Arkansas

Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort and the Arkansas H.B.P.A. will honor Thoroughbred owners with a $400 per horse cash reward, regardless of where their horse finishes in a race, beginning Mar. 18 through the end of the racing season, May 6, 2023. Stakes races are excluded from Owner's Reward program. Owners of runners competing in allowance races will be eligible as long as seven or more horses arrive in the paddock. Owners of horses competing in all other races will be eligible as long as eight or more horses arrive in...

Louis Cella joins this week's TDN Writers' Room to share what is in store for this year's race meet at Oaklawn Park.

GSW & MGISP American Freedom (Pulpit--Gottcha Last, by Pleasant Tap) has been sold to Bob and Tyree Wolesensky's Leadem Farm and will stand stud in Arkansas beginning the 2023 breeding season. American Freedom will command a stud fee of $3,500 LF. He stood at Airdrie Stud his first four seasons. The purchase was facilitated by Brock Martin and Steve Castagnola of Taylor Made Sales Agency. "We wanted to find the perfect match for Arkansas breeders and we are very happy with this beautiful son of Pulpit," Tyree Wolesensky, President of...

Four years ago--almost to the day--when Arkansas native Staton Flurry sat down for a tête-à-tête with the TDN, his trainer Brad Cox took the opportunity to indulge in a little divination. "He's out for good horses and wants to win stake races," said Cox at the time, before pointing to their as yet unfinished greatest hits tour with multiple graded-stakes winner, Mr. Misunderstood (Archarcharch). "What this horse has done for him, those are the kinds of horses that he's looking for." Turns out, Cox reads the tea leaves as well...

M G Warrior (Majestic Warrior-Marvel Gaye, by Bowman's Band) has been retired from racing to stand his first season at stud at Charter Oak Farm LLC in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He will stand as property of Chrysalis Stables LLC for an introductory fee of $750 for the 2021 breeding season. Trained by Brad Cox, M G Warrior won five of 17 starts before retiring with earnings of $298,226. The bay broke his maiden going 1 1/16 miles at Fair Grounds and then recorded four wins against allowance and allowance/optional claiming...

After losing eight days of racing due to record-breaking winter weather, Oaklawn has added both races and extra race days to make up for canceled days last week and this coming weekend. In addition, the Hot Springs oval previously announced the further postponement of their President's Day weekend stakes to the weekend of Feb. 27-28. A total of 27 races have been added to the schedule as well as two additional race days Wednesday, Mar. 31 and Wednesday, Apr. 28. The track is also increasing purses for all overnight races...

The 57-day meeting at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, AR, is set to be conducted with a limited number of spectators, pursuant to the directives of the Arkansas Department of Health. "We've been working on plans covering numerous scenarios and we're happy to announce we will be welcoming back race fans in 2021, albeit on a limited basis," General Manager Wayne Smith said. "We know that the fans are what make Oaklawn so special, but our main concern is for the safety and well-being of our guests and team members....

Louis Cella, the owner and president of Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, has been honored as the 2020 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Sportsman of the Year for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. When most of the rest of the country--including live sports--shut down in March, he was one of a handful of racetrack principals who were able to continue live racing and do it safely. "In racing, we have an obligation," Cella told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "It's not like a retail store. You send your employees home and good luck and let's...

Cutting Humor (First Samurai--Pun, by Pulpit), winner of last year's GIII Sunland Derby, has been retired to has been retired to Bill McDowell's McDowell Farm in Sparkman, Arkansas. Bred by Dell Hancock & Bernie Sams, the $400,000 FTSAUG buy carried the colors of Starlight Racing to two wins in nine starts and earnings of $525,467. He was trained by Todd Pletcher. "Cutting Humor presents a tremendous opportunity for Arkansas breeders to get access to an awesome physical specimen, from a great Claiborne family, who raced at the highest level," said...

Hall of Famer Bob Baffert has been suspended 15 days for previously announced lidocaine positives found in post-race samples from two runners on Oaklawn Park's May 2 card, GI Arkansas Derby division winner Charlatan (Speightstown) and allowance winner Gamine (Into Mischief). The Oaklawn Park Board of Stewards has also disqualified both horses from their wins and ordered purse monies to be redistributed in rulings dated July 14 and made public Wednesday. News of the positives first surfaced in late May, and it was revealed last week that split samples taken...

The Oaklawn Park casino has been given the green light by Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson to resume operations May 18. During his press briefing May 7, Hutchinson announced that the state's three casinos can reopen, but only at one-third capacity and that stringent social distancing requirements will be in place. Oaklawn's casino has been closed since Mar. 16 and the shutdown had started to affect purses. Under the worst-case scenario, the casino would be closed for an extended period of time and purses would have to be reduced at the...