HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Oaklawn Park on Sunday will close a statistically satisfying meet, with a variety of barometers showing participation increases from patrons, owners, and horses, according to track president Lou Cella. Looking ahead, Oaklawn plans to make some slight changes to next season’s calendar, which Cella said is agreed to by horsemen and is now subject to final approval from the Arkansas Racing Commission. “We are delighted with this meet,” Cella said. “We have more owners, more trainers, and more horses basing at Oaklawn this year than ever before. We have more licensed owners and we have had more horses run.” Cella said initial statistics show more than 1,950 individual horses raced at the current meet, up from approximately 1,850 last season. There were 1,153 owner accounts opened this season, compared to 1,116 last season. The average number of starters per race was sitting at 9.32 through last Sunday, compared to 8.70 last season, according to figures provided by Jason Milligan, vice president of racing operations for Oaklawn. The track had 395 horses entered in races over the final three dates of the meet beginning with the card Friday. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. “You take a racing meet for 60 some odd days anywhere and have 9.3 horses per race, it’s a testament to our horsemen,” Cella said, “and frankly to Pat Pope, our racing secretary, who is able to design these races throughout the 22-week period and make them attractive.” Oaklawn paid out record purses this meet, averaging $911,000 per card heading into the final three dates of the meet, compared to $709,000 during the corresponding period last season, according to provided figures. The track and it’s horsemen also brought back owner and trainer participation bonuses, with more than $1 million paid out to owners and more than $900,000 paid to trainers, Cella estimated. Cella said a fun means of judging patron participation at the meet is looking over food and beverage returns. Through last weekend, he said Oaklawn has sold 7,830 pounds of shrimp, 28,400 oysters, and over 22,000 pounds of its signature corned beef. “Those numbers exceeded last year’s, which means our fans are having fun and enjoying themselves at Oaklawn Park,” he said. “And that’s the bottom line. We know we’re doing a good job when we see numbers like that.” Oaklawn will race 63 dates this season. It lost five days to inclement weather, but added two later on in the season. “We picked up two days, and in addition to that we added a race or two or three a weekend and over the course of the balance of the meet, it will pick up at least two different days of racing,” Cella said. Oaklawn’s calendar for next season is expected to run 65 days from Dec. 6 through May 3, 2025. In a change, the calendar will be more uniform, as most weeks racing will be conducted Friday through Sunday. “We’re no longer racing Thursdays in March,” Cella said. “It just makes life easier on everyone, to put the schedule on weekend racing.” Cella said there are a few exceptions. Oaklawn is reintroducing racing on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 20, and will again race on Presidents Day, Monday, Feb. 17. There also is one Thursday card the final week of the meet, on May 1. In another change, Oaklawn will not race on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. :: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.  A change to Oaklawn’s event calendar next year concerns the Hall of Fame weekend conducted each March. It celebrates members of racing’s national Hall of Fame, but will not be held in 2025. “We’re not going to do it and the reason we’re not is because the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame is celebrating their 75th anniversary,” Cella said. “They’re doing it right after the meet, so the Hall of Famers can’t really do both. “We’re simply on pause and can’t wait to bring it back. Our fans love it.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.