On Wednesday I ran one of my test picks on 8 races at Canterbury Park. I was contemplating going to the track but decided against it because 4 of the 8 races were for maidens. I collected picks from 6 of my favorite sources and then wrote down my own selections. In the first 4 races I had 2/2/3/3 selections for a simulated $18 pick 4. In the next 4 races I had 2/4/1/2 for a simulated $8 pick 4. The first pick 4 paid $58.35 and the second paid $8.95. Yes, only $8.95 for a pick 4. My $26 in wagers would have returned $67.30.
Two other sources also got them all correct. Timeform had 1/3/1/3 for the first 4 and 3/3/2/2 for the second 4 races. The local handicapping guru (Kevin Gorg) had all the winners with his top 3 selections in each race. Timeform’s results were most impressive with 2 singles in the first pick 4 and 2 doubles in the next pick 4. I was next with 1 single and 4 doubles. Unfortunately, with favorites winning 6 out of 8 races, the payouts weren’t very good. This time of the year (late summer) horses are all in top condition from running frequently. Horses, jockeys, and trainers with the best stats become the favorites and are more likely to win.
Canterbury Park is down to their last six races of the 2023 season. I’m not sure I will be attending any live races if the payouts are this low. I also don’t like paying admission every time when I live only a few miles from the track and only stay for 5 or 6 races. In years past they would send free passes and have promotions to attract customers. They also don’t have the purse enhancement agreement with Mystic Lake Casino anymore. It has been a difficult year for the horse racing with several race days being cancelled due to the hot weather. But these days, they probably make more from their land development projects than they do from horse racing.