Canterbury Changes Date for Mystic Lake Derby
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Canterbury Park has changed the date for the $200,000 Mystic Lake Derby, the richest race of the Minnesota track's 2015 season, from Aug. 23 to Aug. 29.
The track said the date for the one-mile grass race for 3-year-olds was amended so the Mystic Lake Derby would be run on the same day as the Midwest Indian Horse Relay Championship. Also the Aug. 29 date coincides with some other major races nationally, including the Travers Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga Race Course.
"Running the Mystic Lake Derby Aug. 29 allows us to combine the race with Indian Horse Relay and continue an event that was very popular last year," Canterbury president Randy Sampson said in a release "That Saturday is also a prominent day nationally on the racing scene with several big races, including the Travers Stakes at Saratoga. Re-positioning the Mystic Lake Derby to the same day will just add to the national excitement for horseplayers."
Canterbury described the Indian Horse Relay as "a daring display of bareback riding" and "is America's oldest sport dating back more than 400 years when horses became an integral part of the cultures of Indian nations of the Great Plains."
The competing relay teams represent various American Indian nations. Relay races will be run on the racetrack Aug. 27-28 with the championship held Aug. 29.
"This is a great event for race fans and those seeking an exciting entertainment option. We're proud to have developed this new tradition in partnership with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community to draw additional people to the area and expose them to this amazing heritage sport," Sampson said.
In 2012 Canterbury and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, owners and operators of Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, entered into a cooperative marketing and purse-enhancement agreement that increases purses by $75 million over 10 years and also provides funding for co-branded promotions between Canterbury and Mystic Lake.