Simulcasting, Instant Racing and Gaming Resume on Sunday

GATES OPEN AT 11:00 A.M. ON SUNDAY
INSTANT RACING/GAMING ROOM OPEN UNTIL 1:00 A.M.
TWIN QUIN RETURNS THURSDAY, CARRYOVER AT $1,114

Simulcasting, Instant Racing and Gaming resumes at Oaklawn on Sunday.  The simulcast schedule for Sunday includes Monmouth Park, Belmont, Churchill Downs, Arlington Park, Louisiana Downs, Lone Star Park, Hollywood Park, Hastings Park, Presque Isle Downs, Mountaineer and the matinee greyhound races from Wheeling Downs. 

The popular Twin Quin game will be offered again on Thursday, July 10.  Fans will be playing with a carryover of $1,114 plus all of the day's entry fees. 

Our super food specials continue this week. Wednesdays have become Catfish Days and join the popular, delicious Steak Dinner on Friday evenings. If you're a member of the Winner's Circle Club, you can earn dramatically reduced prices for food specials.

The Catfish Wednesdays include yummy catfish filets, steak fries and scrumptious broccoli cole slaw from 4:30-10:00 p.m. You can enjoy the Catfish feast if you have earned 5 points on your Winner's Circle card that day.

Oaklawn Handicap Runner-up, Heatseeker, Retired

Oaklawn Handicapper's Hour Returns Saturday

The Resort Racing Network once again presents the Oaklawn Handicapper's Hour, a one-hour interactive call-in show, each Saturday morning through Breeders' Cup Day in late October.  The show next takes place on Saturday, July 12. and airs from 9:07-10:00 a.m. 

Track announcer Terry Wallace co-hosts the show with local radio personality Tom Nichols.  Each show focuses on racing, especially at Oaklawn, and has a guest from the racing industry. 

Fans may call in their handicapping selections (1-888-922-5880, toll free) for prizes in the weekly Longshot Handicapping Contest.  The Oaklawn Handicapper's Hour is reached in the Hot Springs through KVRE radio (92.9 FM) and is also available on the Internet at the Oaklawn website.  Alberta from Hot Springs gave the listeners a winner at Belmont Park which paid $19.20 on June 14 to win the monthly prize, which was a copy of the book "Saratoga, The Ultimate Racing Experience".  Mike, from Atkins, Arkansas, selected a $13.80 winner from Prairie Meadows on the show on Saturday, June 28, to win an Oaklawn cap.

Miss Macy Sue, Native Ruler and Dearest Trickski Continue Winning Ways

Miss Macy Sue, generally acknowledged as one of the most talented sprinters in mid-America, continued to add to her laurels with a six-lengths victory in the $100,000 Saylorville Stakes at Prairie Meadows on Friday evening.  Travelling the six furlongs in a stakes record time of 1:08, the five-year-old daughter of Trippi took her career mark to 11 wins from 22 starts for trainer Kelly Von Hemel. She has earnings of $779,730 following the win.

The victim of a rough trip in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint Stakes last Fall at Monmouth Park, Miss Macy Sue is being pointed for a return engagement in that event in hopes of pursuing an Eclipse Award at the end of the year.  Winner of the 2007 Carousel Stakes at Oaklawn, she was coming off a second to 2008 Carousel winner Graeme Six in the Winning Colors Stakes at Churchill Downs in her previous start.  Miss Macy Sue's only 2008 Oaklawn effort this year was an 11 3/4 lengths tally in a six furlong allowance races on April 9.

While Miss Macy Sue wowed the crowd on Friday at Prairie Meadows, it was Native Ruler, twice a claiming winner at Oaklawn, who stole a big part of the show on Saturday at the Iowa oval.  Owned by Maggi Moss and trained by Chris Richard, the four-year-old son of Elusive Quality, also the sire of Smarty Jones, took his winning streak to four by capturing the $125,000 Iowa Sprint Handicap at six furlongs.  Skipping over the distance in 1:08.4 under the guiding hands of Israel Ocampo, Native Ruler has won each of his four starts for owner Moss since she claimed him at Hawthorne in December for $25,000.  The speedy colt would appear to be a major factor for the upcoming Claiming Crown events.

Yet another with Oaklawn ties, Dearest Trickski, also made the national news, speeding away from a quality field to take the $150,000 A Gleam Handicap at Hollywood Park by two-and-a-quarter lengths.  The speedy four-year-old filly raced for a $10,000 claiming tag during the 2007 live meet at Oaklawn, was later claimed by trainer John Sadler for $32,000 in California and has now taken her career mark to 10 wins from 15 starts and her earnings to $540,108.  One of the greatest claims in the country this decade, Dearest Trickski could turn into the most serious competition on Breeders' Cup Day for Miss Macy Sue.  Dearest Trickski was bred by perennial Oaklawn owner leaders, Drs. K.K. and Vilasini Jayaraman.

Curlin Wins in Style at Churchill Downs; May Go to France for The Arc

Curlin, who went from brilliant performances at Oaklawn last year in the Rebel and Arkansas Derby, then became a national and international hero with wins in such races as the Preakness, Breeders' Cup Classic and Dubai World Cup, continued his winning ways, sailing away from a talented field of rivals to score easily in the $1 million Stephen Foster Handicap, the headline event on a racing card that showcased six stakes races on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

The mile-and-an-eighth Stephen Foster was the first race back for Curlin since his international coup in winning the Dubai World Cup against presumably the finest horses in the world.  Because of that race he carried a 128 impost for the Stephen Foster, giving from 10-15 pounds to his competition.  Like the great horses of former generations, the gorgeous chestnut son of Smart Strike toted the weight with no apparent problems under regular pilot Robby Albarado and will continue to stake his claim to the title of the Greatest Racehorse in the World.

To further enhance the chances of winning worldwide acclaim, owner Jess Jackson and trainer Steve Asmussen indicated following Saturday's race that they were inclined to set up a training regimen that would have Curlin ready to take on the best turf horses in the world in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in Paris. The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is run at a distance of 2,400 meters (approximately 1 1/2 miles) at will be raced on Sunday, October 5.

According to a report at Bloodhorse.com, Asmussen said he would work Curlin on the turf and find a grass race for him in North America on the weekend of July 12-13. He did not say if he had a particular race in mind. He would prefer a race over an international style course, such as those at Arlington Park, Belmont Park or Woodbine. Major turf races for older horses scheduled that weekend include the $500,000 Man O’ War at 1 3/8 miles at Belmont Park and the Arlington Handicap at 1 1/4 miles at Arlington Park. Were the champion to turn in a “Curlin-esque” performance in that race, he said the 4-year-old son of Strike Smart would ship to France to train at Chantilly. Curlin would probably have one race prior to the Arc in France, most likely a traditional Arc prep like Longchamp’s Prix Foy. “If we don’t like how he works on the turf, then we’ll change plans and that will have to be discussed,” Asmussen said. “But right now we’re going to plan on working him on the turf, with the possibility of running him on the turf the weekend of the 12th.”

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Phil Cleek Captures the DRF/NTRA NHC Tour Qualifying Tournament at Oaklawn

Phil Cleek, a school teacher from Sherwood, Arkansas, and tournament regular at Oaklawn for over a decade, stormed to the lead in the middle of the day on Sunday and handily won the two-day Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championships Qualifying Tournament.  The Oaklawn event drew players from coast-to-coast, but it was locals who captured the first three places, which comprise the team that Oaklawn will be sending to the National Handicapping Championships in Las Vegas in January, 2009.

"Our tournament had 110 players and all the drama you could have hoped for," noted Oaklawn tournament chairman Jason Milligan. "The difference between third and fifth place was just $3.80, which is about as close as it gets with players trying to win the coveted trip to Las Vegas and the chance to play for the national championship." 

For Cleek the win was especially gratifying.  Phil won the first two handicapping tournaments ever offered at Oaklawn in the mid-90s and was the superstar of handicappers that year.  But another major win had eluded him and this one makes the long wait all the sweeter.  "I've done some good in our smaller tournaments," he noted, "And was part of a winning team in a Corporate Handicapping Tournament, but this is the biggest and I intend to represent Oaklawn very well in Las Vegas.' 

Joining Cleek on the Oaklawn team will be Ken Arthur of Bismarck, Arkansas, and Amy Brantley of Little Rock.  While Cleek managed to work his bankroll from $120 to $272,10 over the two day, Ken Arthur used a late winner at Arlington to shoot into second place wih a bankroll of $215., and Brantley scored a last-gasp move into third with $209.40. Amy's total was just barely enough to hold off first-day leader Michael Forzano of Whitehouse, Texas, who ended with $208.50 and Terry Blees of Mountain Pine, Arkansas, who finished with $205.80.

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Grandstand Expansion Begins on Heels of Successful Live Meet

An expansion project with a core cost of $20 million began this week at Oaklawn.  The grandstand expansion (artist rendering shown here), which is taking place on the south end of the existing grandstand, will provide Oaklawn more room for live racing, simulcasting and gaming, both Instant Racing and electronic games of skill.  To watch the progress of construction on the Oaklawn website, go to the Webcam link on the homepage,  http://www.oaklawn.com/Webcam.aspx

Oaklawn currently has approximately 500 electronic gaming terminals.  When this project is complete, that number will increase to about 900. The building project, which could take up to 18 months, will also allow Oaklawn to expand in such a fashion that higher purses for live racing should be firmly ensured for some time to come.  Since Oaklawn introduced electronic wagering into the menu at the track there has been over $13 million raised exclusively for purses.  Oaklawn fans have seen, in the aftermath, such great stars as Curlin, Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, Lawyer Ron, Round Pond, Happy Ticket, Azeri, Borrego and countless other graded stakes performers in action during the annual spring meet.

All of the hustle and bustle of construction activity has come immediately on the heels of another outstanding live season that achieved success in spite of one of the wettest and, to the state of Arkansas, most destructive winter and spring seasons on record.  "The success story of our '08 season," noted track General Manager Eric Jackson, "Is what we've been able to accomplish with the racetrack surface, given the weather in Arkansas this year.  It's remarkable that Oaklawn didn't get severely hurt considering the economy, gas prices and other factors.  We have to be really pleased about our season and now we look forward to watching our Oaklawn runners compete against those from other regions of the country.  We have some great challenges with our building program, but Oaklawn has a great team of dedicated people who are showing the way."

Total wagering on Oaklawn races during the 2008 season increased 1% from the 2007 season, $181,219,479 compared to $175,653,719, for a daily average of $3,419,235.  Largely due to weather conditions, attendance dropped during the 2008 live season.  A total of 608,424 attended the 53 days of live racing this year compared to 618,284 in 2007.  The daily attendance average of 11,480 was a drop of 1.6% from the 2007 mark.  The 54-day 2009 live racing season will begin on January 16 and run until April 11, with the Racing Festival of the South expected to take place from April 4-11. 

Big Brown Fails in Triple Crown Attempt

Big Brown was eased in Saturday's Belmont Stakes, ending the hopes that the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner could break the 30-year draught of a Triple Crown winner in thorughbred racing world.  Longshot Da' Tara led from wire-to-wire, while Denis of Cork, who won the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn this year, finished strongly to be second in the mile-and-a-half classic contest before a crowd of over 100,000 at Belmont Park.  A sizeable crowd at Oaklawn Simulcast watched as trainer Nick Zito once again proved to the the modern-day David against a racing Goliath.  It was also Zito who trained Birdstone in that one's come-from-behind win, thwarting Oaklawn champion's bid to become a Triple Crown winner in 2004.

The winner, Da' Tara, is a son of Tiznow and was eligible for non-winners of two allowance conditions prior to the race.  He became the first wire-to-wire winner of the Belmont Stakes since Swale in 1984.  He returned a $79. win mutuel, $5 more than Birdstone returned when he upset Smarty Jones in 2004.

Anak Nakal, unplaced in the Rebel at Oaklawn, finished in a dead heat for third with Ready's Echo.  Dr. Larry Bramlage, the on-call veterinarian for the American Association of Equine Practitioners, said a preliminary examination of Big Brown revealed no lameness issue. 

Zenyatta, Heatseeker Brilliant in Post-Oaklawn Wins

Two of the stars of the 2008 Oaklawn season, Apple Blossom Handicap winner, Zenyatta, and Oaklawn Handicap runner-up, Heatseeker, returned to their California base at Hollywood Park and returned in top form winn the $183,300 Milady Breeders' Cup Handicap and $245,000 Californian Stakes, respectively, on Saturday.

For the undefeated Zenyatta the win was her fifth in a row, but this one accomplished with a slow pace in front of her and a troubled start.  The late-developing four-year-old daughter of Street Cry (also the sire of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner, Street Sense), has become the odds-on favorite to top the older filly and mare division in American racing this year.

Trainer John Sherreffs was expectedly thrilled with her performance. "She's special," he said of his powerful filly.  "She was lucky because she got really squeezed coming out of the gate and Mike (jockey Mike Smith) was saying he just closed his eyes and hoped she didn't clip heels.  She picked up her feet and got over it alright.  She's breaking better and is a little lighter on her feet."

Jockey Mike Smith, who was paired with Zenyatta for the first time in the Apple Blossom Handicap, talked about his mount after her two-and-a-half lengths victory."Amazing.  All I can say is just amazing," he noted.  "I'm telling you ... I'm beside myself, I don't even know what to say. There's no word in my vocabulary to describe her. She was squeezed at the start and I just didn't want her to fall. I knew if she stayed up she was going to be tough to beat. On the turn I just wanted to get her running because she's so big. She just galloped, man." 

Zenyatta travelled the mile-and-a-sixteenth over the synthetic "cushion" surface in 1:41, taking her career earnings to $554,580 from just the five starts.  Her next outing is scheduled to be the $300,000 Vanity Handicap over a mile-and-an-eighth at Hollywood Park on July 5.

While Zenyatta's victory was not at all unexpected, the rivalry between Heatseeker and Tiago figured to offer a much closer event.  It just didn't work out that way when the slow pace pretty much negated the late charge of Oaklawn Handicap winner Tiago and that one had to settle for second to arch-rival Heatseeker by five-and-a-quarter lengths.  Tiago was also picked up nine pounds in weight, carrying the top weight of 126 in Saturday's race, four more than Heatseeker.

Heatseeker had earlier in the season won the Santa Anita Handicap, in between runner-up finishes in Santa Anita's Strub Stakes and the Oaklawn Handicap.  The win in Saturday's Californian raised his career mark to seven wins, five seconds and two thirds from 17 starts, with earnings of $1,180,223.  His win at a mile-and-a-quarter in the Santa Anita Handicap suggests that he will be a major force for this year's Breeders' Cup Classic in late October.

The Jerry Hollendorfer trainee was ridden by Rafael Bejarano through the mile-and-an-eighth in 1:47, compared to the time of 1:50.1 for the Oaklawn Handicap over the conventional dirt surface.

Oaklawn-raced Distaffers Shine on Memorial Day

Racing fans at Oaklawn on Memorial Day saw two impressive stakes-winning performances by Oaklawn-raced fillies and mares, which highlighted a day with plenty of simulcast racing action.

The Monday simulcasts provided a number of opportunities for Oakawn runners to display their talents, but clearly it was Graeme Six and Brownie Points who showed the way.  This pair are in top form right now and should continue to delight their followers in the coming weeks.

Graeme Six (shown winning the Carousel in photo) vaulted into the elite of America's sprinting fillies and mares with her win in the $100,000 Winning Colors Stakes at Churchill Downs on Monday.  Winner of the Carousel Stakes at Oaklawn this year, the four-year-old filly stalked the leading trio until the final turn, moved outside of that group entering the stretch, then drew away to a length-and-a-half tally.  The daughter of 2000 Arkansas Derby winner, Graeme Hall, is trained by Tom Amoss and was ridden by Julien Leparoux en route to her six furlongs running time of 1:09.  That takes her career mark to five wins and six seconds from 14 starts, with earnings of $311,854.

Miss Macy Sue, who won both the 2007 Carousel and 2007 Winning Colors, was a half-step slow at the break and bothered enough through the early stages that she trailed the field midway down the backstretch.  With 2008 Oaklawn leading rider Eddie Razo guiding her, she followed Graeme Six to the outside of the pacesetters, but could not muster enough kick to stay with the winner, settling for second.  The Oaklawn twosome returned a $17.40 exacta.

Graeme Six, who added Monday's win to her previous 2008 wins in the Carousel and Fair Grounds' Pan Zareta Stakes, now ranks among the elite among sprinting fillies and mares and has her connections excited about her prospects for the remainder of the year. 

“Horses have used this race as a springboard for big things at the end of the year, and now that the Breeders’ Cup has incorporated a sprint for fillies, we’re excited about the opportunity to perhaps try that if she stays 100 percent,” Amoss said. “This is a top filly, and I don’t use those words all of the time. But this is a top filly and if she stays together she’ll be a factor at the end of the year in that kind of race.”

While Graeme Six and Miss Macy Sue were the headliners at Churchill Downs, the ultra-consistent Brownie Points, from the barn of Donnie K. Von Hemel, came off runnerup performances in the Apple Blossom Handicap and Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn to rally from off the pace to take the $200,000 Ouija Board Distaff Handicap at Lone Star Park.

Brownie Points started the one mile turf event from the outside, number 11, post position, but steadily improved her position through the early running of the Lone Star event, one of six stakes races on the card.  Swinging six wide at the head of the stretch, there was no question the five-year-old daughter of Forest Wildcat was going to win.  Her margin at the end was a length-and-three quarters.  She travelled the grassy mile in 1:35.4, a good deal faster than the winning time of the same race in 2007, when she finished second behind Lady of Venice on a soft turf in 1:38.1.

The win was the eighth career win for Brownie Points (including the 2006 Martha Washington at Oaklawn) to go along with seven seconds and three thirds from just 22 starts.  Her earnings have now reached $806,309.  In addition to her two seconds at Oaklawn this year and win in the Martha Washington, she finished second in both the 2006 Honeybee and 2007 Bayakoa and third in the 2006 Fantasy Stakes.