Oaklawn Park to End Meet with Third Purse Increase

oaklawnlogoIn appreciation for the horsemen who have supported Oaklawn Park all season, purses will be raised between $1,000 and $2,000 each race for the remaining 10 days of the 2015 meet. This increase, which starts with the Saturday, March 28 card, marks the third time that purses have been raised since the beginning of the meet Jan. 15.

“Mother Nature has definitely made this a challenging meet for all of us, but the support for our racing program, from both horsemen and fans, has never wavered,” said Director of Racing David Longinotti. “We had an outstanding Rebel Stakes Day that featured two returning champions and our expectations are high heading into the Racing Festival of the South. We appreciate the cooperation the horsemen have shown all season and are excited to reward them with higher purses the last 10 days.”

Oaklawn, which began the meet with a record $23 million, will end the live racing season with allowance races as high as $72,000 and maiden special weights at $66,000. The bottom purse will be $21,000.

The final week of the meet is highlighted by the Racing Festival of the South, which begins April 4 with the $400,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies and culminates with the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) and three other graded stakes races April 11.