Oaklawn Starts Participation Bonus Program Early
Oaklawn announced that the incentive program for the Racing Festival of the South will start earlier than expected due to the continued success of the 2009 live meet. As previously announced, Oaklawn introduced a participation enticement in an effort to keep field size at its maximum for the conclusion of the meet.
Scheduled to kick off on opening day of the Racing Festival of the South, the Racing Festival Participation Incentive will now go into action on Wednesday, April 1st. Purses will increase by $1,000 for every wagering interest greater than eight. For example, if the purse was $36,000, then it would increase to $37,000 for nine wagering interests and continue to increase if a full field of 12 were to enter all the way up to $40,000.
“Oaklawn’s numbers continue to do well, and because of that we want to show the horsemen our appreciation. We bumped up the incentive program to April 1st to showcase the best racing Oaklawn has to offer,” said David Longinotti (pictured), Assistant General Manager/Racing. “We are looking forward to an outstanding conclusion to the 2009 meet, and the incentive participation program will help us out. We are excited about what the Racing Festival of the South will offer and want to get things started early on Wednesday.”
On Wednesday’s card there are five races that will benefit from the participation incentive program. The Racing Festival of the South starts on Saturday, April 4th and will conclude on Saturday, April 11th. The racing festival will feature a stakes on every race card and will distribute more than $4 million worth of purses to the horses in the country.
Donnie K. Von Hemel Readies Stable for Racing Festival
Horse trainer extraordinaire Donnie. K Von Hemel (pictured) will have no shortage of talented horses for the upcoming Racing Festival of the South. The Racing Festival kicks into gear next Saturday with million dollar day featuring the $500,000 Apple Blossom and the $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap.
Von Hemel will have horses in the Arkansas Derby, Bayakoa, Instant Racing, and the Northern Spur Stakes. It appears the Oaklawn regular will be busy in the upcoming days preparing his stakes starters for their engagements.
“Poltergeist will go into the Arkansas Derby, he ran well in the Rebel so we will give him a shot in the Arkansas Derby,” mentioned Von Hemel during morning training. “Peach Brew will go into the Instant Racing Stakes. I don’t know what happened to her in the Honeybee. She came out of the race well, but we don’t know why she ran so poorly.”
“Marquee Event will go in the Northern Spur on closing day, and I hope he runs well there,” said Von Hemel. “His last race was a little disappointing, but I think he will bounce back from that effort in the Northern Spur.”
Von Hemel will send out Euphony to her first start of the Oaklawn meeting in the Bayakoa. The Forest Wildcat filly won the Remington Park Oaks last out. She also won the 2008 edition of the Instant Racing at Oaklawn. “We have been looking for a race for her for awhile. I don’t mind starting her against stakes company in her first outing of the year,” mentioned Donnie K.
Von Hemel has had talented fillies in the past with the likes of Brownie Points, Hollow Miss, and Explosive Girl. “Some of my owners are breeders, so they are always in the market for broodmare prospects. Then there is the residual value of racing fillies,” noted Von Hemel.
Those looking for Going Ballistic during the racing festival will have to wait until the summer at Arlington Park, where Von Hemel will re-locate his stable. “As a three-year-old Going Ballistic finished third in the Secretariat Stakes on the turf and we will explore our options with him.”
“It is always special to win any stakes, and it is extra special if it comes during the racing festival at Oaklawn,” smiled Von Hemel. Look for his stable to play a major role in the upcoming Racing Festival of the South.
A Little Bit More
Post Positions for the $500,000 Apple Blossom Handicap and $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap will be drawn Thursday, April 2nd starting at 11:15 a.m. CDT. The public is invited to see the live post position draw which will be held across from the main elevator on the first floor of the grandstand. The draw will be broadcasted nation wide on the Oaklawn Simulcast Network.
Trainer Tim Ice’s Catmantoo worked a bullet half mile in preparation for his upcoming start in the Oaklawn Handicap. The Vision and Verse gelding worked 47.80 from the starting gate.
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