Canterbury Park Chairman Curtis Sampson dies at 87
Curtis Sampson, the former chairman of Canterbury Park horse track in Shakopee, died Thursday, July 16, 2020. He was 87.[Canterbury Park]
87-year-old Curtis Sampson, the chairman emeritus of Canterbury Park Holding Corporation, died on Thursday, according to a spokesperson for the horse track.
Sampson is known for reopening Canterbury Park in 1994 and leading the company up to this day. Under Sampson, Canterbury turned from a shuttered horse track into one of the most-attended racetracks in the nation.
Sampson, a born-and-raised Minnesotan, was instrumental in the growth of several multi-million dollar companies all while operating out of his hometown of Hector. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1955 and worked for three months as an accountant in Minneapolis before returning to his hometown of Hector, where he remained until his death.