Oaklawn purses expected to hit $750,000 a card

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Cold, hard cash will be flowing throughout the Oaklawn Park meet, which opens Friday and runs through May 6. And it’s bringing a diverse cast of talent to town for the 68-date meet.

Purses are projected to average nearly $750,000 a day. The outlay has maiden special weight races worth $90,000, allowances starting at $104,000, and bottom-level, $6,250 claimers running for $26,000.

There will be 45 stakes – including nine new events – worth a cumulative $13.7 million. Highlights include the Grade 1, $1.25 million Arkansas Derby on April 1 and the Grade 1, $1 million Apple Blossom on April 15. Those stakes are part of the Racing Festival of the South, which now lasts through most of April.

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“Our purse structure this time of year is the highest in the nation,” said Oaklawn president Lou Cella. “It’s going to be very, very competitive.”

Joe Talamo is among a slew of new riders at the meet alongside Tyler Baze, Rafael Bejarano, Nik Juarez, Mickaelle Michel, Orlando Mojica, and Angel Rodriguez. Talamo was last based at Oaklawn in 2020 and made a splash by winning nine stakes that meet.

“This year, it just seems like a lot more of my business is heading down there,” Talamo said earlier this week from Kentucky. “It’s a great place to race. For one thing, you can definitely pick up an Oaks or Derby horse.”

Talamo will be riding for a variety of trainers, including Brad Cox.

Cox is part of a long list of returning stables that includes Steve Asmussen, who won last season’s training title, a record 12th at Oaklawn. He’s also galloping toward an unprecedented 10,000 career wins, with 9,957 through Monday, according to Daily Racing Form.

Among new trainers, Bill Mott and son Riley both have stalls at the meet, while Kory Owens, a staple in Arizona, is another fresh face on the scene. Hall of Fame rodeo stalwart Shawn Davis is also new to Oaklawn. Peter Miller is in from Southern California and said Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner-up C Z Rocket could see action at Oaklawn.

“It’s going to be competitive on a day-to-day basis,” said Oaklawn racing secretary Pat Pope. “The Cellas have long said we owe it to our fans to get them the best horses we can to come run here. Every year, that’s our goal.”

Patrons returning will find upgrades to the grandstand area, led by the 10,000-square-foot Mainline Sports Bar, located behind the main elevator on the first floor. The multi-million dollar project launched last week and will be open year-round.

“It’s going to be the most exciting sports bar, probably, in the region,” said Cella.

Cella said 100 new televisions have replaced old monitors in the area. The bar also has parimutuel windows, sports betting, three golf simulators, axe throwing, and shuffleboard. There also will be new food and beverage options.

“The focus really is to continue to modernize Oaklawn into a full resort,” Cella said.

In recent years, the track has expanded its casino, which houses more than 1,500 slot machines, and built a hotel and event center that overlooks the first turn of the track.

Since last season, improvements have been made to the infield.

“If you look out from the grandstand or your hotel room, you’re going to see it’s getting greener,” Cella said. “We’ve irrigated the entire infield, all 140 acres of it. Now it’s going to be a really beautiful, park-like setting. We hope to have walking paths in the not too distant future to really enjoy it.”

The infield also now has fountains that light up at night.

Oaklawn’s racing office has been moved to the grandstand’s first floor near the paddock.

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