Oaklawn our road to the Kentucky Derby!
Oaklawn is respected as a grade 1 horse racing venue for Thoroughbred horses in Hot Springs Arkansas. The racing begins mid-January and ends with the Arkansas Derby mid-April. Oaklawn is known as the “home of the Racing Festival of the South and Arkansas Derby.”
This blog is our experience at Oaklawn in Hot Springs Arkansas. We enjoyed watching Kentucky Derby contenders and will share the following: race schedule, dining options, parking, seating, bets, etc. and alternative lodging that provides ample space for a couple or small group.
Numerous champs have raced here:
As the Oaklawn website shared, “the track has played host to some of the biggest names in the sport with the latest star being 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, who won both the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby en route to making history with victories in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. Other champions to use Oaklawn as a launching pad include Temperence Hill, Cigar, Curlin, Paseana, Azeri,Tiffany Lass, Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, Rachel Alexandra, Lookin At Lucky, Blind Luck, Zenyatta, Close Hatches, Work All Week and Will Take Charge.”
If you want to read more about Oaklawn’s rich history here is the link:
Race Schedule:
Horse racing at Oaklawn starts around January 15th and goes until around April 15th. We encourage you to visit their website so you can plan your trip accordingly. We came to the races during President’ day weekend which was a long weekend, so there was a race on Monday too. They had a fun giveaway after each race on Monday, race 1 they gave away $1,000 to a visitor who put a card in a drawing, this continued until after the 10th race which they gave someone $10,000. Check for promotions on the race weekend you plan to visit.
Race schedule Race Calendar
Parking:
We arrived early and were able to park in the Oaklawn lot for only $2 cash, if you arrive later then you may need to pay a higher rate at a non-Oaklawn lots – we saw parking close by for $20-25 cash. The day of the big race fan promotion, parking at Oaklawn was filled up 2 hours before the race.
Arrival:
We arrived and followed the signs for racing. They did not charge for admission unless you want assigned seating (will explain this later). We purchased an Official Program for $2 cash which has the races for the day, map, information on wagering a bet, and instructions on how to read the program. This really helped us out even though the first day we only wrote down which horse we thought were going to win the race. We had fun. The next day, we did the same thing but actually placed wagers. They had lots of staff greeting us and answering questions. As far as dress, it was casual but I would assume the Arkansas Derby in April is dressier, more like the Run for the Roses (AKA Kentucky Derby)
How to place a bet – easy tips
We are not big gamblers, so we read as much as possible on line. Wagering a bet is not as complicated as we thought but it helped we were prepared. Here are some links that you may find helpful
Types of bets:
The first day we bought the Official program inside the track for a nominal fee. Each race had a list of horses, the jockey, trainer & the horses’ past performances (current year & last year).
Please take this as newbie advice: We looked at the jockey’ record and current years’ performance record of horse.
We wagered on a couple horses to “win” – come in first place and a couple for “show” – come in 1st, 2nd or 3rd. We actually ended up breaking even, not bad for a newbie.
Seating:
The first day we did not pay for reserved seating, instead we sat outside on the concrete stands. We had planned to watch a few races, so this was fine. The next day there was a chance of rain plus we wanted to stay for all the races. Prior to arriving we called 1-800-oaklawn, ext. 340. We were able to get Reserved grandstand seats for only $2.50 each (weekday) rate and $4.50 each on Saturday and Sunday plus a small processing fee. We were in the last row, but able to see the races and much more comfortable. Seats are metal.
Dining options:
There are many options for Food & Beverage. We had a delicious hearty Reuben sandwich from the Daily Double Deli (it was served plain, so ask for a side of dressing). We took it back to our seat to enjoy. The prices were not expensive for a sporting venue. There were sit down restaurants but they looked busy.
Road to the Kentucky Derby:
Oaklawn has many of the Kentucky Derby contenders race on their track. Our 9th race was the 52nd Running of the Southwest. We saw 6 Kentucky Derby contenders (Uncontested, Lookin at Lee, Rowdy the Warrior’s Club, Petrov, and One Liner). They all looked amazing but our top pick One Liner won and got a portion of the $500,000 purse.
We look forward to seeing some of these horses at the Kentucky Derby in May.
Gaming
If race horses are not your thing, they have casino games year round. We have won at some of the slots here during the non-racing season. They have promotions so check their website.
Rocky’s Corner:
Across from the Race Track, is one of our favorite family owned Chicago style pizza restaurants. It may be busy during the racing season, but if the line is not outside the door check them out.
Lodging: Private home instead of a hotel
During racing season Hot Springs hotels fill up, so you may enjoy renting a private home nearby in Hot Springs Village. We stayed in Hot Springs Village at this 3 bedroom private home (Burladero) that is available to rent when we want to be in Hot Springs for longer stays (3 or more nights). It is in a gated golf course community. Call Village Villas 888-408-7771 to check availability for this spacious property – ask for the Burladero property.
Hot Springs Village Rental – Burladero
After our visit to Oaklawn, we are ready for the Kentucky Derby in May!
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