Simulcast and Gaming Resumes on Monday; Triple Points Day; New Gaming Expansion now open; New Weekday "Happy Hour" in Pop's Lounge; Del Mar Wednesday Pick-Six Carryover Pool at $193,145

GATES OPEN AT 11:00 A.M.
OAKLAWN GAMING OPEN UNTIL 1:00 A.M.
HAPPY HOUR NOW OFFERED IN POP'S LOUNGE
TRIPLE POINTS DAY FOR WINNER' CIRCLE MEMBERS
WEDNESDAY DEL MAR PICK-SIX CARRYOVER AT $193,145
 

Simulcasting and Gaming will resume on Monday.  Gates open at 11:00 a.m. Oaklawn Gaming will remain open until 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday.  Oaklawn's new expanded Gaming Facility is now open to the public.  It is Triple Points Day for Winner's Circle club members.

Simulcast and Gaming Resumes on Monday; Triple Points Day; Gaming Expansion now open to the Public; New Weekday "Happy Hour" in Pop's Lounge;

GATES OPEN AT 11:00 A.M.
OAKLAWN GAMING OPEN UNTIL 1:00 A.M.
HAPPY HOUR NOW OFFERED IN POP'S LOUNGE
TRIPLE POINTS DAY FOR ALL WINNER'S CIRCLE MEMBERS 

Simulcasting and Gaming will resume on Monday.  Gates open at 11:00 a.m.  Oaklawn Gaming will remain open until 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday.  Oaklawn's new expanded Gaming Facility is now open to the public.  It is Triple Points Day for all Winner's Circle Club members. 

Oaklawn Gaming has added weekday "Happy Hour" specials at Pop's Lounge in the new gaming facility.  The Happy Hour extends from 4:30-6:30 p.m. each weekday, with 99-cent beer and margaritas specials during that period.

The popular Twin Quin game will return to Oaklawn on Thursday, July 30.  Players will be competing for $344 plus all the day's entry fees. 

The schedule of tracks being simulcast on Monday includes Suffolk Downs, Finger Lakes, Delaware Park, Thistledown, Fort Erie, Prairie Meadows, Mountaineer, Australian racing, the matinee greyhound races from Wheeling Downs and the evening performance from Southland Greyhound Park. 

Rachel Alexandra, Summer Bird, Papa Clem in Haskell are This Week's Big Story; Saratoga Opens Wednesday

A trio of major stars from the 2009 live racing season at Oaklawn figure to be the major stars in the highlight race of a big week in racing.  Filly champion Rachel Alexandra (in picture), along with Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird and Arkansas Derby winner Papa Clem have a chance to dominate the running of Sunday's $1.25 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park.

Sunday racing is not normally where the biggest stars come out, but that will not be the case this weekend.  Although Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird will race in Saturday's West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park, it is the Sunday Haskell which will have most of the nation buzzing.

A field of seven is expected for the mile-and-an-eighth showcase event for three-year-olds, which highlights a 14-race card, including eight stakes races.  Monmouth racing will begin at 11:00 a.m. (CDT) on Sunday.  Oaklawn's gates will open at 10:30 a.m. to accommodate those anxious to play the Monmouth card right from the start.

Expected in the field for the Haskell, along with the Oaklawn stars, are the late-developing Todd Pletcher trainee, Munnings; Long Branch Stakes winner, Atomic Rain; Iowa Derby winner, Duke of Mischief; and Continental Mile winner Bunker Hilll.

For Rachel Alexandra and her beloved Oaklawn jockey star, Calvin Borel, it will be an effort to win for the seventh straight time, including her two big wins at Oaklawn in the Fantasy and Honeybee Stakes.  Since then she has had totally dominating performances over fillies in the Kentucky Oaks and Mother Goose Stakes, sandwiched around her much-heralded victory over colts and geldings in the Preakness.

Many are already rating her with the best fillies and mares of all times and she can further cement that position with a win on Saturday.  To do so she will have to deal with the pair of Oaklawn stars with license to run good races, Summer Bird and Papa Clem.  Summer Bird got to Monmouth Park early to prepare for the race and has had a series of good workouts over the track.  Papa Clem arrived in time for the Long Branch Stakes, as a prep for the Haskell, but had to deal with a stumble at the start and a continuing series of traffic problems to settle for a third in that event.  He is proven at a mile-and-an-eighth, as he showed when he defeated Summer Bird in the Arkansas Derby, but will be in the hands of a new jockey this week, since his regular rider, Rafael Bejarano, was seriously injured in a spill on the opening day of the Del Mar meet this past week.

This week also marks the beginning of the very popular racing season at Saratoga, which extends through Monday, September 7, with 36 days of racing.  Opening day is Wednesday.  Saratoga will conduct racing six-days-per-week.  Tuesday will be the dark day each week.  The major race of the star-studded season is the $1 million Travers Stakes on Saturday, August 29, for three-yeaar-olds at a mile-and-a-quarter.  That race may be the scene of the ultimate matchup between Rachel Alexandra, Mine That Bird and Summer Bird, unless the connections of Rachel Alexandra opt to race in the $600,000 Alabama Stakes, one week earlier.  First post time daily at Saratoga is 12:00 Noon (CDT).

Euphony Win Streak Ends at Six; Antrim County Scores Big at Canterbury

Pin Oak Stable's Euphony (shown here), whose record at Oaklawn is spotless in four starts over the past two seasons, including wins in the 2008 Instant Racing and 2009 Bayakoa Stakes, saw her winning streak end at six straight when she was nosed out at the wire by Happiness Is in the $50,000 Lady Canterbury Stakes at Canterbury Park on Saturday afternoon.

With regular pilot Cliff Berry in the saddle the tough daughter of Forest Wildcat raced wide much of the way and was carried out some in the stretch, but couldn't get by the winner, tasting defeat for the first time since June 21, 2008.  That race, like the Lady Canterbury, was on the turf, a surface which has not been quite as kind to the Donnie K. Von Hemel trainee.

For Euphony the loss took her career mark to 12-9-2-1, a record of consistency not often seen in horses racing at this level of competition.  Her career earnings have now moved to $468,600 and the four-year-old runner is likely to return to a conventional dirt surface in pursuit of victory in her next start.

While Euphony's day at Canterbury Park was not her finest hour, another which raced at Oaklawn this year, Carl Moore Management's Antrim County was the ultimate star of the show from the Claiming Crown events staged at the Minnesota track on Saturday.

The feature race of the Claiming Crown was the $150,000 Claiming Crown Jewel, a mile-and-an-eighth event for those which have raced for a claiming price of $35,000 or less since January 1, 2008.  Antrim County, whose campaign this year included two efforts at Oaklawn this year, came back after being headed in the stretch and scored a neck victory over Nancy's Runner.  Under the hands of former leading Oaklawn rider Jamie Theriot, Antrim County, a six-year-old son of Giant's Causeway-Bright Feather, recorded the 15th win of his career in taking the Canterbury feature.  His career record includes six seconds and 10 third, for earnings of $424,130.

Canterbury has become the home of the Claiming Crown events and played the perfect host to trainer Bret Calhoun and jockey Theriot.  That pair also teamed up to take the first of the Claiming Crown races when they brought Heflin and Driver Racing's Bright Hall to a dominant score in the $50,000 Claiming Crown Iron Horse, a mile-and-a-sixteenth race for older runners which had raced for a claiming price of $7,500 or less since January 1, 2008.  Bright Hall led every jump of the way to score the 10th win in his 22 race career.

Entries Deadline Nears for Handicapping Tournament

Tournament director, Jason Milligan (pictured here), assures all potential players that entries are still being accepted for the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Challenge Tour Handicapping Tournament, which will be held at Oaklawn on Saturday-Sunday, August 8-9, but time is running out.  This is the final week to enter the major local handicapping tournament.  The top three finishers in the tourney at Oaklawn will advance to the 2009 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship,which is scheduled to take place January 29-30, 2010, at Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada, as Oaklawn's official representatives. For full details you can check the tournament website at http://tournament.oaklawnpark.com.  Entries will be accepted at the Dish Jockey Booth at Simulcast this week, as well as through the mail. 

The August tournament at Oaklawn will be open to 225 players.  The enty fee is $250, of which $120 covers the player's tournament bankroll.

Rules for the tournament will morror those of the National Tournament in January.  Each player will make 15 wagers per day with each wager being $2 win/place on the same horse.  Entrants must be at least 21-years-old to participate.

The prize money breakdown for the Oaklawn event will be awarded for the following placings:

1st place Overall $5,000
2nd place Overall $3,000
3rd place Overall $2,000
4th place Overall $1,000
5th place Overall  $500
6th-10th place Overall  $300 Day 1 Winner  $1,000
Day 2 Winner  $1,000

"We have had some great finishes in our previous tournaments and we're looking forward to holding this tournament at Oaklawn once again," noted Tournament Director Jason Milligan (in photo).  For further information Milligan can be contacted at (501) 623-4411, extension 541, or at 1-800-OAKLAWN, extension 541.  He may also be reached via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Oaklawn Handicappers Hour Returns on Saturday; Arlington's Dave Zenner, Special Guest

Once again this year fans from around the country may tune into the Resort Racing Network, which has covered Oaklawn and national racing for over three decades.

The Resort Racing Network (KVRE, 92.9 FM) presents the Oaklawn Handicappers' Hour, a one-hour interactive call-in show.  This week the show will once again air at its normal time, 9:07-10:00 (CDT). The Oaklawn Handicappers Hour is also available at the Oaklawn website.  Simply click on the "Oaklawn Handicappers Hour" link on the left hand side ot the homepage. The show will continue each Saturday November 7.  Track Announcer Terry Wallace co-hosts the show with local radio personality Tom Nichols.  Each show focuses on racing around the country, especially those tracks simulcast at Oaklawn, and has a guest from the racing industry.  This week's special guest will be Arlington Park Director of Communications, Dave Zenner, who will preview Arlington Million weekend for the listeners. 

Oaklawn will be kicking off the three-year-old series with the Southwest in less than a month. Horses such as Flat Out, Silver City, Square Eddie, and Old Fashioned look to line up in the starting gate for the one mile race, and if all goes well could set themselves up for the Rebel Stakes on March 14.

Trainer Kenny McPeek has no shortage of talented three-year-olds in his barn this year. The most recent one to show promise, More Than Willing, comes off a maiden score down at Gulfstream Park and appears to be making his next start in the Rebel Stakes. Breaking his maiden in a one mile and an eighth event, distance should be no problem for the son of More Than Ready.

“Right now it looks like we will point More Than Willing to the Rebel. He trained like a good horse, and he should have broken his maiden in his first two starts, but I kept him sprinting and he does his best running long,” McPeek said by phone. “As long as we can make travel arrangements by plane, then we will be coming to Oaklawn. I will keep him at Gulfstream and train him there.”

“He’s already back on track and doing real well. Kent Desormeaux has ridden this horse in all his starts and hopefully he will ride him in the Rebel,” commented McPeek. No stranger to Oaklawn, McPeek in 2003 brought Take Charge Lady to run in the Apple Blossom, but got caught at the wire by Azeri (pictured).  

The Rebel is the second leg of the premier three-year-old races at Oaklawn. Things are shaping up pretty nicely for the three-old-series at Oaklawn.

Quincy Hamilton Nears 1,000 Wins

Currently, in Oaklawn’s jock’s room there are two riders awaiting career milestones. Oaklawn veteran Tim Doocy has to accomplish 24 wins to reach the 5,000 win plateau and jockey Quincy Hamilton (pictured) will reach 1,000 wins with just five more wins.

“Someone told me that when approaching a milestone in racing, the closer you get, the more difficult it becomes. I have decided to live each day for what it is,” Hamilton reflected. “Giving something like this a lot of thought, you might put unwanted pressure on yourself.”

Back in 2007, Hamilton made a brief appearance at Oaklawn and went back home to Texas to ride. Now here for 2009, Hamilton is off to a hot start winning six races from 25 starters, and currently sits in a tie for second place for leading rider. “My dad is a quarter horse jockey. In high school, I was interested in sports,” mentioned Hamilton. “I didn’t decide to become a rider until I graduated from high school.”

“I want to think forward. I intend to think well beyond 1,000 wins. I am only 25, and I like to feel I am reaching this milestone at an early age,” grinned Hamilton. “Milestones are very important to riders. Jockeys should reach for them. Milestones are like goals, and everyone should have goals.”

Hamilton has two chances on Saturday and Sunday to add to his win total. “I am really looking forward to the 1000^th win," Hamilton commented. “I am anxious for that big moment. At the same time, I am anxious to start on the next one (milestone).”

A Little Bit More

GATES OPEN 11:00 A.M.
OAKLAWN GAMING OPEN UNTIL 1:00 A.M.
TRIPLE POINTS DAY FOR WINNERS CIRCLE MEMBERS

Simulcasting and Gaming resume at Oaklawn on Monday.  Gates open at 11:00 a.m.  Gaming will remain open on Monday until 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning.  It is Triple Points Day for all Winners Circle members.  Live racing returns on Thursday.  There is a nine-race card, first post time at 1:30 p.m.  CLASSIX carryover pool on Thursday at $1,728. 

The schedule of tracks being simulcast on Monday includes Beulah Park, Fair Grounds, Turf Paradise, Portland Meadows, Mountaineer, Australian racing, the matinee greyhound races from Wheeling Downs and the evening performance from Southland Greyhound Park.

Twenty-Three Nominated for Saturday’s $100,000 Essex Handicap

Racing Secretary and Handicapper Pat Pope welcomed 23 nominations for Saturday’s featured $100,000 Essex Handicap, for four-year-olds and up at a mile-and-a-sixteenth.The list includes the one-two finishers from the 2008 Essex, Robert Yagos’ Spotsgone and Mike Langford’s Jonesboro, as well as Shim Racing’s Shim’s Pride, winner of an allowance prep for the Essex on January 18.

For Spotsgone (pictured here) the Essex was the high point of an abbreviated season which saw him go to the sidelines in late May, following a disappointing effort in Arlington’s Hanshin Handicap.The “Jinks” Fires trainee finished a good third after setting all the pace in the January 18 prep.The speedy six-year-old Bright Launch horse is likely to be coupled in the Essex with Patricia Blass’ Prom Shoes, winner of the 2008 Fifth Season Stakes at Oaklawn.

Meanwhile Jonesboro continues to perform at the highest levels, especially at Oaklawn.The seven-year-old son of Sefapiano, out of the champion mare, Mom’s Command, won the 2007 Essex as well as the 2008 Razorback Handicap.He also added 2008 stakes wins at Ellis Park, Louisiana Downs and Remington Park to his career record, which now stands at 12 wins from 35 starts with eight seconds and three thirds for earnings of $890,575.  Trainer Randy Morse has expressed some concern about lingering foot problems, so Jonesboro's participation was still up in the air at the beginning of the week.

Another potentially intriguing member of the Essex cast could be West Point Thoroughbreds’ Macho Again, the winner of both the Derby Trial and Jim Dandy Stakes last season while racing against the best of the sophomore crop.Trainer Dallas Stewart guided the gray son of Macho Uno to three wins for the season and the late-running star has taken his earnings to $776,619.

While Shim’s Pride won the allowance prep for the Essex Handicap, his trainer, Steve Hobby, appears more intent on running Alex and Joann Lieblong’s Telling in Saturday’s feature.Telling was three-for-three as he worked through his conditions at Oaklawn in 2008, then went on to place in three stakes events at Arlington, Keeneland and Churchill Downs, racing primarily on turf.The five-year-old son of A.P. Indy has been training forwardly back on the conventional Oaklawn dirt surface and will garner plenty of support in the Essex.

High weight of 118 for the race is likely to be toted by Millard Seldin Revocable Trust's Golden Yank.  Winner of both the Oklahoma and Zia Park Derbies late in 2008, the four-year-old Gary Thomas trainee most recently dropped a nose decision to French Beret in the grassy Colonel Bradley Handicap at Fair Grounds.  He sports a career mark of five wins from 14 starts with earnings of $708,616.  His best effort at Oaklawn thus far was a fourth place finish behind Sierra Sunset in the 2008 Rebel.

The complete list of horses nominated for Saturday’s Essex includes:

Acting Zippy
Brothers Nicholas
Bullsbay
Dakota Phone
Encaustic
Going Ballistic
Golden Yank
Jonesboro
Let It Rock
Macho Again
Prom Shoes
Que Paso
Ravel
Red Rock Creek
Secret Getaway
Shim's Pride
Silver Lord
Smokeyjonessutton
Solar Flare
Spotsgone
Sumac
Telling
Wayzata Bay

Native Ruler Tops Semaphore Man in King Cotton Thriller

Maggi Moss' Native Ruler (shown here) moved inside the favored Semaphore Man on the turn, then outgamed the two-time defending champion through the lane to take the win in the featured $50,000 King Cotton Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Saturday afternoon.

Before a sun-drenched crowd of 15,733 the five-year-old son of Elusive Quality took jockey Eddie Razo through six furlongs in 1:09 3/5 to register his third consecutive win for trainer Chris Richard.  Although he raced for a claiming tag at Oaklawn in 2008, the steadily improving runner carried high weight of 122, according to the allowance conditions of the race, giving eight pounds to Semaphore Man, who was attempting to be the first runner to ever win the King Cotton three years in a row.  Silver Edition finished third in the field of five. Island Warrior was a late scratch.

The King Cotton was the ninth win in 21 lifetime starts for Native Ruler.  He has earned $298,011, the majority of that since he won a $25,000 claiming race at Oaklawn by six lengths on February 16, 2008.  "He runs hard every time," admitted trainer Chris Richard.  "He has won every race on conventional dirt since I've had him except one, when he was second in the Prairie Meadows Sprint last August."

Richard plans on keeping Native Ruler at Oaklawn for the entire Spring meet, pointing his charge for the $150,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap on Friday, April 10. 

Oaklawn On The Air

Oaklawn fans get plenty of opportunities to follow racing both on radio and television once again this year.  On radio Arkansas fans may tune into the Resort Racing Network, which has covered Oaklawn racing for over three decades.  Scratches, stretch calls and recap shows from the Resort Racing Network (KVRE, 92.9 FM), in Hot Springs and other locations around Arkansas each racing day.

The Resort Racing Network (KVRE, 92.9 FM) also presents the Oaklawn Handicappers' Hour, a one-hour interactive call-in show each Saturday morning, 9:07-10:00 a.m., from this Saturday, January 24, through Saturday, November 7.  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.  There were three callers who had winners on Saturday's card, but Dudley of Hot Springs won both the weekly and monthly competition when he tabbed Make It Simple ($49.60) to win the first race at Oaklawn on Saturday afternoon. 

Those anxious to follow Oaklawn on television regionally and nationally may do so through "The Oaklawn Report", a regular nightly replay show focused solely on Oaklawn races.  Hosted by Gary Weir, the Oaklawn Report is telecast on two full-power stations in Arkansas, reaching nearly 500,000 cable subscribers.  Resort Cable in Hot Springs airs the program at 7:30 p.m. and again the following morning at 9:00 a.m. over Channel 5.

In Little Rock the anchor station for "The Oaklawn Report" is KKYK, Channels 20-49.  KKYK is carried on cable systems reaching over 300,000, extending from Clarksville, Arkansas, south to Monroe, Louisiana.  KKYK presents the show in prime time every Sunday through Saturday at 9:30 p.m., with a 6:30 a.m. replay.  "The Oaklawn Report" can also be seen on KFDF, Channel 34, in Fort Smith, Arkansas.  That telecast airs at 10:30 p.m. with a 6:30 a.m. replay.