The grandstand toasted jockey Dean Butler Saturday.
That’s what happens if the designated classic jockey on Saturday wins two races. Beer and soda prices are cut back to 1985 prices after the second win. Butler did it in grander fashion than is normally the case.
Butler is leading all riders at Canterbury Park this summer, but he’s never been saluted as he was on Saturday after riding the winning horses in the Victor S. Myers and Frances Genter stakes.
Butler can’t remember having won two stakes races on a single card in Shakopee, and he did it with perfect rides on both winners.
He settled Nomorewineforeddie just off the pace in the $35,000 Victor S. Myers and timed his made perfectly, with a stretch effort that carried him to a 6 ¼ length victory over Bizet with A Steel Trap another ¾ of a length back. The winning time was 1:11 and 3/5.
“What a great ride,” trainer Larry Wells bellowed after watching the race on a grandstand television. “That was a perfect ride.”
Trainer Bruce Riecken agreed. “He showed a lot of patience,” Riecken said. “He did a very nice job.”
Nomorewineforeddie is owned by Anthony Didier of David City, Neb., who was on hand to see his three-year-old win.
“He had blinkers on for the first time,” said Didier. “Maybe that helped. He was very impressive at Oaklawn and he looked good today.”
Next up for Nomorewineforeddie, who paid $9.60 to win, is the $60,000 Minnesota Derby on Aug. 1, a race that Didier knows something about. His Cubfanbudman won that race last year.
Nomorewineforeddie finished a neck behind First Captain in an allowance race, his last, on June 28. “He kind of hung on me in that race,” Butler said. “He came to that horse and didn’t want to go past.”
That wasn’t the case on Saturday, nor was it a concern for Butler in the subsequent stakes. He took Chick Flight gate to wire in front of eight starters.
Chick Flight was chasing her first win of 2009 after three unproductive starts, the last at Canterbury and the previous two at Oaklawn Park.
On Saturday, she displayed the form she showed as the Northern Lights Debutante winner of 2008.
“It helped that she was back with three-year-olds and her own kind,” said Butler. “If anything had come to her on Saturday I don’t think they would have passed her.”
Trainer Mac Robertson assessed her effort this way: “I got her all screwed up down at Oaklawn and it took her a while to get o
ver my bad training,” he said. “She looked like her old self today.”
Not only that, she covered the six furlongs even quicker than the colts, finishing in 1:11 and 2/5, to pay $3.50 to win.
“I really did have to do much,” said Butler. “I got her out of the gate on the lead and she took it from there.”
