The unbeaten Homie has two trainers on his bandwagon heading into Saturday night’s $50,000 Canterbury Park Derby. Larry Rivelli will saddle the son of Mendelssohn for Patricia’s Hope LLC, while fellow trainer Wesley Ward is the breeder of the runner, who is 2 for 2.
“We bought him off of Wesley,” Rivelli said. “Wesley’s one of my best buddies for 25 years. Homie’s a horse he bred and owned and I watched him run first time out and said, ‘Why don’t you sell this one to me?’ And he said, ‘Okay.’ It was that easy. It was just a handshake.”
The Canterbury Derby is one of three stakes on the Northern Stars Turf Festival card. The races were originally scheduled for last Saturday, but the program was canceled due to excessive heat and redrawn. The Canterbury Derby and the $50,000 Lady Canterbury, both at a mile on turf, will be part of a late pick five on races 5-9 that has a 10 percent takeout.
Homie is part of a field of eight that includes Sushi Man, a popular maiden special weight winner last out at Canterbury; Smoken Boy, an off-the-turf stakes winner who ran in the Florida Derby earlier this year; and Canyon Streak, who owns a strong series of Beyer Speed Figures.
The race will be the first start at 3 for Homie, a May foal who last year won a maiden special weight at five furlongs on turf and a non-winners of two lifetime allowance at a mile on turf, both on the front end at Horseshoe Indianapolis. He’s been prepping at Hawthorne for his first start since September.
“After he won that race in Indiana, we just turned him out because he’s a turf horse,” Rivelli said. “I just gave him time for no reason and he just blossomed. He grew. He spread out. He’s been training good. He’s ready to run. This race will obviously be a little bit tougher. I expect him to run really well here. His ultimate goal is Kentucky Downs, down the line somewhere.”
Jareth Loveberry has the mount on Homie from post 3.
“He will be closer to the pace, if not on it, especially coming off a layoff and as good as he’s been training,” Rivelli said.
Homie could sit just off Sushi Man, who has speed and who will break from the rail. R N R Audible also could show speed on the move from 5 1/2 furlongs to two turns.
Lady Canterbury
Rivelli and Loveberry will team with leading contender Queen Judith in the nine-horse Lady Canterbury. She was a supplement to the race off a runner-up finish in an allowance at her base of Hawthorne.
“We were looking for a little stakes for her to just try to get her maybe a stakes win or black type,” Rivelli said. “There was a race in Chicago, but it came up a lot tougher than we thought and I was planning on running Homie [at Canterbury] the whole time and this just ended up working out.
“She’s doing real well, so I expect her to show up and run well. Hopefully, it stays on the turf.”
The Accuweather forecast calls for a high of 92 degrees and a 55 percent chance of an afternoon thunderstorm.
Queen Judith closed for second last time, beaten a length May 8. For the effort, she earned a Beyer of 77, which stacks up very favorably Saturday.
“Her last race, she probably needed it,” Rivelli said. “She had every chance to win and just ran second, so I’m hoping if she’ll run the same race, I think she’ll be tough in this spot.”
Queen Judith will break from the rail Saturday.
“She needs to stay covered up,” Rivelli said. “She runs her best races staying covered up behind somebody. If there’s a little pace, just tuck in there third or fourth and don’t let her see daylight until about the quarter pole. Hopefully, it sets up for her.”
Cupids Crush is back at Canterbury, where she is 4 for 4 over the local turf. She is moving back to two turns after sprinting last out at Fair Grounds. Trainer Mac Robertson has said she seems to be at her best routing on the grass. Harry Hernandez has the mount on the multiple stakes winner from post 3.
◗ The first stakes on the card is the $50,000 Brooks Fields Mile for 3-year-olds and up, and it features a rematch of Kennebec and Tonka Warrior.
The horses finished one-two last out in an allowance at Canterbury. Kennebec stalked the pace after breaking from the rail in the mile turf race June 1. For his 1 1/2-length win, he earned a Beyer of 92. It’s the best last-race turf number in the Brooks Fields. Kennebec will again break from the rail Saturday. Tonka Warrior rallied from farther back after he did not get the break. He will start from post 5.
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