Purse hike on 3 Oaklawn cards

Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., will offer maiden special weight purses of as much as $87,000 on three designated programs next year as part of a $32 million purse structure for the 2019 meet.

Oaklawn’s meet opens Jan. 25 and will run 57 dates through May 4.

Maiden special weights are worth $77,000 going into the meet, but will be worth $87,000 on the Southwest, Rebel, and Arkansas Derby cards, said Jennifer Hoyt, a track spokeswoman.

A similar policy will be in place with some allowances, which will begin at the $78,000 level and be worth as much as $88,000 on those same three cards. Hoyt said the idea was brought forward by Oaklawn racing secretary Pat Pope.

“The thought is to make our big days bigger,” Hoyt said.

The hope is the concentrated purses will lead trainers shipping horses in for either the Southwest on Feb. 18, the Rebel on March 16, or the Arkansas Derby on April 13 to bring other runners for the card.

Oaklawn last month announced an $8.8 million stakes schedule. Last week, it released its first condition book.

Hoyt said Oaklawn plans to recruit horses for the new season by sending representatives to the Keeneland yearling auction in September and to tracks in New York and California. Hoyt said Oaklawn also is discussing a possible trip to Woodbine.

Oaklawn is building three new barns. Hoyt said one is nearly complete, while all are on schedule to be finished in advance of when horses begin to arrive Nov. 26. Stall applications for the Oaklawn meet are due Nov. 8.

Quarter Horse meet opens

Fair Grounds in New Orleans will open a 10-date meet for Quarter Horses on Thursday. The season will run through Sept. 8.

First post on Thursday is 12:30 p.m. Central.

Fair Grounds has scheduled 10 stakes races for the meet, with half to be run on the closing-day card Sept. 8. The program will be anchored by the Grade 1, $150,000-added Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association Sale Futurity. Other races on the card will include the Grade 2, $40,000 Mid-City Stakes for 3-year-olds and up over a classic distance of 440 yards.

The stakes schedule begins Thursday with the Grade 3, $40,000 Treme, which drew nine horses. It’s part of a 10-race program. Saturday’s card brings 11 trials for the LQHBA Sale Futurity.

Fair Grounds opens a meet for Thoroughbreds in November.

◗ Bridget Harmon has been promoted to senior director of finance for Churchill Downs Inc.’s Louisiana operations, including Fair Grounds and Fair Grounds OTB and Casinos. Harmon has been with Fair Grounds since 2011.

◗ Trials for the Grade 1, $3 million All American Futurity for Quarter Horses are Friday and Saturday at Ruidoso Downs.

◗ Remington Park opens its meet Aug. 24.

◗ The Arkansas Racing Commission is scheduled to meet Thursday in Little Rock, Ark.

◗ The New Mexico Racing Commission is scheduled to meet Aug. 23.