Canterbury Park’s third annual “Extreme Race Day,” featuring camel and ostrich races, will be held Sunday, Aug 9.

 “Extreme Race Day,” attracting large crowds and lots of curiosity in past years, will also include imaginative horse races with unusual matchups, surfaces and distances. 

 Audiences have delighted in watching the camel and ostrich races, plus enjoying the “Extreme” races and traditional Canterbury Park Sunday family attractions such as free pony rides for kids.

The star attractions for the day are Joe Hedrick’s camels and ostriches.  

The performers (with their quirky names) sometimes start, stop and weave their way to the finish line.

Hedrick predicted that “Daffy Ostrich” and “Sahara Sam” are early favorites to win the ostrich and camel races. But he added that if rain makes for a muddy surface at Canterbury, he likes the prospects for “Hen House Harry” in the ostrich race and “Desert  Desperado” in the camel race. 

Hedrick, a former rodeo clown, has been raising and showing exotic animals since the 1970s. He operates an exotic animal attraction in Nickerson, Kan.

Gates open at noon on Aug. 9 with the first race at 1:30 p.m.  (Times for the camel and ostrich races will be announced soon.   Wagering isn’t allowed on these races).