Promise Me Silver a short price in Dixie Belle Stakes
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – It’s opening day at Oaklawn Park, Take 2.
A week after freezing temperatures led to the cancellation of Oaklawn’s opening weekend, the historic track is set to launch its 111th season Thursday. The forecast is favorable, entries are overflowing, and the corned beef is cooked.
Oaklawn is now set for a 54-date meet after losing opening Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The season will continue through April 11 with the running of the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on closing day. Between now and then, a record $23.5 million in purses are projected to be distributed at Oaklawn.
The riches are being fueled in part by a new $20 million expansion to Oaklawn’s gaming center, and the wealth will be doled out beginning with Thursday’s nine-race opener, which starts at 1:05 p.m. Central.
Promise Me Silver looks to improve her record to 5 for 5 in the $100,000 Dixie Belle for 3-year-old fillies, while Ride On Curlin will make his first start since the Belmont Stakes in a $30,000 optional claimer that has a purse of $61,000. There’s also a pair of maiden special weight races for 3-year-olds, each worth $60,000, and all told, Pat Pope, the track’s racing secretary, said purses for the first program of the meet are $422,500.
“That’s the highest for an opening-day card in the history of Oaklawn Park,” Pope said. “It’s a record that we hope we break in the near future.”
Oaklawn has been trending upward for more than a decade, ever since Smarty Jones swept the track’s 3-year-old stakes series in 2004, then went on to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. Purses have gone up in each of the past seven seasons, as an ontrack gaming center has thrived. A major expansion to the center was completed Dec. 31, and between the old and new areas, there are 1,050 electronic-game player positions in place and room to grow over time, said Oaklawn general manager Eric Jackson.
“We’re in a good spot,” Jackson said. “The racing industry in Arkansas has never been better, and we believe it will get better from here.”
Owners, trainers, and jockeys have noticed. Oaklawn is welcoming a host of new faces, including divisions from trainers Karl Broberg, Wayne Catalano, Robertino Diodoro, Tony Dutrow, and Steve Margolis along with jockeys Shaun Bridgmohan and Joe Rocco Jr.
“The horses on the grounds, judging from our stall applications, there’s a lot of quality,” said David Longinotti, director of racing for Oaklawn. “I think the purses are a big part of it, and a lot has to do with just the general racing atmosphere of Hot Springs. The community really looks forward to racing.”
Promise Me Silver should start as a strong favorite in the Dixie Belle, the first of four stakes to be run over an extended five-day race week that stretches to Monday with the $150,000 Smarty Jones, which is expected to draw Mr. Z and Bayerd. In all, there will be $6.6 million in stakes at the meet, among the highlights the Grade 2 Rebel for 3-year-olds that will be worth $750,000 when it is run March 14.
The Dixie Belle is at six furlongs, and aside from Promise Me Silver, other stakes winners in the 11-horse field are Lil Super Bear, Timeaday, Strawberry Baby, and Joy of the Saints.
Dixie Belle (Race 8)
KEY CONTENDERS
Promise Me Silver (Last 3 Beyers: 86-77-69)
◗ Promise Me Silver won her third straight stakes in the $50,000 Letellier Memorial at Fair Grounds in her most recent outing Dec. 20. She was a 5 1/2-length winner after breaking slowly in the six-furlong race. Promise Me Silver waited behind rivals, then came through a hole.
“Once she got through there, she was gone, just exploded,” said Bret Calhoun, who trains Promise Me Silver for Myrna and Robert Luttrell.
◗ Promise Me Silver will break from post 6 under Cliff Berry.
“She’s pretty versatile,” Calhoun said.
Empressive Humor (Last 3 Beyers: 76-50-48)
◗ Ricardo Santana Jr., who has won the last two riding titles at Oaklawn, has the mount for Steve Asmussen, who is seeking his fourth straight training championship in Hot Springs.
Return of Ride On Curlin
Preakness runner-up Ride On Curlin will be making his first start since June in the ninth race, for 4-year-olds and up at six furlongs. Ride On Curlin started his 3-year-old season at this distance last January at Oaklawn, and after winning the first-level allowance, he ran third in the Southwest and Rebel stakes and was second in the Arkansas Derby.
Jon Court has the mount for Dan Dougherty and trainer Billy Gowan.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Ride On Curlin. Trainer Billy Gowan is 10-0-0-2 over the past five years on dirt with horses returning from a layoff of 180 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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◗ Oaklawn will have 50-cent corned beef sandwiches and 10 cent sodas Thursday.