over the jumps,” Robertson said. “He’s still sound – and flashy.”
Hot Shot Kid retires with earnings of $708,816. He surpassed the Minnesota-bred record of $700,839 held by Mr. Jagermeister, according to a press release from Canterbury.
Hot Shot Kid, a 9-year-old who debuted in 2016, won 17 races from 54 starts, with 10 of those victories coming in stakes races. The late Warren Bush bred and raced the horse with his wife, Linda Bush.
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“He’s been a good horse,” Robertson said. “He likes to train. He likes the game and he stays sound. They turned him out every year and he kept coming back good, good, good. In two different years he made over $200,000. One year, he won five stakes in a summer. Which horses do that? I want one.”
Hot Shot Kid is a gelding by Majestic Warrior. He’s out of the mare Our Sweet Mary B, who also is the dam of stakes winners Minecraft Maniac, Xavey Dave, and Warren L.
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