Oaklawn Park has increased the purses of two of its Triple Crown prep races, including the GII Rebel S. which was won by subsequent Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) prior to his victory in the GI Arkansas Derby. The Rebel's purse will go from $750,000 to $900,000, and the GIII Southwest S. has gone from a $300,000 race to a $500,000 race.
With those purse increases and the $1 million Arkansas Derby and $150,000 Smarty Jones S., Oaklawn now offers $2.5 million in 3-year-old stakes purses.
“It's amazing to think of how far our 3-year-old stakes program has come over the last dozen years,” Director of Racing David Longinotti said. “The Rebel's purse was $125,000 in 2003 and is now the richest prep in March. Thanks to the success of our overall business plan, we've been able to deliver on the promises we made to our racing fans several years ago. Our goal has always been to bring the highest quality of racing to Arkansas. This is a testament to that commitment.”
Since 2004, when champion Smarty Jones (Elusive Quality) won the Southwest, Rebel and Arkansas Derby prior to his wins in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S., Oaklawn's 3-year-old stakes program has produced eight horses which have accounted for 12 Triple Crown race victories. In addition to Smarty Jones and American Pharoah, this list also includes dual Classic winner Afleet Alex (Northern Afleet), two-time Horse of the Year Curlin (Smart Strike) and champions Summer Bird (Birdstone) and Lookin' at Lucky (Smart Strike).
Oaklawn has also boosted purses for several of its key stakes for older horses, including the GII Oaklawn H., which was increased from $600,000 to $750,000 for 2016, and the GIII Razorback H., which was increased from $250,000 to $300,000.
“It's going to be tough to duplicate this year's Rebel Day when we had two champions making their seasonal debut with American Pharoah and Untapable in the Azeri, but we are definitely excited about the possibilities for 2016,” said Longinotti. “Multiple stakes days have proven successful all over the country and we feel confident we have created two of the best days of racing in North America.”
Other significant changes to the 2016 stakes schedule include a $100,000 increase to the GIII Count Fleet Sprint H., which will now be worth $400,000. The Carousel S. for older female sprinters received a $50,000 boost to $150,000. In addition, all five Arkansas-bred stakes were raised $25,000 to $100,000 and the Northern Spur S. and Instant Racing S.were both increased $25,000 to $125,000.
Oaklawn's 2016 Live Meet begins Friday, Jan. 15, 2016 and continues through Saturday, April 16.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
