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 Canterbury Park Hosts Successful Tenth Renewal of Claiming Crown August 3, 2008 -- Shakopee, MN -- An exuberant crowd of 10,188 came to Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota, yesterday to witness the 10th renewal of the Claiming Crown, a partnership of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) and the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA). The attendance figure was down from the 11,644 that attended the 2006 Claiming Crown, the last held at Canterbury, and almost even with the 10,515 in attendance at the 2005 Claiming Crown. Yesterday’s figure was up by more than 3,000, however, from the 6,611 who attended the 2007 Claiming Crown at Ellis Park. The live crowd wagered $558,645 on the seven Claiming Crown races, down from the $684,731 bet in 2006. Ellis Park’s 2007 live Claiming Crown handle was not recorded. In 2005, Canterbury had a live handle of $557,193 on the seven Claiming Crown races. Total Claiming Crown handle was a robust $2,175,818, up almost exactly $100,000 from the $2,075,167 wagered on the Canterbury Claiming Crown races in 2006, and well ahead of the $1,897,642 bet in 2005. Last year, Ellis Park handled $3,575,778 on the seven Claiming Crown races due primarily to wider distribution of its simulcast signal. All-sources handle for the 12-race Canterbury card on Saturday was an impressive $2,771,947, up from $2,708,902 in 2006 and $2,321,941 in 2005. Ellis had an all-source handle of $4,906,096 for its Claiming Crown day card last year. “It was a terrific day of racing before a very enthusiastic crowd,” said Randy Sampson, President and General Manager of Canterbury Park. “We had a strong out-of-state handle increase over two years ago, which I think is indicative of how the event has grown over time. What was also very gratifying to me was the number of horsemen that told me what a great place Canterbury Park is and how much fun they had coming here. And that praise was just as strong from those who didn’t happen to win any races.” “We were very happy to have the Claiming Crown back in Minnesota before such a vibrant, live crowd,” said Dan Metzger, President of TOBA and Claiming Crown Chairman. “We were delighted to see the support from horsemen who came from all over the country to be part of this great event, and we salute Canterbury Park for yet another outstanding job as Claiming Crown hosts.” Founded in 1940 on the philosophy of “horsemen helping horsemen” the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) has developed into the largest organization representing horsemen's interests in North America. Over 40,000 members strong, the NHBPA protects the rights of the representative majorities of licensed racehorse owners and trainers in over 30 affiliate HBPA offices across the U.S. and Canada. TOBA, based in Lexington, Kentucky, was formed in 1961 and is a national trade organization of Thoroughbred owners and breeders. TOBA's mission is to "improve the economics, integrity and pleasure of the sport on behalf of Thoroughbred owners and breeders." Projects managed by TOBA include the American Graded Stakes Committee, The Racing Game, Sales Integrity Program and Claiming Crown. TOBA is the owner of The Blood-Horse Inc., and is represented on the Board of Directors of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association as a founding member. Click Here to Return to News Page
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