Oaklawn to drastically limit attendance; cuts overnight purses 15 percent to $600,000 per day

Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., has some new programs in place for its upcoming 57-day meet during the ongoing pandemic and one requires specific reservations to attend the races, said track president Lou Cella.

The meet opens Jan. 22.

Cella said the Arkansas Department of Health this week accepted a plan from Oaklawn that enables the track to conduct racing with limited spectators. Attendance to start the season will be limited to box-seat holders, members of the track’s jockey club, and those who secure reservations for the track’s various restaurants.

“The reason we’re doing that is we can then socially distance everyone appropriately,” Cella said Thursday. “The box seats are going to spill into reserved seats. Club members can spread out – it’s a big room. And restaurants can be at about 50 percent, and maybe spill outside some of the area.

“On the box seats, you may not be in your traditional box seat because we have to spread it out and it will spill into the big area between the north and south end – those are the reserved seats. So, you may not be in your box, but you’ll be close to where your box was.”

Cella said restaurant reservations will begin being taken on Jan. 18. He said Oaklawn has torn down a wall in its Sports Tavern to make room for an additional 10 tables of seating for patrons. There are several other restaurants at the track, and he said all floors would be open.

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“The message is, ‘We’re trying,’ ” he said. “These are difficult times, but we’re trying. We’re doing the best we can under the circumstances. It’s not like it used to be, but the bottom line is we’re trying.”

Oaklawn is known for its large, ontrack crowds. Arkansas Derby Day regularly draws more than 60,000 patrons.

“Do not anticipate driving across town to come walk into Oaklawn as usual - and that’s very sad for us,” Cella said.

The hope is more of the facility can be opened to patrons as the meet goes on. The season runs through May 1.

“If we get an early spring and the weather cooperates, we’ll introduce this outside,” Cella said. “Right now, when it’s chilly out, we can’t really do that because people will be bundled up together. The weather just doesn’t cooperate.

“As we get into February and certainly by March, if we’re able to have some nice days, we’d like to open up the infield early to spread people out. So, let’s get to February. Let’s get to March. Let’s see where we are at that point. We want to find ways to bring in more of the general admission. We won’t know until we get there.”

Last year, Oaklawn’s meet was in full swing when the pandemic hit and the track went to spectator-free racing starting the day before the Rebel Stakes.

“Even though this is backwards, and not what Oaklawn is used to, it beats for sure back in March, when we had no fans,” said Cella.

During the meet, masks and daily temperature tests will be required.

As for Oaklawn’s casino, it is operating at about 40 percent capacity with every other terminal turned off for social distancing purposes, said Cella. During racing, patrons will have to show proof of reservations to move from the casino into the grandstand. The new ontrack hotel, which was to open in December, will now likely open the latter part of March, said Cella.

Purses trimmed to start meet

As a consequence of having to limit ontrack attendance, overnight purses have been trimmed to start the upcoming meet, said Cella. The action was taken Wednesday, after attendance plans received clearance from the Arkansas Department of Health.

Oaklawn had projected average daily purses of $700,000 to open the meet, but that number will now be about $600,000, said Cella. He said stakes purses would not be altered.

Cella said the new structure is about a 15 percent reduction in overnight purses from what is in the first condition book. He said the first condition book was being reprinted Thursday in order to reflect the new overnight purse structure.

Cella said the formula Oaklawn uses to project purses includes a variety of factors, such as business last year and business this year.

“Because we had to restrict our fans, that part of the formula is reduced,” he said. “Instead of $700,000, we’ll be at about $600,000. That’s still the highest in the nation. No one’s close to that.”

Cella said the hope is purses will be boosted during the course of the meet.

“If offtrack betting increases more than we anticipate,” he said, “guess what? We’re going to have a purse increase.”