Oaklawn Park

Every barn at Oaklawn Park has been equipped with wifi after the Arkansas Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) covered the costs of installation in each of the 38 barns. Each barn is set to have its own router with the wifi password protected, and the Arkansas HBPA will also pay the monthly bills for the Internet access. "Even our older trainers are using the internet now," said Arkansas HBPA President Bill Walmsley, a horse owner. "We felt this was a type of investment that will help virtually every trainer...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) named John Stewart's Resolute Racing as a title sponsor of the 54th Annual Eclipse Awards, which will be held on Thursday, January 23, at The Breakers Palm Beach, the organization said in a press release on Wednesday morning. The multi-year partnership between the NTRA and Resolute will include not only the title sponsorship of the awards ceremony, but also the event's after party. "I love this sport because it demands excellence," said John Stewart, president and CEO of Resolute Racing. "As we at Resolute...

Bentley Combs, who has served as an assistant to trainer Chad Brown since last March, has resumed training on his own and his new solo operation will have its first starter when he saddles City of Clouds (City of Light) in the ninth race Friday at Churchill Downs. Combs ran his own barn from 2017 to early 2024 after working his way up to assistant trainer for Dallas Stewart with horses that included Forever Unbridled, Tom's Ready and Unbridled Forever. While training on his own, Combs won a record three...

Angel of Empire (Classic Empire--Armony's Angel, by To Honor and Serve), who took home the GI Arkansas Derby, has been retired and will join the roster at Taylor Made Stallions for the upcoming breeding season, according to a press release from the farm on Wednesday. The 4-year-old, who last raced in 2023 when he finished third in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga, will stand for $7,500 LFSN. Breeders will have an opportunity to earn a lifetime breeding right to the millionaire earner of more than $1.4 million. "We're...

Louisiana Downs has promoted Roxanne Tanner to director of racing, the track said in a Wednesday release. Tanner has been employed by the track for nearly three years and previously served as the racing ambassador. Prior to Louisiana, her roles both on the front side and backside have included venues such as Arlington Park, Churchill Downs, Prairie Meadows, and Oaklawn Park. "I'm appreciative for each experience I've had within the industry to get me to this point," Tanner said. "I've been very blessed to work with some amazing people in...

On Nov. 9 last year, veteran trainer Steve Klesaris shipped his mare She's Awesome from Delaware Park to Aqueduct to compete in the second race. When she arrived, the receiving barns were full, and so, She's Awesome (Flatter) was sent instead to the track's auxiliary stabling, used as an overflow. The auxiliary barn is adjacent to staff bathrooms, with a lot of foot traffic through it, said Klesaris. It's also used to stable ponies, he added. She's Awesome won that day. But a post-race test came up positive for the...

The GIII Southwest Stakes, won by subsequent GI Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (Goldencents) this year, will be worth $1 million in 2025, Oaklawn Park announced Tuesday. The race was worth $800,000 this year. The second of four Kentucky Derby points races to be contested at Oaklawn, the Southwest will be run Jan. 25 and joins the $1.25-million GII Rebel Stakes and the $1.5-million GI Arkansas Derby as Oaklawn's seven-figure preps for the first race of the Triple Crown. Oaklawn's Derby prep series begins with the Jan. 4 $250,000 Smarty...

Oaklawn Park President Louis Cella will deliver the keynote address at the 2024 Global Symposium on Racing at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort this December. Under Cella's leadership, Oaklawn has consistently expanded its racing footprint by lengthening the racing schedule, building a $100-million casino/hotel and by introducing fan-friendly entertainment options, leading to increased attendance and handle. "Under Mr. Cella's leadership, Oaklawn expanded their racing season into December while keeping both their on-track and simulcasting business strong," said Robert Hartman, Race Track Industry Program Chair. "Their racing product continues to strengthen as...

Facing just three rivals, Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) controlled the tempo from the get-go before romping home the easiest of winners in the GII Santa Margarita S. at Santa Anita Sunday. The 1-9 favorite went quickly to the lead and loped along unchallenged through fractions of :23.65 and :48.77. She opened up under her own steam into the lane and was under wraps as she glided under the wire 4 1/4 lengths in front, completing the nine furlongs in 1:50.86. "She broke really sharp out of the gate," said winning...

The Arkansas Racing Commission unanimously approved 65 dates for Oaklawn Park's 2024-2025 racing season Monday morning and three additional December dates as well as another holiday Monday highlight the schedule, Oaklawn Park officials announced via presser Friday. Set to start Dec. 6 and run until May 3, the season will again be conducted primarily Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It was tweaked from last season due to calendar changes and business trends including a dark day Apr. 20 in observance of Easter and Feb. 9 being dropped on account of the...

According to trainer and co-owner Tim Martin, a necropsy performed on the popular Iowa-bred Tyler's Tribe (Sharp Azteca) revealed that his death was the result of a collapsed trachea. He died following a workout Wednesday at Oaklawn.  Martin said that when the trachea collapsed Tyler's Tribe was deprived of air and oxygen, which caused him to die. Martin said the problem with the trachea also explains why Tyler's Tribe had on-going problems with bleeding. The gelding bled in each of his last two starts and also bled in the 2022...

Veteran jockey Jon Court rode the final race of his career Sunday afternoon at Oaklawn Park. Court, 63, entered Sunday with 4,263 victories and $114,023,582 in purse earnings in his career, totals that rank 67th and 59th, respectively, in North American history, according to Equibase. "It's time," Court said moments after his final career stakes mount, Navy Seal, finished fifth in the Arkansas Breeders' Saturday at Oaklawn. "It's something I've been thinking about for a while. People have been asking me a lot. I've had a great 43 years. I'm...