Canterbury Park in Minnesota has its big night of the summer Wednesday with six stakes on a 10-race card beginning at 6:10 pm ET. In addition to the great pari-mutuel action, Xpressbet.com is proud to be the online partner for the Canterbury Park Challenge handicapping contest. The $300 buy-in includes a live-money $200 bankroll plus $100 in entry fees (100% paid out in prizes). The top two finishers will receive free seats in the $3,000 Canterbury Park Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge Big Ten Challenge (Sept. 16), where a dozen seats will be awarded between the BCBC and the National Handicapping Championship.

Perhaps you’re not a regular at Canterbury Park. To assist, selections provided by the 1/ST BET app measure each contender against the 10 leading factors for each race. The 1/ST BET app looks at 52 handicapping factors and more than 200,000 past races to determine its AI selections. You can use the automated handicapping factors, or create your own factor filters to incorporate angles you prefer. We’ve included the official track morning line odds with the selections for the stakes during tonight’s action. Full selections can be found in the 1/ST BET app.

RACE 3 (7:10PM ET) // $100,000 CURTIS SAMPSON OAKS // 1 MILE (TURF) 

#5 Amalfi Princess (7-2 ML) // 26%W
#9 Saranya (9-5 ML) // 16%W
#4 Heart Full of Soul (8-1 ML) // 16%W
#8 Spritz (6-1 ML) // 15%W

Notes: Kentucky-based shippers from Mike Maker and Brad Cox top the 1/ST BET algorithm, solidly backing Amalfi Princess. She’s been effective on turf and dirt, but has yet to win around 2 turns. Saranya has twice won around 2 turns on turf, but is drawn widest. Dirt Sprinter Heart Full of Soul is the local threat.

RACE 4 (7:40PM ET) // $100,000 DARK STAR TURF SPRINT STAKES // 5 FURLONGS (TURF)

#7 Drena’s Star (2-1 ML) // 25%W
#8 Wellabled (3-1 ML) // 23%W
#1 High Crime (9-2 ML) // 19%W
#4 Jazzy Times (8-1 ML) // 10%W

Notes: Top three morning line choices line up with 1/ST BET in order, but the spread between them is only 6 points. This is the most competitive of the stakes when you take that into consideration. Locally based Drena’s Star has done almost all of his work on dirt, not turf as this is scheduled. Speedball Wellabled will try to wire these, while High Crime is the most experienced turf sprinter of the trio. All 3 have a similar, front-end running style.

RACE 5 (8:10PM ET) // $60,000 MTA STALLION AUCTION STAKES // 6 1/2 FURLONGS (DIRT)

#6 Star of the North (8-5 ML) // 27%W
#3 Just Chillin (3-1 ML) // 17%W
#5 Rozey Cheeks (5-1 ML) // 15%W
#7 Westa Waverly (9-2 ML) // 13%W

Notes: The 27% win projection for Star of the North is second-highest in the stakes races tonight. The filly has won 4 straight, including 2 races last year at Canterbury, and takes on the boys. Her uncoupled stablemate and fellow filly, Rozey Cheeks, was 1-for-2 in head-to-head local matchups in 2020. Yet a third Francisco Bravo barnmate, Just Chillin, represents the boys off a third-place finish in stakes company at Will Rogers Downs in Oklahoma. The favorite looks very tough to beat.

RACE 6 (8:40PM ET) // $100,000 LADY CANTERBURY STAKES // 1 MILE (TURF)

#7 Best Kept Secret (8-1 ML) // 26%W
#8 Evil Lyn (2-1 ML) // 16%W
#5 Lady Lawyer (7-2 ML) // 16%W
#6 Princess Causeway (5-1 ML) // 15%W

Notes: Attractive morning line price on top choice Best Kept Secret, who is 2-for-3 lifetime on turf but has done most of her recent work on dirt. She’ll employ front-running tactics and try to run them off their feet. Evil Lyn, a turf stakes winner on the Preakness undercard in 2020, will attract strong tote support for Mike Maker among the national simulcast audience. Lady Lawyer makes her first start for Mike Stidham after plying her trade with Chad Brown.

RACE 7 (9:10PM ET) // $100,000 MYSTIC LAKE MILE // 1 MILE (TURF) 

#1 Cinco Star (9-2 ML) // 26%W
#3 Parlor (5-2 ML) // 16%W
#9 Hieronymous (4-1 ML) // 16%W
#8 Tut’s Revenge (8-1 ML) // 15%W

Notes: Another Maker vs. Cox showdown will attract plenty of tote attention with Parlor and Hieronymous to vie for favoritism. But neither has won since March 2020, so there’s reason to shop a bit. Cinco Star, a solid top choice via 1/ST BET, won wire-to-wire in his last two attempts over the Canterbury grass. He’ll try to take advantage of the rail draw up front, but the pace could be hot.

RACE 8 (9:40PM ET) // $150,000 MYSTIC LAKE DERBY // 1 MILE (TURF)

#6 TD Dance (5-2 ML) // 29%W
#5 Holy Vow (10-1 ML) // 15%W
#2 Chess’s Dream (4-1 ML) // 14%W
#8 Modern Science (5-1 ML) // 10%W

Notes: TD Dance figures to give Brad Cox the solid favorite in the final stakes. TD Dance was dominant at 4-5 in the Jimmy Murphy on Preakness Day when last seen and has won 3 of 4 on turf lifetime. The 14-point spread between the top-2 selections is the largest in the stakes tonight, and the 29% win projection also is best. Multi-race players may have their single in TD Vance. Holy Vow could offer some exotics value on the drop in class from graded stakes company when overmatched.