AT THE POST: Split field set for Fifth Season.
OPENING DAY Today
LIVE SEASON Today-May 2 (57 racing days)
POST TIMES 12:35 p.m. today, Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 2), Presidents Day (Feb. 17), Rebel Stakes Day (March 14), Arkansas Derby Day (April 11) and closing day (May 2); 1 p.m. Saturdays; 1:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays; Gates open at 11 a.m. every race day. ADMISSION General admission, free; reserved seats, $2.50 weekdays; $4.50 Saturdays and Sundays.
PARKING $2 until 4 p.m. PROMOTIONS 50-cent corned beef sandwiches and 10-cent soft drinks Saturday; Jockey meet and greet, Feb. 1, March 7, April 4 and May 2; Oaklawn cap giveaway, Feb. 16; Infield opens March 7; $54,000 cash frenzy, March 29; Infield Easter egg hunt, April 5; Great Outdoors giveaway, April 25; Pink Out Day, May 1. NOTABLE DATES Oaklawn has four races that will earn points toward Kentucky Derby eligibility. $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes, Friday; $750,000 Southwest Stakes, Feb. 17; $1 million Rebel Stakes, March 14; and $1 million Arkansas Derby, April 11. Points for the Smarty Jones Stakes and Southwest Stakes are awarded on a 10-4-2-1 basis. Points for the Rebel Stakes are awarded on a 5020-10-5 basis. Points for the Arkansas Derby are awarded on a 100-40-20-10 basis. The Racing Festival of the South runs from April 10-18. NOTEWORTHY Four stakes races will have $1 million purses: Rebel Stakes, March 14; Arkansas Derby, April 11; Apple Blossom Handicap, April 18; Oaklawn Handicap, April 18.
ANOTHER STAKES SPLIT Oaklawn, which made history last year when it split the $1 million Rebel Stakes into two $750,000 divisions, is kicking off its 2020 season with another significant stakes split. On Saturday, Oaklawn will split the 31st running of the $100,000 Fifth Season into two $100,000 races due to the large number of 4-yearolds and above wanting to run.
“We are thrilled to be able to start the 2020 season with a bang by splitting a stakes race so early in the meet,” said Oaklawn President Louis Cella. “We are honored to have so many older horses wanting to compete and look forward to a great day of racing.”
The two $100,000 Fifth Season Stakes races will each feature eight-horse fields for an impressive 16 horses expressing interest in one stakes race. The day will also be highlighted by the $100,000 Pippin Stakes, which drew a full field of 11 horses.
“Saturday of opening weekend is always a huge hit,” Oaklawn General Manager Wayne Smith said. “Our race fans love being able to join us in honoring the history of Oaklawn on the day we offer our famous corned beef sandwiches for just 50 cents.”
WILSON RETURNS FOR FIFTH SEASON
The last time trainer Shane Wilson started a horse at Oaklawn was 2005 and it was for a $7,500 claiming price. The stakes will be considerably higher Saturday when the south-Louisiana-based Wilson sends out Mocito Rojo for his local debut in the $100,000 Fifth Season Stakes for older horses at a mile.
Claimed out of a career-debut victory for $10,000 in December 2016 at Delta Downs, Mocito Rojo is a multiple stakes winner of $804,000 for Wilson and owner Wayne T. Davis. The 6-year-old son of Mutadda has won 16 of 26 starts since being claimed, highlighted by the $250,000 Lukas Classic Sept. 28 at Churchill Downs. The sixth-place finisher in the Lukas Classic, Quip, won Oaklawn’s premier event for two-turn horses last year, the $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap.