Sugar Storm will gun it at Canterbury

Two $35,000 sprint stakes restricted to Minnesota-bred 3-year-olds highlight Saturday's card at Canterbury.

Bernell Rhone has a simple strategy for Sugar Storm in the race for males, the six-furlong Victor S. Myers Jr. "We hope to go to the lead and save enough for the closers," he said.

Sugar Storm is exiting a fifth-place finish in an open-company optional claimer. Before that he won two Minnesota-bred allowance sprints. All three were against older horses.

"It was a tough race," said Rhone of Sugar Storm's last race. "When you have the optional tag on those races you get those old class horses."

Sugar Storm has early speed, and was right up on the lead in his two recent victories.

Sugar Storm takes on five others, including Bet Your Boots, who is coming off a key-race victory in the Golden Boy at Assiniboia. Three of the competitors in the Golden Boy have come back to win, including Cherokee's Goal, who returned with a victory there in the Harry Jeffrey.

Trainer Jeremiyah Johnson sends two in the day's other stakes, the Frances Genter for 3-year-old fillies.

Becker County Miss enters the race off a two-length victory in a Canterbury allowance race on July 10.

"We gave her three days off, she was cleaning up her feed, so we took her back to the track," Johnson said. "She's chomping at the bit."

Johnson also believes her stablemate Downerbythemeadow has a legitimate shot. She won a $7,500 claiming race for nonwinners of two in her last start.

"I have a little gut feeling that she might be live," he said. "We work them out together all the time, and she hangs right in there. We will probably send her and see if she can hold on. Becker County will probably clean up the table."

The twosome will take on five others, including Sheso Dazzling, who won her last out in allowance company at Canterbury.