Oaklawn Park boosts purses for sixth consecutive year

Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., announced purse increases for a number of key overnight categories for its 57-date meet that opens Jan. 10. The increases are being made for a sixth consecutive year at the track, which offers electronic gaming. Oaklawn previously announced a stakes schedule featuring 31 races worth a track-record $6.1 million.

Oaklawn will open its meet with maiden special weight races worth $55,000, up from $53,000 during the meet that closed in April. The track’s allowance races will start at $56,000, compared with $54,000 at the most recent meet. All other overnight races will get a boost of at least $1,000 from their starting level in 2013.

Oaklawn also announced that the minimum purse for the meet has been increased from $15,500 to $17,000.

“It’s exciting to be part of a racing program that continually bucks the national trend and gets better and better each year,” David Longinotti, director of racing for Oaklawn, said in a release.

Longinotti and Pat Pope, the racing secretary at Oaklawn, will begin recruiting stables from around the country in the near future. They plan to make trips to California, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, and Oklahoma.