HOT SPRINGS, AR (Thursday, March 12, 2020) – As the only professional sports franchise in Arkansas and in the best interest of our patrons, Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort has decided to run all races this weekend without onsite spectators. These outstanding stakes races include the $125,000 Temperence Hill (Fri, Mar 13), the $350,000 Essex Handicap (Sat, Mar 14), the $350,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) (Sat, Mar 14), and culminating with the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) (Sat, Mar 14). The Rebel Stakes will still award 85 points towards Kentucky Derby eligibility.
Cancelled events include Dawn at Oaklawn, barn tours and the Infield. However, the casino will remain open at this time.
Oaklawn fans will be able to view all weekend races on OaklawnAnywhere.com and TVG. Select races will be on FoxSports2 and the Madison Square Garden Network. Also, as always, Arkansas residents can wager on any Oaklawn race via the free Oaklawn Anywhere app (available for Apple and Android users).
As this is a constantly evolving situation, Oaklawn will work closely with government officials and relevant health authorities in assessing when it will reopen the racing side to onsite spectators.
Patrons who purchased tickets for racing dates between March 13–15 will receive a full refund on those purchases. Refunds will start being issued on our next live racing date by visiting or calling the Reserved Seats Office.
Oaklawn President Louis Cella said, “We represent the sport of kings. As such, we will act in a similar fashion to other sports organizations throughout the country. The health and safety of our fans, horsemen, and Team Members have always been and will continue to be our top priorities.”
The staff at Oaklawn will continue to meet or exceed the cleaning protocols as set by the CDC and local/state health officials. The increased health and safety precautions that have been implemented to date include increased access to hand-sanitizing stations and more frequent cleaning and disinfecting activities.
For additional details and future updates, please visit oaklawn.com.
