Oaklawn doesn’t stop there, however, they also will offer three other races with million-dollar purses including the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes on Feb. The Oaklawn stakes program is headlined by the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby, a Grade 1 race that will be run on April 1. With that kind of money floating around, you know the quality of the racing will be strong. track will host 45 stakes races offering purses of $13.75 million, and the total purse distribution for the five-month meet is projected to top $50 million. Racing at Oaklawn boasts big fields, good betting races for handicappers, an excellent stakes program, and very strong purses fueled by gaming revenue from the Oaklawn casino. The 68-day racing season will extend until Kentucky Derby day, May 6. Some of the country’s top winter dirt racing is coming to the Midwest with the opening of the Oaklawn Park meet on Friday, Dec.
