Canterbury Park!

I decided to organize an outing with my coworkers so I sent out an invite to Canterbury.  It didn't occur to me that not everyone knows what Canterbury is.  And when you try to look it up on our work computers, the site is blocked due to its affiliation with gambling.  That made me even more eager to write about Canterbury which happens to be one of my must-do activities every summer.

Canterbury Park hosts horse races!  It's located about 30 minutes south of Minneapolis in Shakopee.  It is a little ways out there, but still close enough for an evening out.  I like to go on Thursdays because it's dollar night.  Admission, a program, pop, chips, and hot dog are each one dollar.  They do other promotions throughout the summer as well such as ladies night, 80s night, food truck night, and so on.  Canterbury also has an affiliation with Mystic Casino so you can play black jack and other card games there if you'd like. 

Here's  how this goes:

The first race is at 6:30 on Thursday nights.  I like to get there around 5:45 to look through the program, place a bet, buy a beer, and find a seat.  The races are run about every thirty minutes.  So there's not a whole lot of action, but I love the pacing of the night.  Thirty minutes is about the perfect time to celebrate a winning bet, mull over the next bet, place it, grab food or drinks, and hang out with your companions until the next race starts.  There is plenty of seating outside so it really makes for a fun evening out in the summer. 

I generally am not very lucky... which could be due to my strategy.  First of all, I like to refer to the process as "voting" for my favorite horse.  I decide on my favorite horse based on the name and color of the jockey's outfit.  Sometimes the odds and the announcer's pick will weigh into my decision making factors.   I keep my bets pretty small, but it's fun to have a little skin in the game and gives me a horse to cheer for as it races around the track.  I think I ended up $10 down last night.  I'll just consider that the entertainment expense for the night.  It's always a fun night out and it's still entertaining even if you aren't placing bets. 

Haha, shoot.  I didn't notice I got these guys until after I got home!  I was hoping for a nice clean finish line shot.  But you get the idea.