Meet would run May 24 through Sept. 20.
Canterbury Park racing officials submitted a request to the Minnesota Racing Commission for a 51-day thoroughbred and quarter horse season in 2025 that would run from Saturday, May 24 through Saturday, Sept. 20. Racing would be conducted primarily on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 5 p.m. central and Sundays at 1 p.m. Thursday racing programs are also planned for six dates, July 3, 10 and 24, Aug. 7 and 21 and Sept. 18 and would begin at 5 p.m. A nine-day break from racing is also proposed from July 14 to July 22. The 2025 racing calendar offers three fewer dates than 2024, beginning one week later and concluding one week earlier than the past season.
“We have proposed a calendar that works well for our horse population and offers multiple opportunities to enter and race,” company president Randy Sampson said. “We look to build on the success of last season with continued handle and field size growth.”
The recently concluded 54-day race meet saw a 13 percent increase in handle and 13 percent increase in thoroughbred field size.
Stall applications will be available in March and due in mid-April. The stable area is expected to be open for arrivals in the second week of May. The first condition book and stakes schedule will be released in the first quarter of 2025.
A $15 million stable area and racing infrastructure improvement project is nearing completion. The project began in 2023 with the addition of a 36-unit dormitory, a complete replacement of the main track lighting system and reconfiguration of the training track. The past season saw the opening of three new barns that provided a summer home to more than 300 horses, the installation of a new safety rail on the main track, the relocation of the stable entrance gate and construction of a main track chute to accommodate races at seven furlongs.
Expected to be complete in May is a 33-pad permanent RV park and newly paved circulation roads throughout the backside and barn areas.
“We believe improvements and changes made to our backstretch and racing infrastructure make Canterbury Park the best and safest place to train and race in the Midwest,” Sampson said.
The Minnesota Racing Commission will consider Canterbury’s race date request at its December meeting. The commission, a nine-member panel, is appointed by the state’s governor and tasked with overseeing the integrity and safety of horse racing at Minnesota’s two pari-mutuel racetracks. Minnesota Administrative Rule 7872.0100 requires Canterbury Park to submit its request for 2025 racing dates no later than November 15.
