Oaklawn plans to open 2021-22 meeting in December
Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., is adding December dates to its calendar as part of an expanded 66-date meet for this coming season, the track announced Monday. Oaklawn is scheduled to open on Dec. 3 and race through May 8, 2022.
The meet will be conducted on a Friday-through-Sunday basis most weeks, with a special Monday card to be held for Presidents Day on Feb. 21. There will be no racing from Dec. 24-26 in observance of Christmas and on April 17 in observance of Easter.
“For many years, horsemen have wanted to race here in December to fill a gap in their racing schedule,” Lou Cella, president of Oaklawn, said in a press release. “We have completed our resort expansion, including the opening of our luxury hotel, spa, and event center. Therefore, the timing is right for another expansion – to our live racing season.”
The new calendar, which is scheduled to come before the Arkansas Racing Commission for final approvals at its next meeting, adds about nine dates to the season. Oaklawn as a rule has raced 57 dates each meet, depending on the weather. The track’s calendar has shifted the past three years, from its traditional early January through mid-April to a season that ran from late January and continued through the first Saturday in May.
The total purse structure for the season is projected at $45 million to $50 million, according to the press release. The track’s allowance races will start at $100,000.
“To be able to offer six-figure allowance races for five consecutive months is a very strong statement,” Pat Pope, racing secretary for Oaklawn, said in a press release. “Between the purses and all of our new amenities, we should be part of every horseman’s annual calendar.”
Oaklawn will be restructuring its stakes program and “realigning” its 3-year-old prep races, according to the press release. The stakes schedule will be released at a later date.
“We will offer 2-year-old racing in December,” Cella said, “and we anticipate additional exciting changes in our racing program, including an aggressive 2021-2022 stakes schedule. We are working on that now and will announce those changes soon. Suffice it to say that our stakes program will continue to be designed to attract the nation’s best horses and best horsemen to Hot Springs.”
In March, Oaklawn opened its new hotel, which was part of a project that included the expansion of its ontrack casino.