Oaklawn Park will host a pair of major live horseplayer contests to be held during Southwest Stakes Weekend in 2026, the track announced Friday. The new events, the Southwest Showdown on Saturday, Jan. 31, and the Oaklawn Horseplayer Championship on Sunday, Feb. 1, will bring together top horseplayers from across the country to Oaklawn for a high-stakes competition offering Last Chance/First Chance seats to the 2026 or 2027 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC), 2026 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC), and cash prizes.
“We are excited to introduce a marquee horseplayer contest during one of Oaklawn's most thrilling weekends,” said Louis A. Cella, President of Oaklawn. “Our Southwest Stakes Weekend already attracts national attention, and adding an event that rewards skill, strategy, and passion for racing will elevate the entire experience.”
Tom Rooney, President and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, added: “A visit to Oaklawn Park should be on the bucket list for any horseplayer. We are delighted that handicapping contests will be added to the promotional calendar at one of the pre-eminent racing destinations in America, if not the world,”
Further information on the entry structure, rules, and prize distribution will be announced by Oaklawn in the coming weeks.
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