Oaklawn Park

Corporate Name: Oaklawn Jockey Club
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 699, Hot Springs, Arkansas 71902
Street Address: 2705 Central Avenue, Hot Springs, Arkansas 71901 (click for map)
Telephone: (501) 623-4411 or 1-800-OAKLAWN
Fax: (501) 624-4950; Simulcast: (501) 701-1409
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.oaklawn.com

Oaklawn Park, established in 1904, has a history of growth, innovation, and a reputation for hosting the finest in Thoroughbred competition. This was on full display when eventual Triple Crown winner and 2015 Horse of the Year American Pharoah launched his year by winning the Rebel Stakes and returned four weeks later to take the Arkansas Derby.

As the number one tourist attraction in the State of Arkansas, it draws patronage from throughout the mid-South during both its live and simulcast sessions. Oaklawn combines the most modern and comfortable facilities for the patron and a highly competitive purse and stakes structure for horsemen.

Springtime in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains is a most beautiful time of year and provides a spectacular backdrop for Oaklawn’s meeting. The racing season, which extends from January to April, offers 31 stakes races with guaranteed purses of more than $7.5 million.

Oaklawn’s meet is highlighted by the “Racing Festival of the South,” among the most prestigious weeks of racing in North America. A major stakes event, with a purse of at least $150,000, occurs each day of the Festival, including the $1 million Arkansas Derby for 3-year-olds; the $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap for 4-year-olds and up; the $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap for fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up; the $400,000 Fantasy Stakes for 3-year-old fillies; and the $400,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap for 4-year-olds and up.

During the 2015 season, Oaklawn offered $24.2 million in purses. Chris Hartman won his first Oaklawn training crown, while Ricardo Santana Jr. captured his third Oaklawn jockey title. The track will offer a record $27 million in purses in 2016.

Total pari-mutuel handle for the 49 days raced was $174,201,721, for a daily average of $3,350,033. The total attendance for the season was 497,750.

Oaklawn also maintains one of America’s most successful and innovative simulcast operations in the nation from April–January. Simulcast fans are treated to a Las Vegas-style concept on the first floor of the grandstand. A 100-foot video wall includes four large projector screens and 12 additional 48-inch television monitors to follow the action from as many as 10 tracks at one time.

Oaklawn also has become the home of Instant Racing System, racing’s first venture into the world of pari-mutuel electronic gaming. The Instant Racing System allows players to enjoy electronic games based on the results of previously run races. Fans may wager 5 cents or as much as $5 per play, with the results determined by the finish of one of nearly 100,000 historic races in the system’s library. Additionally, as a result of a 2005 city election, Oaklawn now also offers electronic games of skill to its patrons. In 2015, Oaklawn opened a multi-million dollar expansion, the second expansion in five years. Electronic gaming has produced more than $20 million in purses for the live meet in less than a decade.

Oaklawn is located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, long famous for its lakes and resort area accommodations. A year-round vacation resort, Hot Springs serves up six golf courses, five great lakes, excellent convention facilities and southern hospitality as warm as the thermal water in the famed bathhouses along Central Avenue.

President: Charles J. Cella
General Manager: R. Eric Jackson
Assistant General Manager: Wayne Smith
Director of Racing: David Longinotti, ext. 202
Racing Secretary: Patrick J. Pope, ext. 571
Director of Wagering and Simulcast: Bobby Geiger, ext. 401
Track Announcer: Pete Aiello, ext. 498
Media Relations Manager: Jennifer Hoyt, ext. 497
Director of Marketing: Kim Baron, ext. 301
Horsemen’s Relations Director: Deborah Lokanc, ext. 572
Simulcast Contact: Melina Erceg, ext. 404
Plant Superintendent: John Hopkins, ext. 521
Track Supervisor: Kevin Seymore, ext. 531
Group Sales Director: Amy Burnett, ext. 231
Track Photographer: Coady Photography, ext. 486
Location: Hot Springs, Arkansas
Track Data: 1-mile sandy loam oval; length of stretch, 1,155 feet; width of track, 70 feet; on turns, 80 feet; total acreage, 120
Stable Accommodations: 1,550 horses and 515 persons
Seating Accommodations: Grandstand (paid and free seating), 25,000; private club, 1,200
Price of Admission: Grandstand, $2
Price of Program: $2
Parking: $2 (4,500–5,000 vehicles)
Simulcast Information: Live Season–import full cards from up to 18 tracks daily and several major stakes events; export full cards nationwide April–January; live racing January 15–April 16, 2016