The Rebel traditionally has been run in mid-to-late March. 26, date of the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) for 3-year-olds. Smith said he hopes the infield will open for the first time this season Feb. There also are three new, enlarged buildings for concessions.

Ponds and decorative fountains near each end eventually will be used for irrigation. I think the hotels and restaurants will really enjoy it.'Īmong Oaklawn's many off-season cosmetic projects was extensive landscaping and improvements made to the infield. Obviously, I think it's going to be a home run for the city. We think it's going to work from the horsemen's side. 'It's the experimental season,' said Jason Milligan, Oaklawn's vice president of racing. The Smarty Jones is New Year's Day after being run on opening day, Jan. Oaklawn also boosted the value of the Smarty Jones Stakes, its first of four Kentucky Derby points races, from $150,000 to $250,000. The Arkansas Derby (G1), worth $1 million since 2004, was raised to $1.25 million and is now five weeks before the Kentucky Derby. Friday's inaugural $150,000 Advent, for example, is the first 2-year-old stakes race at Oaklawn since 1973.Ĭoinciding with the new schedule, Oaklawn moved up many important stakes, including its lucrative series of Kentucky Derby and Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) points races. Because of the December opening, Oaklawn can card 2-year-old races for the first time since 1975. This year is truly an experiment.'įueled by gaming revenue, Oaklawn again will offer the country’s highest purses during the winter, with maiden special weights at $84,000 to open the meet and allowance races at least $100,000. We hope fans will embrace it and maybe this is something that we will have for years to come.

We hope we've got the message out appropriately. We hope that everybody can change their habits on all the things they used to do, thinking about horse racing in late January versus early December.

We've gotten it out in the market place, letting everybody know, 'Dec. We don't know how it will go from a fans' perspective. That does afford us the ability to have some high-quality three-day-a-week racing. We've got, I think, about 17 new trainers coming, either that haven't been to Oaklawn before or coming back after a three- or four-year hiatus. 'I think we have about 110 trainers that will be on the backside. 'Our quality is going to be there-the quality of horses, the quality of horsemen,' Smith said.

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