Canterbury Park Announces 51-Day 2026 Thoroughbred Stakes Schedule May through September

Canterbury Park has released its 2026 thoroughbred stakes schedule, laying out a 51-day race meet from May 23 through Sept. 19 that features 23 stakes and named allowances totaling $1.1 million in purses. The announcement, issued Feb. 5, formalizes a summer-long program that balances turf festivals, traditional Minnesota preps and a marquee mid-August stakes double for 3-year-olds and fillies.

Highlighting the meet is the Northern Stars Turf Festival on Saturday, June 27, which assembles four turf stakes: the Lady Canterbury, Canterbury Derby, Brooks Fields Stakes and the Curtis Sampson Oaks. The Curtis Sampson Oaks, at one mile on the turf for 3-year-old fillies, "moves to stakes status this year with a $50,000 purse after running as a $30,000 allowance in 2025." That upgrade signals Canterbury Park’s intent to strengthen its turf division and attract regional 3-year-old fillies and connections seeking graded paths beyond the Midwest.

Traditional preps return to stakes status on July 26, as the Victor S. Myers and Frances Genter are listed with $50,000 purses each; both served as allowances in 2025. The meet’s centerpiece weekend arrives Aug. 15 when the Minnesota Derby and Minnesota Oaks each carry $75,000 purses on the same card. Those races will be run alongside the Wally’s Choice and Glitter Star allowances, which have had their distances shortened from 1 1/16 miles to seven furlongs for 2026, a change likely to shift late summer entries toward speed-oriented sophomores and fillies preparing for autumn targets.

Canterbury Park also preserves the Minnesota-bred showcase with the 33rd Minnesota Festival of Champions on Saturday, Sept. 5. Overall purse levels are stable: purses will "remain consistent with the 2025 season," a business decision that provides predictability for owners, trainers and riders navigating rising costs elsewhere in the sport.

Operational details matter to racing stables. Stall applications and the first condition book will be available the last week of February. The stable area, which holds 1,070 horses, opens May 1, and the main track opens May 8 for training. Racing will be held primarily on Thursdays and Saturdays at 5 p.m. Central Time (with Sundays and holidays at 1 p.m.), and the meet includes added dates for Memorial Day (Monday, May 25), July 3, July 22 and Sept. 16.

A notable industry accommodation in the announcement is financial relief tied to national regulation: "Canterbury Park and the Minnesota Racing Commission plan to cover costs associated with Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority regulatory fees, ensuring those costs do not pass on to racehorse owners in 2026." That move has immediate implications for owner economics and could influence entry patterns and stall demand this summer.

Canterbury Park’s 2026 program offers a mix of upgraded stakes, stable purses and operational certainty at 1100 Canterbury Rd, Shakopee, MN 55379; contact 952.445.7223 or cby@canterburypark.com for details. With the condition book and stall applications arriving in late February, owners and trainers will soon lay plans for a meet that aims to sustain Minnesota racing’s competitive and commercial momentum.