Oaklawn moves Southwest again, to Feb. 27, along with Razorback

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Oaklawn Park on Wednesday announced the Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest Stakes will be moved to next Saturday, Feb. 27, after severe winter weather forced the postponement of the Kentucky Derby points race from its original date of Feb. 15.

Oaklawn also announced an overnight purse increase of up to $4,000 a race starting Thursday, two new race dates, and additional races to make up for the eight cards lost to the winter storm system that continued to rage on Wednesday. The added race dates are March 31 and April 28, both Wednesdays.

The Southwest will share a card with the Grade 3, $600,000 Razorback Handicap, which was originally scheduled for Feb. 13, and the $200,000 Spring Fever. The Grade 3, $250,000 Bayakoa, which had an original date of Feb. 15, will anchor next Sunday’s card, on Feb. 28. The race will be supported by the $150,000 Dixie Belle and $150,000 Downthedustyroad.

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The Southwest’s date had been moved twice before in reaction to the changing weather forecast. Oaklawn last raced Feb. 11, and as the forecast worsened, the track called off racing through Sunday in a move that canceled the Southwest.

The new date for the Southwest now places it two weeks out from the meet’s second major Kentucky Derby prep, the Grade 2, $1 million Rebel Stakes on March 13. However, there are no plans to adjust the date of the Rebel, according to an official with Oaklawn. The Southwest offers its winner 10 points for the Kentucky Derby and the Rebel, 50. The Rebel is the key stepping-stone to the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby.

The forecast for next weekend is highs in the 50s in what will be a welcome change for a state that has seen some record low temperatures and heavy amounts of snow.

“There’s no fighting Mother Nature, especially when our priority is safety,” Lou Cella, president of Oaklawn, said in a press release. “However, we feel these changes will greatly benefit our horsemen and our fans by creating a huge weekend of racing to kick off the rest of the season.”

The purse increase that equates to about a 5 percent boost per race lifts maiden special weights from $82,000 to $86,000 and some allowance categories from $88,000 to as high as $92,000.

Oaklawn is operating with limited spectators at present, but in the coming weeks hopes to be able to bring on more patrons in the infield and other outdoor areas, according to the press release Wednesday.