Oaklawn Park’s Lucrative Road to Kentucky Derby Headlines Upcoming Meet, Which Begins Friday

December 3rd, 2024 by Sara Dacus

Arkansas Derby, Oaklawn Park, 2024-’25 meet, Hot Springs, Ark., Eclipse Sportswire

Racing fans enjoy 2024 Arkansas Derby day, always a highlight of the meeting at Oaklawn Park. The 2024-’25 meet in Hot Springs, Ark. kicks off Friday. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Oaklawn Park’s 120th season opens Friday, kicking off 65 days of elite Thoroughbred racing. Throughout the season, Oaklawn’s 57 stakes races will offer a total of $17.65 million in purses.

The Advent Stakes for 2-year-olds crowns the opening day card. Innovator, a D. Wayne Lukas trainee by 2020 Kentucky Derby and Breeder’s Cup Classic winner Authentic, is the even-money favorite. In his most recent start, Innovator was a head away from winning a maiden special weight race at Churchill Downs that was won by the promising Bob Baffert-trained 2-year-old Barnes.

Opening day will conclude with a new race: The Trail’s Beginning. It will bookend the Trail’s End that closes out each season at Oaklawn. Stakes action continues Saturday with the Ring the Bell Stakes for 3-year-olds.

Arkansas Derby, Oaklawn Park, Eclipse Sportswire

Fans enjoy the Arkansas Derby festivities in 2024. (Eclipse Sportswire)

The Arkansas Road to the 2025 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve continues to impact the first jewel of the Triple Crown: this year’s Kentucky Derby victor Mystik Dan ran in three of Oaklawn’s four points races, winning the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes.

After raising the Southwest’s purse to $1 million, this qualifying quartet is now worth a total of $4 million. The first leg in the series is the Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan. 4. The Southwest Stakes will be held Jan. 25, the $1.25 million, Grade 2 Rebel Stakes on Feb. 22, and the $1.5 million, Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on March 29. Purses for the Longines Kentucky Oaks points races, the path that brought success to reigning winner Thorpedo Anna, have also increased.

Stalls were allotted to 110 trainers. Hall of Famers Lukas and Steve Asmussen, Oaklawn regulars, will each have a strong presence at the meet. Dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will have a division of about 20 horses, and two-time Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox also returns.

With a few exceptions, racing will be conducted on a Friday-to-Sunday basis through May 3, Kentucky Derby day.

Friday’s 10-race card, which has drawn 112 entries, begins at 1:30 p.m. ET.