First-Timer's Guide

Introduction

Welcome to Racing and Oaklawn Park. We know that the first experience at a track can be an intimidating time. As a matter of fact we even know that there are some who come to the track and find that the best experience is simply the corned beef sandwich. However, although the corned beef sandwich served up at Oaklawn is "the best corned beef sandwich in the Universe," you can still find the entire experience of racing a great deal of fun once someone has taken the time to give you some primary information.

So here we are to tell you some things about racing and the Horse, which should serve you well in becoming a real participant in the most popular audience-participation sport of all time.

First we'll tell you some things about the most beautiful animal of them all--the Horse. For example, Sunny's Halo, the first horse to win both the Arkansas and Kentucky Derbies, traces to Eclipse.

The Sport of Racing has had a great history and some of the high points are covered in here as well as a study of the types of races that are offered each day at the track and a glossary of terms that will help you get through all the special language you might be hearing during your visit to Oaklawn.

Wagering is an important element in participation at the track. Oaklawn offers many types of wagers so that you can play with minimal risk or take a chance at making some "big bucks". Now you'll know just what an exacta is and you also might understand CLASSIX®.

To select a winner the art of handicapping has become the foundation of a day at the races. Some pointers on what to look for are included as well as strategies of wagering. If you're going to have a great story of making money at the track, you'll sure want to understand something about handicapping.

For the fan coming to Oaklawn we also offer you a chance to get an overview of the entire facility as well as some info on what goes on in the city of Hot Springs.

In short, you need to get yourself ready for an important short course in Oaklawn so that your day or vacation is memorable. Here we go!

Quick Guide

For the first time wagerer or the experienced handicapper, Oaklawn offers world-class thoroughbred racing live and simulcast. Simulcast racing lets you wager on and watch races from across the nation live via satellite.

This guide contains everything you need to enjoy a day or night of playing the horses and greyhounds. A few general rules to get you started:

Minimum wagers are traditionally $2, unless otherwise noted. Each track usually allows 30 minutes between races. But with satellite races, there\'s almost always a race about to start somewhere, no matter what time it is. If you have any questions, you can find the answers at our information booths located throughout the grandstand.

So take a few minutes to study this guide and you\'ll be ready to play. Good luck!

Placing Your Wager

1. Pick Your Horse

You can either rely on luck or consider factors such as the horse\'s racing history and track conditions. For the most handicapping information, start with the Official Program and the Daily Racing Form. Both are available near the entrances to the park.

Also, watch the monitors for the most up-to-date information from Terry Wallace.

2. Place Your Wagers

The odds for each race are shown on the two large Tote Boards located in the Infield during the live season and on over 500 television monitors throughout the track. The odds are constantly changing because they are determined by the amount wagered on each horse. Odds reflect what the crowd thinks of a particular horse. If the odds are low - say 3-1, a large number of people in the crowd think the horse will win. If high, say 40-1, very few think it will win. The less total money wagered on a particular horse, the fewer people there are to split the winnings if that horse wins and, therefore, the larger the payoff.

To place your wager, the clerk will need the following information:

• The track
• The race number
• The amount you wish to wager
• The horse number
• The type of wager

For example, "At Oaklawn, in the fourth, two dollars to win on number five."

All wagers must be placed before the horses leave the gate or you\'ll be "shut out."

3. Watch and win

Either from the track or the TV monitor, watch your horse run for the money. Once the race has been declared "Official," you can collect your winnings at any window.

Automated Betting

Oaklawn offers self-automated machines throughout the Grandstand. These easy-to-use machines offer simple directions and are activated by inserting a winning ticket, cash or a cash voucher obtained from any mutuel window. For further information on the self-automated devices, visit our Newcomer\'s Corner.

Types of Wagering

Win

Your horse must finish 1st.

Place

Your horse must finish 1st or 2nd.

Show

Your horse must finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd.

Across the Board

You are making 3 equal win, place, and show bets.

• If your horse wins: you collect on all 3 wagers (win, place, show).
• If your horse comes in 2nd: you collect on the place and show bet.
• If your horse comes in 3rd: you collect on the show bet. For example: "$2 Across the Board on 1" simply means: $2 to win on #1, $2 to place on #1 and $2 to show on #1 which will cost you $6 total.

Quinella

Your horses must finish 1st and 2nd in either order.

Exacta

Your horses must finish 1st and 2nd in the exact order.

Trifecta

Your horses must finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the exact order.

Superfecta

Your horses must finish 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the exact order.

Daily Double

Your horses must finish 1st in each of the two races that comprise the Daily Double. Wagers must be made before either race has begun.

Pick 3

Similar to a Daily Double, but applies to three consecutive races.

Pick 4

Your horse must win each of the three races comprising the Pick3. Wagers must be placed before the running of the first of the Pick3 races.

Classix (Pick Six, Super Six)

Similar to a Daily Double, but applies to six consecutive races. If no one picks all six winners, those picking five out of six will split 25% of the total Classix pool. The remaining 75% "carries over" to the next racing day, and will continue to do so each day until someone correctly selects six out of six.

Understanding The Odds

Approximate Pay to Win Based On A $2.00 Wager

Factors Affecting Handicapping

While predicting the winner of a race is not an exact science, taking into consideration the following variables can increase your skill in predicting the winner.

Fitness

As with humans, horses can\'t run their best if they aren\'t in top condition. Many players look for horses with recent race dates or morning workouts.

Class

What class of competitors has the horse raced against in the past? If its performance has been just adequate against a weaker class, then it may not have the ability to win against a higher class of thoroughbreds.

Distance

Most horses are only good at either short distances (under a mile) or long distances (over a mile), not both. Consider a horse only if he shows good past performance at the distance that is being run today.

Post Position

Different tracks favor different post positions, but generally far outside post positions (10 and up) produce fewer winners. Inside posts are usually favorable, but are not enough by themselves to help a weak horse.

Running Style

This usually falls into one of three categories: pace-setters (either a front-runner or less than two lengths back) ; stalkers (never more than four lengths back); or closers (horses who are never closer than five lengths from the pace).

If there are few pace-setters, go with one of them. Seek out a stalker if front runners are either numerous or non-existent in the race and if there are no closers. Closers are preferable when an abundance of early speed exists, but are generally the riskiest.

Trainer

Pay attention to the trainer. While they don\'t guarantee a win, you are probably safe throwing out a horse from a low-ranking trainer.

Jockey

Don\'t underestimate the importance of the jockey. If the rider doesn\'t have an acceptable record, eliminate the horse.

Present Form

Horses tend to enter a period of peak performance and then gradually slide down. Look at the most recent races to see if the horse is still at peak. If not, then chances are it won\'t return to peak for this race.

Consistency

A good recent history isn\'t enough unless the horse is consistently a quality performer. So examine a horse very carefully to see if that recent win was a fluke or part of ongoing excellent performance.

Weight

While some handicappers feel this is important, others think that 10 pounds will hardly affect a horse that weighs more than a thousand pounds. If you do consider weight as a factor, look at it more closely in longer races where the extra weight is more likely to weigh the horse down.

Speed Figures

There are many speed figures available (Beyer, for example) that reduce a horse\'s past performance to numbers. These figures are determined by combining factors such as running times and track conditions. They can be useful, but should only be used in conjunction with other factors.

Where Your Money Goes

Horse racing is a form of pari-mutuel wagering (French for "to wager amongst ourselves"). The difference between pari-mutuel wagering and other forms of wagering is that in pari-mutuel , you compete against other players, not the house. People who select winning horses get the money of people who select losing horses.

In casino-style wagering, however, the winners\' money comes from the house. Therefore, the only way the house can make money is for players to lose. That is why all games in a casino are set up to favor the casino.

Oaklawn, on the other hand, receives a small commission for staging the race, keeping up with all the wagers and distributing the winnings to the proper parties. The track has no interest in the outcome of any race, or whether the players win or lose.

Here\'s how it works: When you place a Win, Place or Show wager*, your money goes into a pool, with each type of wager having its own individual pool. The pool is then divided between the winners, the racetrack and other entities as shown below.

17¢ Horsemen\'s Purses, State of Arkansas, Breeders\' and Owners\' Awards, Oaklawn Jockey Club

83¢ Winning Bettors

* Payout varies for exotic wagers

The Horse

The thoroughbred was developed in the early 18th century from three foundation sires, the Byerly Turk, Darley Arabian and Godolphin Barb crossed to native English mares.

Over the many years since, various lines of the thoroughbred died until today only those of the stallions Eclipse, Matchem and Herod survive.

Every horse that has ever run at Oaklawn traces to one of those surviving three. For example, Sunny's Halo traces back to Eclipse.

Eclipse, a kin of the Darley Arabian, was foaled in 1764, the year of the great eclipse of the sun. He was a champion who won all his races without ever being whipped, spurred or headed and today has exerted far more influence in thoroughbred breeding than has Matchem or Herod. Incidentally, all gray thoroughbreds trace to Herod.

Perhaps the greatest breeder ever of thoroughbreds was Federico Tesio, the "Wizard of Dormello" in Northern Italy. "My aim is always to breed and raise a race horse which, over any distance, can carry the heaviest weight in the shortest time," Tesio would say.

Thoroughbreds, like people, come in many sizes. Forego, three times Horse-of-the-Year, was an immense 17 hands high. Northern Dancer, Gallant Man, War Admiral, Seabiscuit, Black Gold, Sword Dancer and Round Table were all less than 15.3 hands.

Their talents vary. There are sprinters, milers, routers and classic distance running horses. The most frequently run distance in North America is six furlongs, or three quarters of a mile. "I look for balance when I buy a young horse," Henry Forrest, who won frequent training titles at Oaklawn, would say. "I want a horse that is obviously an athlete."

Bay is a prominent color among thoroughbreds, but one sees many chestnuts. There are roans and various shades of brown. It is very difficult to get a horse registered as black with the Jockey Club.

No thoroughbred can start at a recognized pari-mutuel track unless it is registered with the Jockey Club.

Before a thoroughbred foal is approved, the registry requires that the color and all markings be clearly set forth in the application. Among markings are star, blaze, stripe, snip and stocking. A lip tattoo is further necessary.

There are thoroughbreds to fit most pocket books. Seattle Dancer brought $13.1 million as a yearling and never distinguished himself as a runner. Conversely, Ron McAnally and Angelo Costanzo bought Silver Ending at a yearling auction for $1,500 and subsequently won the $500,000 Arkansas Derby with him. "Owning thoroughbreds is very speculative," avows Eugene Cashman, whose Elocutionist won the 1976 Arkansas Derby and Preakness Stakes. Cashman bought Elocutionist for $15,000. "But, I bought 25 or 30 yearlings that year," remembers Cashman. During the 1970's, the Chicagoan invested a fortune in horses. "Elocutionist happened to be the best of them all. He was one of those horses than comes along once in an owner's lifetime, mused Cashman. "In the thoroughbred business, you put up your money and take your chances."

Growing Up

There are many terms that will help you understand the age of the Throroughbreds that you see at the track.

North of the equator, a Thoroughbred's first birthday is universally established as January 1. Before the first birthday, a Thoroughbred is known as a foal. In the fall of his first year, a foal is separated from his mother and becomes a weanling. After his first New Year's Day birthday, he becomes a yearling. On the following January 1, he becomes a 2-year-old and is eligible to race.

A male Thoroughbred is called a horse once he is five years old or more. Throughout his third and fourth years he is called a colt. A female Thoroughbred is called a mare once she is five years old. Before that time, she is a filly. Once a mare becomes a mother, she becomes a broodmare.

In speaking of a Thoroughbred's parents his father is the sire and his mother the dam. A dam's offspring is referred to collectively as her produce. The offspring of a stallion are known as his get. A mare is called a producer when one of her sons or daughters has won a race. A stallion is not officially a sire until one of his get has won. The female side of a Thoroughbred pedigree is known as the family. Horses traceable to a common paternal ancestor are said to be from a particular line.

Coat of many Colors

White

The entire coat includes only white hairs.

Grand Espoir Blanc is one of only fourteen thorougbreds registered white in the U.S. Shown here breaking out of the starting gate at Oaklawn in 1987 under the gentle experienced hands of rider Pat Day.

The first registered white Thorougbred in the United States was a filly, foaled in 1963 and named White Beauty. She won 2 races, with one third out of 16 starts to earn $5,561. In 1975 White Beauty foaled a filly which was named Beauty 'N Motion -- she never raced.

Another white horse foaled in 1977 by the name Clarence Stewart was also the sire of a white colt in 1987 named White Flight.

The last registered white Thoroughbred on record was foaled in 1995 and could give us all something to look forward to!

Bay

The entire coat of the horse may vary from a yellow-tan to a bright auburn. The mane, tail and lower portion of the legs are always black, unless white markings are present. Cigar, winner of the 1995 Oaklawn Handicap, is perhaps one of the best-known examples of a bay.

Chestnutt

The entire coat of the horse may vary from a red-yellow to a golden-yellow. The mane, tail and legs are usually variations of coat color, unless white markings are present. Jetto, winner of the 1996 Honeybee, is a fine example of a chestnut.

dark bay/Brown

The entire coat of the horse will vary from a brown, with areas of tan on the shoulders, head and flanks, to a dark brown, with tan areas seen only in the flanks and/or muzzle. The mane, tail and lower portion of the legs are always black, unless white markings are present. Featured is Escena, winner of the 1996 Fantasy.

Gray

The majority of the coat of the horse is a mixture of black and white hairs. The mane, tail and legs may be either black or gray, unless white markings are present. Pictured is Icy Morn.

Roan

The majority of the coat of the horse is a mixture of red and white hairs or brown and white hairs. The mane, tail and legs may be black, chestnut or roan, unless white markings are present. 1994 Essex Handicap winner Greatsilverfleet is featured.

Black

The entire coat of the horse is black, including the muzzle, the flanks, the mane, tail and legs, unless white markings are present. It is very rare to register a black Thoroughbred.

Sport of Racing

Thoroughbred horse racing has a little bit of everything, because it is a microcosm, a world in miniature, with heros and villains, great horses and lower claimers and outstanding sportsmen amid a sprinkling from all walks of life.

It is a world supercharged with as much emotion as an old three-reel melodrama. There are every day examples of dazzling successes and heart-wrenching failures.

The sport has all the components of the greater world except one. Racing is never, under any circumstances, a world of boredom.

For years it has reigned the most popular spectator sport in the world. Millions of people attend race tracks and simulcast outlets every year and bet billions of dollars. Yet, Charles J.Cella, owner of Oaklawn Park, is so right in insisting, "There are still millions of people out there waiting to be captivated."

In the days of Caligula, first century Romans turned to chariot racing and the craze was on. Ben Hur and Massala never really engaged in that bloody, no holds-barred, nose finish, but from the writings of Diocles, we know there were bookies, hot tips and fluctuating odds there at the Circus Maximus, where as many as 24 races a day were staged.

George Washington raced horses and, on occasion, served as a honorary steward for the Maryland Jockey Club. The first race in the United Stakes to attract world-wide interest was the 1823 match on Long Island between American Eclipse and Henry. A crowd of 60,000 attended the Union Course that day to see American Eclipse win. At the time, the population of New York City was something like 150,000.

Interest in racing continued unabated in the nineteenth century, one of two major changes being the end of three-mile heats in favor of one definitive test. The second advent was formation of the Jockey Club which oversees the the certification and registration of all Thoroughbreds.

Man o' War was everyone's hero in 1919-20. He was one of a parade of turf heros that have since included Equipoise, Count Fleet, Native Dancer, Citation, Kelso, Secretariat, John Henry and Cigar.

The founding of the American Triple Crown, the Thoroughbred Racing Association, Breeders' Cup, televised races and simulcasting became major moves of influence in the sport.

Jockeys like Eddie Arcaro, William Shoemaker, Laffit Pincay, Jr., Angele Cordero, Jr. Chris McCarron, Jerry Bailey and Pat Day emerged household names as did great trainers Ben Jones, Hirsch Jacobs, Laz Barrera, Charlie Whittingham, D. Wayne Lukas, Woody Stephens and James Fitzsimmons.

One of the foremost success stories in racing the last three decades has been Oaklawn Park, which staged its first meeting in 1905.

The family of Charles Cella has been involved in track management for a century.

"In all that time, I doubt any of us have had a boring day in racing," assured Cella, who took over Oaklawn from his father in 1968.

It is essential that racing continuously showcase its appeal, excitement and charm to fans new and long-time.

"As management, it is imperative that we provide a convenient, comfortable and functional facility, extending courteous and understanding service and thorough consideration to our fans needs. We want our patrons to find enjoyment in a pleasant atmosphere, to have fun and to return again soon," Cella says.

For all tracks, it is vital to keep attracting new fans.

The Races

First timers to racing may not realize that there are many different types of races held at Oaklawn. While many races appear much the same as others, there are conditions that limit certain types of horses to certain races.

Stakes and Handicap Races

Stakes and Handicap races offer the highest level of competition at Oaklawn. These races are run for larger purse monies and generally bring out the top horses. Stakes and handicap races require owners to pay a fee in order to nominate, enter and run their horses. The deadline to nominate a horse comes two weeks prior to the running of the race. Those fees are added to the money the track contributes to the purse. The track handicapper assigns the weights to be carried in handicap races, attempting to level the playing field among the participants.

Overnight Stakes

The main difference between an overnight stakes race and a stakes race is the amount of fees a trainer entering his horse in the race pays to compete. Overnight stakes do not require nomination, entry and starting fees. Nomination for overnight stakes are generally taken up to a week before the race. Overnight stakes br