HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Oaklawn Park will put an exclamation point on an unprecedented meet Saturday when it closes its season with two $500,000 divisions of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. There were 22 horses entered in the 1 1/8-mile race Sunday, at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has led to the cancellation of the spring meet at Keeneland, the suspension of racing at Santa Anita, and the postponement of the Kentucky Derby to Sept. 5. Oaklawn officials made the decision to split the Arkansas Derby, which carries points for the Kentucky Derby, about noon Central on Sunday. The first division of 11 horses pits the promising Charlatan against Grade 1 winner Basin, while the second division of 11 will feature a showdown between champion Storm the Court, Rebel winner Nadal, Louisiana Derby winner Wells Bayou, Tampa Bay Derby winner King Guillermo, and Southwest Stakes winner Silver Prospector. Both races will carry the original, full value of 170 points for the Kentucky Derby, Churchill spokesman Darren Rogers confirmed. The first four finishers from each division will earn points on a sliding scale of 100-40-20-10. Oaklawn will showcase the Arkansas Derby on a 14-race card. It will start as noon Central. There will be no fans in the stands. Oaklawn has raced spectator-free since March 13 due to the pandemic and will continue with that policy through Arkansas Derby Day, said Lou Cella, president of Oaklawn. :: Arkansas Derby: News, fields, past performances, and more “Because of our national crisis, we and the entire world of sports are in uncharted waters requiring unprecedented actions,” Cella said in a press release. “We’re trying to make the best of a very, very difficult situation. On the one hand, it is the worst of times to be racing without fans in our grandstand. On the other, we have a large number of exceptional 3-year-olds wanting to run in our Arkansas Derby. We simply did not want to see anyone lose that opportunity. “By maintaining some semblance of a racing program, at least we’ve been able to help horse owners, their employees, trainers, and jockeys while providing sport for racing fans across the country to enjoy.” The Arkansas Derby drew multiple entries from trainers Steve Asmussen, Bob Baffert, Peter Eurton, and Todd Pletcher. The race's divisions had to both be redrawn during the course of the original draw on Sunday because of a common ownership issue concerning two horses, according to an Oaklawn official. The first division will go as Race 11. The complete field, from the rail with riders, is Charlatan, Martin Garcia; My Friends Beer, Declan Cannon; Mo Mosa, Kendrick Carmouche; Gouverneur Morris, John Velazquez; Jungle Runner, Tyler Baze; Shooters Shoot, Joe Talamo; Wrecking Crew, Flavien Prat; Anneau d'Or, Juan Hernandez; Winning Impression, Julien Leparoux; Crypto Cash, Corey Lanerie; and Basin, Ricardo Santana Jr. The second division will go as Race 13. The complete field, from the rail with riders, is Finnick the Fierce, Martin Garcia; Saratogian, Joe Talamo; Storm the Court, Flavien Prat; King Guillermo, Samy Camacho Jr.; Nadal, Joel Rosario; Code Runner, Stewart Elliott; Silver Prospector, Ricardo Santana Jr.; Fast Enough, Tyler Baze; Taishan, David Cohen; Farmington Road, Javier Castellano; and Wells Bayou, Florent Geroux. The move to maintain the full points value of the race is a special dispensation from Churchill, which has rules that scale points to purses on split races if each side offers less than the original purse, which in this case was $750,000. :: To stay up to date, follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter “While we are always respectful of the time-honored traditions of the Kentucky Derby, we’re in the midst of an unprecedented year,” Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs, said in a statement provided by Churchill. “We recognize that there are numerous 3-year-olds currently in training with limited racing opportunities, and our prominent partner Oaklawn Park is in a unique and important position to immediately fill a void for horsemen. An extension of the Road to the Kentucky Derby will continue to evolve in the weeks ahead. Our Churchill Downs team is united in our commitment to holding the very best Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5, and it will certainly be one of the most memorable of our lifetimes.” Cella said he began talking to Churchill Downs a month ago about the possibility of a split while maintaining the points. The Saturday card also includes the Grade 2, $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap. The field, from the rail with riders, is Chess Chief, Brian Hernandez Jr.; Trophy Chaser, Samy Camacho Jr.; Bravazo, Miguel Mena; Mr Freeze, Joe Talamo; Identifier, Stewart Elliott; Warrior's Charge, Florent Geroux; Combatant, Joel Rosario; Sky Promise, Orlando Mojica; Tacitus, John Velazquez; Captivating Moon, Julien Leparoux; Tax, Kendrick Carmouche; By My Standards, Gabriel Saez; Night Ops, Javier Castellano; and Improbable, Martin Garcia. The Arkansas Derby, which was first run in 1936, has been split one other time, according to the Oaklawn media guide. It was run in two divisions in 1960. In another high-profile split for Oaklawn, last year’s Grade 2 Rebel was run in divisions, with each worth $750,000. The Southwest, another 3-year-old prep at Oaklawn, has been split into divisions on three occasions, in 1972, 2002, and 2012. The Arkansas Derby was originally scheduled for April 11, but it was moved to May 2 after Churchill Downs postponed the Kentucky Derby. The purse was $1 million, but was reduced to $750,000 earlier this meet as part of an across-the-board purse cut after the closure of both the grandstand and casino at Oaklawn. The forecast for Saturday is a high of 85 degrees and a 20 percent chance of rain, according to The Weather Channel. The Arkansas Derby long has anchored the Racing Festival of the South, when Oaklawn groups together a number of major stakes each spring. The track ran its other Grade 1 race, the Apple Blossom, on April 18. On Friday, Oaklawn will run the Grade 3, $400,000 Fantasy, which is a points race for the Kentucky Oaks. It was moved from its original date of April 10 after the Kentucky Oaks was moved to Sept. 4. The Fantasy drew a field of 14 for Friday, including champion British Idiom. She is the first of two Eclipse Award-winning juvenile champions from last year scheduled to run this week at Oaklawn. The other is Storm the Court in the second division of the Arkansas Derby. The Arkansas Derby will be run on what would have been the date for this year's Kentucky Derby.