Minnesota Bill Would Pay $750 Per Start in 2026-27 for Horses Who Establish Previous-Meet Residency at Canterbury

[Wandering Eyes]

A bill that had a committee hearing on Monday in the Minnesota House of Representatives would make a one-time transfer of $7 million from the state's general fund to establish a Thoroughbred pilot program to award Canterbury Park horse owners $750 per start during the 2026 and 2027 race meets provided those horses have met a residency registration requirement by being stabled at the track for 120 days during the previous season.

Bill HF 1540 would also earmark “at least” $500,000 in 2026 and 2027 for the state's commissioner of agriculture to award grants to Thoroughbred aftercare organizations, and “at least” another $500,000 each year would fund mental health and educational services for Canterbury's backstretch community.

Horse owners would have to pay an application fee of $100 to be eligible for the program, and those fees would be added to the total amount to be distributed.

Canterbury Park would be tasked with distributing the money via the horsemen's bookkeeper after each racing day, and then the track would be reimbursed by the state at the end of the season.

The bill's text explicitly states that the program is to expire July 1, 2028, although it is possible that if the bill passes and is viewed as beneficial, new legislation could eventually renew it.

Justin Revak, the president the Minnesota Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, testified during the Mar. 24 Agriculture Finance and Policy committee hearing that the average horse starts four or five times during Canterbury's season, which in 2025 will span May 24-Sept. 20.

The bill's co-sponsor, Rep. Brad Tabke, a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party whose district includes the city of Shakopee, where Canterbury Park is located, underscored at the hearing that the payments would be triggered per start, and not per horse or per owner.

Tabke also emphasized that the only starters who would get paid are those that met the previous-year residency requirements. So if the bill gets voted into law, owners wishing to collect in 2026 must establish each horse's residency at Canterbury in 2025.

“Canterbury has an extremely loyal group of horsemen, owners and trainers, many who have been racing here since the '80s,” Revak told the committee. “But when you factor that in and then purses declining, that loyalty only goes so far before you can't make an honest business out of it and continue racing here…

“So in summary, I'd say this bill increases purses to attract more horses to Canterbury, enhances the backside programs that we're able to establish, and also provides money for retired racehorses, which is another important factor,” Revak summed up.

The hearing concluded with no action being taken on the bill, which was “laid over” by the committee.

 

The post Minnesota Bill Would Pay $750 Per Start in 2026-27 for Horses Who Establish Previous-Meet Residency at Canterbury appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

View the full article