Horse racing season begins at Canterbury Park in Shakopee

Horse racing season begins at Canterbury Park

They're off to the races! The live racing season at Canterbury Park in Shakopee begins Wednesday night.

SHAKOPEE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Canterbury Park's live racing season begins Wednesday night, with four days of horse racing per week.

The Shakopee racetrack is bringing back Saturday races, which have been absent since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with races Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m.

"Adding Saturday racing, for more than two decades a staple on our schedule, was the next logical step as we return to a more normal business model," Assistant General Manager John Groen said in a news release. "We also are reintroducing more events that coincide with racing that had been extremely popular prior to the pandemic."

The 65-day racing season will run through Sept. 17, and will include a Father's Day Weekend BBQ Festival, Canterbury Uncorked wine event and a seltzer festival. Other special events include corgi races, the Indian Horse relay and extreme race day.

Here's the schedule of special events:

May 18 – Opening Night
June 5 – English Bulldog Races
June 11 – Seltzer Fest (separate admission fee)
June 18-19 – Father’s Day Weekend BBQ Festival
June 22 – Mystic Lake Northern Stars Turf Festival featuring $150,000 Mystic Lake Derby
June 25 – Canterbury Uncorked (separate admission fee)
June 26 – Basset Hound Races
July 3 – Fireworks Spectacular with racing beginning at 4 p.m.
July 17 – Extreme Race Day with camels, ostriches and zebras
July 31 – Corgi Races
Aug. 13 – Minnesota Derby and Oaks
Aug. 14 – Wiener Dog Races
Aug. 25, 27 and 28 – Indian Horse Relay
Sept. 10 – Festival of Champions with more than $700,000 in stakes purses
Sept. 17 – Final Day of 2002 Racing Season