Canterbury Park warns steep drop in horse numbers is shrinking live racing; commissioners discuss legislative brief

Canterbury Park officials told the Minnesota Racing Commission on Oct. 16 at the Nutrina Conference Center that a sharp decline in the number of race-ready thoroughbreds and reduced purse supplements have left the meet struggling to field full races and maintain wagering.

Randy Sampson, speaking for Canterbury Park, summarized the season and its challenges, saying the meet was “haunted” by “a trifecta of issues” — heat, rain and wildfire smoke — but that the deeper problem this year was a smaller horse population. “In 2022…we had almost 1,100 different thoroughbred horses race at Canterbury. And this year, that number was 672,” Sampson said, attributing the decline to broader reductions in foal crops and industry cycles.

The decline in horses, Sampson and quarter-horse racing secretary Amber Carlisle said, has pushed average field sizes down and forced the track to run fewer races per day to try to preserve purse levels and competitive fields. Sampson noted that the share of races with five horses or fewer rose to about 19% this season after improvements last year; he said that in 2023 that figure had been 24% and the most-recent “good” year was roughly 8%.

Why it matters: smaller fields tend to depress wagering and purses, the speakers said. Sampson told commissioners that Canterbury’s out-of-state handle and overall simulcast revenue declined, and that the end of a prior supplemental agreement with Mystic Lake (which, he said, provided roughly $5 million per year at the start of its term and grew to about $7.5 million near the end) left the track with noticeably smaller purse pools. “We are at an inflection point,” Sampson said, warning that further declines in the horse population would make it very difficult to run 50 required race days without many small fields.

Commissioners and industry representatives raised policy options and next steps. Commissioner Colombo and others pressed for clarity on the root causes — including the end of the Mystic Lake supplement and differences in purse funding between states — and asked whether the Racing Commission should actively advocate with the Legislature. Commissioner Cuomo urged a coordinated effort: he proposed that interested parties assemble a short, targeted brief (he suggested three pages) outlining legislative fixes and present it to the Racing Commission for a vote so the commission could distribute it to legislators before the session.

Discussion points and options recorded at the meeting included: - Pursuing sports-betting legislation as a longer-term way to stabilize purses; several commissioners and industry speakers said sports betting revenue in neighboring jurisdictions supports larger purses there. - Exploring a circuit with Prairie Meadows (Iowa) so Minnesota- and Iowa-bred races could draw larger combined fields; Sampson said consultants have recommended a circuit model but that changes would likely require rule and possibly legislative adjustments. - Short-term operational changes such as running more seven-race cards and trimming stake programs to boost overnight purse strength.

What was not decided: no formal commission motion or vote was recorded on any legislative action at this meeting. Commissioners agreed to place a discussion item on the November agenda to consider next steps, including whether the commission will sign or otherwise publicly support a legislator-facing brief prepared by industry stakeholders.

Industry context and clarifications: Canterbury and several commissioners repeatedly emphasized that declines in foal crops and in-state foal registrations are measurable contributors to fewer starters; Sampson said two-year-old Minnesota-bred starts were “only about 14 boys and 20 girls” this year compared with higher numbers in past years. Sampson and Carlisle also highlighted positive signals at the track level — stronger per-day attendance, the success of low-price promotions, and renewed interest at a new Boardwalk dining area that drew on-site wagers — but said those gains have not offset the industry-level declines in horses and purse funding.

Next steps and forward look: commissioners agreed to add a specific agenda item for the next regular meeting to discuss a coordinated response, and industry and commission speakers said they would work on a short legislative brief and reconvene with a proposed text. Canterbury representatives said they will continue internal discussions with horsemen about dates and meet structure for 2026 while also seeking legislative and rule changes to improve purse funding and field sizes.