Tapiture’s Lady set for $40,000 MTA Stallion Auction Stakes; Lake Bee favored on Saturday at Canterbury Park

A field of six 3-year-olds will face off in Saturday’s second race, the $40,000 MTA Stallion Auction Stakes at six furlongs. The race is restricted to 2021 progeny of stallions whose service was sold at the 2020 Minnesota Thoroughbred Association Stallion Auction. The morning line favorite is Lake Bee, a gelding by Bee Jersey trained, owned and bred in Oklahoma by Miguel Silva.

The Stallion Auction dates back several decades. There were originally two divisions, the Laddie and the Lassie, until 2014 when they were combined into a single race. From 1987 until 2000 the race was restricted to 2-year-olds. This will be the first time when horses bred in Minnesota do not predominate the field. A lone filly, Call’em All, is the sole representative while there are two bred in Kentucky and one each bred in Oklahoma, Nebraska and Louisiana. A Minnesota bred has won the Stallion Auction eight times since the divisions were combined.

In those 10 renditions two of the winners, both Minnesota breds, were fillies. On Saturday, four of the six entered are fillies including Tapiture’s Lady, second choice on the morning line, trained by Coty Rosin and owned by Rick Engel. She most recently won the $77,000 Iowa Stallion Filly at Prairie Meadows, coming from off the pace in the mile and 70 yard race. The Nebraska bred has run three times at Canterbury Park, never missing the board. Her maiden win came in 2023 at Saturday’s distance in her second career start. Leading jockey Luis Fuentes will have the mount.

“I expect her to run well,” Rosin said. “She’s a grinding type. She might want a little more ground.” The Stallion Auction in previous years had been run at 6 1/2 furlongs but was shortened this season when the 6 1/2 distance was no longer possible due to track and grounds reconfiguration. “But it is what it is. We are fortunate to be in a race like this with a good purse.”

Rosin thinks Tapiture’s Lady would benefit from a pace battle.  “It takes her a little bit of time to get her feet underneath her. She will probably fall back and come with her run. I just hope she doesn’t run out of real estate.”

Rosin last won the Stallion Auction in 2009 with Lumpsinmyoatmeal. “[Lake Bee] is the one to beat but this really is a solid field,” he said.

Lake Bee is winless in his last five starts, all at Canterbury, but has four victories from his 15 career races including a win at six furlongs in a state bred $75,000 stake at Will Rogers Downs in March. Silva won the Stallion Auction in 2018 with Speeding Kid and with Royals’ Lil Diva in 2022.

The remainder of the field includes Barbsdreamcometrue who recorded back-to-back second-place finishes in stakes at Prairie Meadows; Lil Chilly for owners Al and Bill Ulwelling and co-owner and trainer Gary Scherer; and Konteekee for trainer Robert Cline.

Saturday’s eight-race program begins at 5:10 p.m. CT.

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