Oaklawn: Claiming activity fast and furious early in meet

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Oaklawn Park hit record numbers at the claim box last season, when 492 horses were claimed for $6.9 million in transactions between stables during the 56-date meet that ran from January to mid-April.

The action has been just as fierce this season. Just nine days into the new meet, there have been 59 claims, a number that is on par with the corresponding period a year ago, according to Terri Hoffrogge, the horsemen’s bookkeeper at Oaklawn. In all, there had been $776,000 in transactions between stables through Thursday.

Oaklawn is one of the busiest claiming tracks in North America, largely because of its population of fresh horses from a host of circuits. The track’s purse structure is another contributing factor. Oaklawn is projected to distribute $500,000 a program during the 57-date meet that opened Jan. 13. The frantic claiming keeps Hoffrogge practically glued to her desk during race days at Oaklawn.

“It’s kind of crazy,” she said. “You just have to be on your toes. There’s things coming across your desk almost every race. You can’t leave your spot.”

There has been a temporary reduction on the tax on claimed horses at this meet due to a drop in the county rate, said Hoffrogge. The combined state, city, and county tax on claims is currently 8.875 percent, she said, a rate that will return to 9.5 percent on April 1. Oaklawn races through April 15.