By Shawn Hogendorf, Staff Writer 

Eric Halstrom of Prior Lake will be the first to say he has a fear of horses. Ironically, horse racing plays a large role in his life.

Halstrom, 39, is vice president of racing operations at Canterbury Park, where he oversees betting cards, admissions, security, guest services, programs, information, simulcasts and trainers, among other things.

Although Halstrom admits he doesn’t feel comfortable coming within 5 feet of the equines, he doesn’t let his phobia get in the way of his passion for the sport.Eric Halstrom of Prior Lake has
worked at Canterbury Park since
1997. He became vice president of
racing operations in 1999.
Canterbury Park opens the live
racing season on Saturday, May 3.
(Photo by Shawn Hogendorf)

In fact, it was love at first race for Halstrom, who first attended a race at Canterbury Park with his parents in 1985.

“I was fascinated,” he said. “The excitement in the atmosphere and the competition is what first grabbed me. The colors, the silks, being around the screaming owners when they win and watching people throw their programs on the ground when they lose fascinated me as a kid.”

That fascination became a central part of Halstrom’s high school and college career.

After tracking down fly balls as an All-American baseball player at Mankato State University for four years, Halstrom chased down an education in the horse racing business at the University of Arizona.

As a senior at college, Halstrom’s mother told him about an ad she saw for a race track industry program offered at the University of Arizona. After finishing his baseball career, Halstrom decided to transfer to the university the next fall.

“It was the best thing I could’ve done for myself,” Halstrom said.

Halstrom studied the business side of horse racing, which landed him a summer internship at The Meadows race track in Pittsburgh, where he later worked his first job.

After working a year and a half at The Meadows, Halstrom received a promotion and moved to Toledo, where he headed up the mutual department for the race track’s off-track betting business.

From there, Halstrom accepted a job working for Church Hill Downs off-track betting in Chicago, across the state of Indiana and at the 1995 Kentucky Derby in Louisville.

In 1997, Halstrom was hired as a mutuals manager (overseeing the people who take the bets) at Canterbury Park.

“There are times when I wonder if I made the right decision when I see 120,000 people at the Kentucky Derby,” Halstrom said. “But I did. The best thing I ever did was come to Canterbury.”

In 1999, Halstrom took over as the vice president of racing operations.

“Eric has been a huge asset to our company,” said Randy Sampson, president and CEO of Canterbury Park. “His responsibilities have grown considerably while working here. He has an important part of our business under his supervision.”

Halstrom’s primary job is to make sure guests have a good experience and the horsemen’s needs are met, Sampson said. Halstrom understands the business from the mentality of someone betting on horses and is a very knowledgeable race card handicapper, he said.

Opening day

With opening day at Canterbury Park looming on Derby Day, May 3, Halstrom works seven days a week to make sure everything falls into place.

Planning the season’s race schedule began Jan. 1. Halstrom begins the process by talking with horsemen to make sure the purse payouts are right and traveling the country to recruit new horsemen to Canterbury for the summer.

“This year we have some high-quality stables coming to Canterbury,” Halstrom said. “That’s all a result of work during the winter. It should make for some great races.”

This is the third year Canterbury Park will open the same day as the Kentucky Derby.

“Kicking off our live racing season the same day as the Kentucky Derby is a perfect fit,” Sampson said. “Horse racing fans are excited about the derby as well as getting outside and enjoying the excitement of live racing.”

Mint juleps will flow all the way from Kentucky to Shakopee when Canterbury opens with nine live races from 10 a.m. until midnight.

Extravagant hats at the track are also prevalent as Canterbury Park simulcasts the entire Kentucky Derby race card, along with 25 other races from tracks around the country, Halstrom said.

“It’s a bit anticlimactic that the biggest day of the year is opening day,” Halstrom said. “We could never market something like this. When you have the biggest horse racing event in the world, you have to play it for everything you’ve got.”

Among the various hats that Halstrom wears at Canterbury, some of his most passionate behind-the- scenes work comes in the form of Canterbury College, a program that educates customers how to bet on horses. Halstrom also developed Breakfast on the Rail, a program designed to get potential horse owners information about ownership.

“The idea behind the program is to let people know it’s not that hard to own a horse,” Halstrom said. “People see others buying horses on television for a million dollars. That’s not normal. Those people end up racing their horses at the Kentucky Derby, but you can race locally for much less.”

The more people who get involved in group horse ownership, the less the expenses are, he said.

“But the fun is the same,” Halstrom added. “Groups of 25 who own a horse have just as much fun when the horse wins as a sole owner. It’s the same thing.”

As a part of Breakfast on the Rail, Canterbury Park will host an auction on May 10 of 2-year-old horses that are ready to race. A horse showing will be held at the track on May 9, prior to the sale.

Giving back

In addition to educating race track betters and potential horse owners, Halstrom also has sat on the board of directors for the Northstar Problem Gambling Alliance for the past six years.

Halstrom volunteers his time outside Canterbury Park to educate problematic gamblers, while promoting responsible gambling through educational materials and conferences around the state.

“When you’re in this business, you know there are people who can’t gamble responsibly,” Sampson said. “You see how that impacts their lives. When problematic gambling happens, Eric is the go-to guy. Eric has put himself in a role where he is seen as an expert in Minnesota on issues of problematic gambling. His work has led to making resources to the issues that lead to problems available for people.”

“Whether the racing is high up on the problematic gambling food chain or not, it’s not good, and we want to help,” Halstrom added. “I am very proud of my work with the Northstar group. A lot of good things are happening. There is a lot of gambling in this state. We all need to be responsible for how we treat our customers who need help.”

Something new

Halstrom also has been a part of the team that brought the Extreme Race Day to Canterbury Park for the first time last year.

Canterbury was the first track in the country to hold a Battle of the Surfaces race where horses race against one another on both the inside turf of the track and the dirt at the same time.

“’This was a first race of its kind,” Halstrom said. “Everything is in place to make this work. We have sufficient manpower in the starting gate and photo-finish equipment capable of accurately determining the finishing order.”

There will be another Extreme Race Day at Canterbury this year on July 20, where events including ostrich and camel racing are on the bill along with a variety of other events.

This year, Canterbury will more than likely host a race that will be another first in the horse racing world, but the event is still being worked out and the details of the event can’t be disclosed at this time, Halstrom said.

“We were thrilled to find a guy with Eric’s qualifications and experience when we were looking for a mutuals manager,” Sampson said. “We hit the jackpot. And he has continued to grow and expand on what he’s done with us.”

Halstrom also was named president of the Prior Lake Hockey Association in April.

“I love being involved with my kids’ sports as well as watching other kids play and enjoy hockey,” he said.

When Halstrom isn’t working at the track, he enjoys vacationing to other race track venues across the country with his wife Rachel, his daughter Bailey, 12, and his two sons Ben, a third-grader and Collin, who will be in kindergarten next year.

“My best memory of the track was growing up and coming to Canterbury with my folks,” Halstrom said. “The race track was our thing, and I’m trying to give that thing back to my children. They love horses and coming to Canterbury. It’s kind of our family place.”

Shawn Hogendorf can be reached at (952) 345-6374 or shogendorf@swpub.com.