Oaklawn Park Gears Up for Another Record Meet by Martha Claussen

Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., is firmly ensconced on the national racing scene for its lucrative purses, top racing outfits and the unveiling of rising stars on the 3-year-old Derby scene.

The 54-day meet gets underway on Friday, Jan. 14, with Thursday-through-Sunday racing through April 16. Two holiday Monday cards will take place with fans receiving Zenyatta bobbleheads with paid admission on Martin Luther King Day, Monday, Jan. 17.  Last year, more than 20,000 fans attended opening day with a crowd of 61,000 on hand to watch and wager on the season finale, which is highlighted by the running of the Grade 1 $1,000,000 Arkansas Derby on Saturday, April 16. 

Solid Focus on Three-Year-Old Stakes

Perhaps a decade ago, handicappers focused on prep races in Florida, California, Kentucky and New York to ferret out their Kentucky Derby contenders. However, thanks to a competitive series for 3-year-olds, major stars such as Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, Lawyer Ron, Curlin and Looking at Lucky have stamped their ticket to the prestigious Triple Crown races from Oaklawn Park.

That is due, in large part, to the commitment of the Cella family, who have owned and operated the Hot Springs racing destination since 1968.

“Oaklawn has become noted for horses on the road to the Kentucky Derby, thanks to Charles Cella and the entire Cella family,” said Pat Pope, racing secretary. “Our stakes program is geared toward 3-year-olds, both colts and fillies. The incremental purse structure fosters tremendous interest by the horsemen and racing fans alike.”

President Charles J. Cella introduced a number of solid incentives to attract quality horses to Oaklawn Park. In 2004, in honor of its 100th anniversary, the track offered a $5 million dollar bonus should a horse to win its 3-year-old races and the Kentucky Derby. Smarty Jones, who won the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby, drew off by 2 3/4-lengths to capture the Kentucky Derby. The $100,000 Smarty Jones Stakes honoring the famed champion takes place each year at Oaklawn Park.

Notable fillies, including Serena’s Song, Escena, Ashado, Azeri, Beautiful Pleasure and Zenyatta have competed in the Grade 2 $300,000 Fantasy Stakes or the Grade 1 $500,000 Apple Blossom Handicap, which serve as key prep races for the Kentucky Oaks.

Asmussen, Lukas, Milligan Lead Competitive Trainer Roster

With minimum purses of $15,200 and a commendable 32-stakes program topping $4.6 million, Oaklawn Park annually attracts the nation's elite conditioners, and this year will be no exception. Steve Asmussen has won three training titles at Hot Springs and last year completed the meet with 48 wins, twice as many as D. Wayne Lukas and McLean Robertson, who tied for second place with 24 wins each.

Larry Jones has come out of retirement and will run horses at Oaklawn Park, as will Bret Calhoun, Steve Hobby and Allen Milligan.

Texan native Milligan will be one to watch this season at Oaklawn Park. He came to Oaklawn seven years ago when Hurricane Katrina forced Louisiana horsemen to scramble. Since then, he has become a prominent figure, winning 10 races in 2008 and the 2009 leading trainer title with 24 wins. Last year was the best of his career with a total of 106 wins at tracks including Oaklawn, Remington Park and Delta Downs.

Milligan is a third-generation horseman who returns to Oaklawn with 40 horses, including two notable fillies. Bella Diamonte, is a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred, who won the $60,000 Orleans Stakes at Delta Downs on Nov. 20 and Lady Giacamo, a Texas-bred 3-year-old is three for three to date.

Milligan has been at Oaklawn since early December to oversee training of his runners.

“At Oaklawn, the key to winning is getting them super fit,” states Milligan. “We got here right after the Remington Park meet; our horses are ready.”

Pope said that 10 or 11 new outfits will run at Oaklawn, including Jamie Ness, Ron Goodrich and Anthony Dutrow, who trained one of the top 3-year-old fillies of 2010, Havre de Grace.

Tim Richey will also be prominent and has a 3-year-old colt that has been the topic of significant backstretch buzz. Elite Alex, an Ontario-bred son of Afleet Alex won his debut at Delaware Park; the bay colt will make his stakes debut at Oaklawn Park.

New Additions to the Jockey Colony

Pope is expecting as many as 13 new riders to join the elite jockey colony for the 2011 season.

Michael Baze, who was leading rider at Arlington Park, Aaron Gryder, Joe Rocco, Jeremy Rose, Gabriel Saez, Francisco Torres and William Antongeorgi are some of the new faces. Veteran riders Terry Thompson, Cliff Berry, Calvin Borel, Luis Quinonez and Jon Court will also make their presence felt.

Thompson, who won the 2009 and 2010 riding titles, looks forward to returning to action.

“It's my favorite track, for sure,” said Thompson, who has been riding professionally for 18 years. “The big crowds make it fun for the riders. The town gets excited about the meet, and people come out and support live racing. It reminds me of what racing used to be before the simulcast era.”

Thompson, who turned 40 in August, has ridden at Oaklawn Park since 2000. He credits his success on riding for a number of outfits from “two-horse barns to major connections with 50 horses,” but also is familiar with the long stretch and making sure he has enough horse to make the final run. He showed that prowess in 2003, when he guided longshot Sir Cherokee ($113.20) to victory in the Arkansas Derby.

“That win will always be my top Oaklawn highlight,” admits Thompson. “Going into the far turn, he went from last to first. I will never forget that Arkansas Derby.”

Instant Racing and Gaming Fuel Purse Structure

Arkansas has benefited greatly from Instant Racing® machines, which made their debut on Jan. 14, 2000. The concept involves fans betting on recycled races, and revenues have been substantial. In 2008, Instant Racing $242.9 million was bet, resulting in a commission of $21.1 million. Under a contract with the Arkansas Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, purses earned 15 percent of the commission, or $3.17 million.

In 2008, Oaklawn completed construction on a 60,000-square foot, two-level structure to double the space for the track’s skill-based games. Games of skill were approved by referendum in 2009, and Oaklawn now has 400 Instant Racing terminals and 400 skill games. Their impact continues to exceed projections. Year-round slot and video poker tournaments have been successful, and Pope predicts that there could be at least one, if not two, purse increases this meet as a result of added gaming revenues.

Future Stars on the Rise

From January through April, horseplayers will enjoy the full fields and racing excitement at Oaklawn Park. Fans have had an opportunity to see the last two Horses of Year, Curlin and Rachel Alexandra as well as the incomparable Zenyatta, who won her 16th consecutive race in the 2010 Apple Blossom Invitational. There is no question that some remarkable colts and fillies will emerge during the 2011 Oaklawn Meet and, quite possibly, a future Horse of the Year.

Martha Claussen has been prominent in the Texas racing industry since 1997 as a publicist, writer and handicapper.