Oaklawn Park plans $100 million expansion project

Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., has announced plans to build a seven-story hotel as part of a $100 million expansion project that will get under way following the end of the track’s 2019 season in May. The track also plans to expand its existing gaming area by 28,000 square feet and construct a 14,000-square-foot event center that can house 1,500 people.

The expansion of the 114-year-old Oaklawn will be one of the largest hospitality investments ever made in Arkansas, according to a press release. Planning for the project has been in the works since its last expansion in 2014.

“As we enhance the entertainment experience for our customers, we will also further elevate Thoroughbred racing and help make Arkansas and Hot Springs even stronger regional tourism destinations,” Lou Cella, president of Oaklawn, said in a press release Monday.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said the state is grateful for the investment by the Cella family.

“This project, which will be financed exclusively with private funds, not only represents one of, if not the largest, tourism-related expansion projects in our history, it will also rank among the state’s largest economic development projects in 2019,” he said in a press release.

The hotel will have 200 rooms and will be situated along the first turn, according to an artist’s rendering released by Oaklawn. The hotel and event center are scheduled to be completed by late 2020.

“The hotel will offer a unique vantage point for our patrons in that it will overlook the track,” Cella said. “Our goal is to achieve four-star status.”

The first phase of the expansion will be the added gaming area. The project is scheduled to be complete by January 2020. Earlier this month, Arkansans passed a measure for casinos in four counties, with one designated at Oaklawn. It will allow for slot machines and table games, according to Oaklawn spokeswoman Jennifer Hoyt. At present, the track is able to offer electronic games of skill and historical racing, or Instant Racing.

◗ Remington Park has wrapped up turf racing for the meet that ends Dec. 16. Dale Day, a spokesman for the track, said four straight nights of temperatures in the 20s “killed off” the turf. The card Friday has a special first post of 3 p.m. Central.

◗ The New Mexico Racing Commission has tentatively set Dec. 6 as the date it will vote to award a sixth racetrack license in the state, according to the agency. Five entities have applied for the state’s final available license for a racetrack that has a casino. The process also goes through the New Mexico Gaming Control Board.

◗ Lone Star Park handled an average of $622,058 per night on its Quarter Horse races during the 16-date meet that ended Nov. 10, an increase of 8 percent over the corresponding season in 2017. Average attendance was 4,874, up 25 percent, according to figures from the track. Lone Star opens a 44-date meet for Thoroughbreds on April 18.

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