Oaklawn to unveil gaming-center expansion in November

Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., is scheduled to open an expansion to its gaming center Nov. 7, said Eric Jackson, the track’s general manager. The $20 million project on the south end of the grandstand will add about 25,000 square feet of gaming space to the track’s existing racebook and gaming center, which was constructed in 2009.

The new expansion provides a total of 50,000 square feet, with some of the space catering to back-of-the-house needs like support services and administrative offices, said Jackson. The first phase of the project began last year, he said, when Oaklawn laid the infrastructure for the expansion. The track ceased construction while racing from January to April, then the Monday after the season closed, it resumed work on the new area.

“There will be some new games, some new tables,” Jackson said. “There will be a new bar and grill, a high-limit area. Those will be some of the things people will see. We’re bringing the poker tables back we took out a year ago because [of lack of space].”

In January, Oaklawn had about 1,000 player positions in the gaming center, according to Jackson. The expansion will provide the space for as many as 500 new player positions.

“At some times, we had more demand than we could accommodate, and we said, ‘We’ve got to expand,’ ” Jackson said. “We do not need all of this space right now. We believe if we continue to grow and develop racing and gaming, we will grow into this space.”

The gaming center’s success has been a boon for purses, which will reach record levels for the track when its 57-date meet opens Jan. 9. Officials project $23.5 million will be distributed during the season that runs through April 11.

“Purses will go up, assuming business [projections are] on target,” Jackson said. “They’re already in the stratosphere. That’s the whole point of this. We have said for 10 years now we’re developing gaming to enhance racing. That’s exactly what we’re doing and what we’ll keep doing. We are a racetrack first.”

Jackson said that after the ribbon-cutting for the expansion next month, it will be a whirlwind up to the meet at Oaklawn.

“I think the first horse will arrive on the backstretch five days after that, and then the track opens for training one week after,” he said.

Oaklawn concurrently will be working on final projects that are scheduled to be complete by Jan. 1 within the gaming center.

New policies at Ruidoso

Ruidoso Downs announced Friday it will utilize both pre-race testing and super-testing procedures outlined by The Jockey Club on horses competing in its major Quarter Horse stakes in 2015. The track also is installing an extensive surveillance-camera system in the stable area. The tests that will include at least the top three finishers in trial races will concern the Ruidoso, Rainbow, and All American futurity and derby series at Ruidoso.

** Trainer Umberto Belloc will send out four of the 10 starters Sunday in the Grade 2, $281,144 Hobbs America Quarter Horse Futurity at Zia Park. On the same card, Hes Relentless looks like a strong favorite in the Grade 3, $175,301 Hobbs America Derby for Quarter Horses.

** Michael Wrona will be calling Zia’s races through Tuesday with regular announcer Jonathan Horowitz observing Yom Kippur.