Canterbury, Horsemen Sign Off on Purse Increase

Canterbury Park, which operates a successful card club in its clubhouse, and the Minnesota Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association have raised overnight purses by 5%. The increase is the fourth in three years.

Purses at Canterbury, located in Shakopee, Minn., now average $125,000 a day, the highest since the track reopened in 1995.

"This increase was not unexpected," Canterbury president Randy Sampson said. "The continued success of our card club has provided us with the means to make our live racing more lucrative to our horsemen. Past increases have already led to an improvement in our product and stability in our field sizes, and with this increase we expect to continue that trend."

Thus far, all-sources handle is up 7%, and attendance is up 4% at the current Canterbury meet.