Canterbury Park opens meet with strong entries; sports-betting bill stalls but ADW funding for HISA may survive budget talks

Canterbury Park opened its 2025 live racing meet with higher-than-expected entries and heavy interest from trainers, the Minnesota Racing Commission heard May 19.

Amber Simpson, a Canterbury Park racing representative, told commissioners “Racing starts on Saturday,” and that the track had received nearly 1,200 stall requests this season. Simpson said 646 horses were already on the grounds and 67 trainers had requested stalls; opening-weekend cards averaged more than eight horses per race, she said.

The crowding of entries is significant for a meet that, Simpson and other presenters acknowledged, faces lower overall handle and purse levels than in recent years. Steve (Canterbury Park racing staff) told the commission the 55-night meet is expected to pay more than $6.4 million in purses, a figure he said is slightly below last year’s total but close to prior levels.

Why it matters: heavy entries and a deep jockey colony can strengthen on-track product and betting handle, while stable and facility improvements affect trainer decisions to ship to the meet. Canterbury officials said a higher-quality jockey pool and improved backside facilities should help the…