Oaklawn Park drew record handle on Arkansas Derby Day April 14, helping the track realize double-digit gains in handle during its 55-date meet. The Hot Springs, Ark., track wrapped up its season with the Arkansas Derby card, but will be racing at this time next year as Oaklawn will stretch its season into May. Handle on Oaklawn’s races from all sources averaged $3,812,644 a card at this meet, up 15 percent from 2017, according to figures released by the track. Oaklawn handled $16,159,771 on its 12-race Arkansas Derby card from all sources, breaking the track record of $15,133,537 set on Arkansas Derby Day in 2000. Attendance for this year’s Arkansas Derby was an estimated 64,500. “We’re up for the year even losing two days in the month of January and having 16 inches of rain in February,” said Wayne Smith, who is in his first full season as general manager of Oaklawn. “We really bounced back and then some in March and April.” Oaklawn also had its most successful Rebel Stakes Day ever on March 17. The track handled $10,772,984 on the program from all sources, the most outside of an Arkansas Derby Day. Magnum Moon, one of the leading contenders for the Kentucky Derby, won both the Rebel and the Arkansas Derby. “We’re excited about the meet,” Smith said. “We believe that we’ve got the quality. Obviously, our purses go a long way in bringing the quality horse. We have had huge fields. We’re averaging another year over nine-horse fields. That, we believe, is a big reason why our offtrack handle is up significantly, because folks love to bet big fields.” Oaklawn’s purses reached record levels in 2018, with two purse increases during the meeting bringing maiden special weights from $75,000 to $81,000 and allowances from $76,000 to $83,000. Another barometer of quality was the outstanding claiming activity, as 452 claims were made at the meet for $7,241,500, up 16 percent over 2017. M and M Racing, the operation of Texas-based businessman Mike Sisk, won its first Oaklawn owner title with 21 wins from 103 starts. Steve Asmussen captured his ninth training title with 44 wins. His trainees earned $2,977,921. The leading rider for the sixth straight year was Ricardo Santana Jr., who won 69 races. He set a single-season record for mount earnings by a jockey at Oaklawn with $4,240,304. Santana’s biggest victory came aboard Unbridled Mo in the Grade 1, $700,000 Apple Blossom. Oaklawn will open its meet later next year, on Jan. 25, and run through May 4. The Arkansas Derby will continue to be run three weeks out from the Kentucky Derby, on April 13. Smith said the dates shift was made to avoid some of the winter weather in Arkansas. “Our biggest focus, really the last three, five years, is how do we get out of January?” Smith said. “That’s what our goal was with the change in dates. How do we get out of January weather? We think the fans will embrace it.” Smith said the 3-year-old series for both colts and fillies will remain the same and next year. The Smarty Jones, the first prep for 3-year-olds, likely will be run on either the opening-day card Jan. 25 or on the first Saturday program, Jan. 26, said Smith. “Our goal was to ensure the 3-year-old program stays the same,” said Smith. “The points we believe right now will stay the same.” Smith said other stakes could be moved around with the new dates, but Oaklawn is inclined to again have the Apple Blossom and Fantasy run the day before the Arkansas Derby. “We don’t want to lock ourselves into anything,” he said. “We will set out a complete list of what we’re going to do. We’ve got to digest everything.” One decision that has been made, said Smith, is that there will be no 2-year-old racing next year at Oaklawn. ◗ Girvin, the winner of last year’s Grade 1 Haskell, and Shotgun Kowboy, who became a millionaire during the Oaklawn meet, are probable for the Grade 3, $200,000 Steve Sexton Mile at Lone Star Park, according to the track’s racing secretary, Mike Shamburg. Entries for the race will be taken Sunday. Shamburg said he also looks for Oh So Regal, the winner of the Sunland Park Handicap, to ship for the race.