HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Oaklawn Park made a significant schedule change this season by opening its meet in December, and after discussions with multiple parties track president Lou Cella said Oaklawn plans to ask for December race dates for 2022. “We’re for sure committed to do it another year, and we’ll just see where it takes us,” Cella said Wednesday. Oaklawn opened Dec. 4 and will race through May 8. The opening was its earliest in history, and Cella collected feedback from a host of industry stakeholders to judge fan participation and horse participation. “Clearly the weather cooperated in December,” Cella said. “We did have fans in December. We were a little short on the horses, which surprised us. We didn’t have as many – they weren’t as ready to run as anticipated.” Cella said the field size in December averaged eight horses, while Oaklawn is now averaging more than 10. Despite the statistic, Cella was encouraged by ontrack attendance. Oaklawn’s handle also indicated a strong offtrack response to racing in December. :: Take your handicapping to the next level and play like a pro with free Formulator, DRF's premium data product “We had fans and they seemed to embrace it,” Cella said. “When we looked back, the reason we gave this a chance is we looked at the calendar and said what was going on in racing, and secondly, in our home state.” Oaklawn officials felt there was a place for live racing. “The community of Hot Springs just loved it,” Cella said. “It’s a sleepy time for Hot Springs, and we gave them a shot of energy by opening in December. So now folks not only are staying at our hotel and staying at all the other hotels, they’re eating at all the other restaurants. The Hot Springs community has not seen that before in December.” The response also was favorable from those in racing. “We talk to our horsemen, and ‘Is it good for them?’ and they have given it an A-plus,” Cella said. “It truly filled that niche of the end of Churchill – let’s call it Thanksgiving – to the latter part of January, which was our traditional opening.” The new meet schedule also opened up the opportunity for 2-year-old racing, Cella noted. A second change for Oaklawn was the move to racing three days a week versus four, and that schedule is still being judged. The track is racing Friday through Sunday. “Thursdays were never really strong,” Cella said. “The Fridays and Sundays were better than a Thursday. It looks like we’re getting more people on a Saturday by not having a Thursday. “It’s too early to tell.” Cella said he will gain more insight next month, when Oaklawn adds Thursdays for three weeks to make up for three dates lost last week to a winter storm. “We’ll really be able to gauge,” he said, “and look at, ‘Did it move the needle in a positive or negative way?’ ” As for normal operations, Oaklawn is coming off a strong January. The Southwest Stakes card on Jan. 29 accounted for $11.7 million in handle from all sources, a meet-high through Thursday. The Rebel, which traditionally is the second biggest day of business for the track, is set for Feb. 26. The races are part of a reconfigured 3-year-old program this meet, which moves the Arkansas Derby up on the calendar to April 2. Stakes upgrades at Oaklawn The $500,000 Essex and $200,000 Whitmore, which is the former Hot Springs Stakes, will have Grade 3 status when they are run March 19 at Oaklawn. The same is the case for the $400,000 Oaklawn Mile on April 2 following upgrades from the American Graded Stakes Committee. ◗ Tap for Me, who is a 4-year-old daughter of Tapit and the champion racemare Groupie Doll, makes the move to two turns in the first race Sunday at Oaklawn Park. It’s a maiden special weight for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles. Joel Rosario has the mount from the rail for Whisper Hill Farm and trainer Steve Asmussen.