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Oaklawn Extends Clenbuterol Ban to 120 Days Before Race

The administration of Clenbuterol or any other beta2-agonist will be banned within 120 days of a race at the 2021-22 Oaklawn Park meet, Oaklawn announced Thursday. The rule, agreed to in partnership with the Arkansas HBPA and Arkansas Racing Commission, extends the ban from 60 days, which was the standard for last season's meet.

Conducted by Industrial Labs, the presence of Clenbuterol and other beta2-agonist will be determined through blood, urine and hair follicle testing.

“Banning the use of Clenbuterol and other beta2-agonists further proves our commitment to the safety and integrity of our racing program,” said Oaklawn President Louis Cella. “Every decision we make is to enhance the experience of our horsemen and fans at Oaklawn. When we say “Racing First,' we lead by example.”

Oaklawn's 2021-2022 season runs from Friday, Dec. 3 to Sunday, May 8.

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‘Onwards And Upwards’: 500th Career Win, Promising Juveniles Bring Optimism To Trainer Ingrid Mason

Trainer Ingrid Mason registered her 500^th career win on Sunday at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Ill., when Storminside scored a wire-to-wire victory as an odds-on favorite in the day's second race, a $4,000 claiming event going six furlongs.

A former exercise rider and jockey who in the early 1990s traveled to Dubai to work in Sheikh Mohammed's stable, Mason began training in 2004, saddling her first winner with her eighth career starter the following February. She lost the few horses in her stable, went back to exercising horses for a few more years, then returned to training in 2009. She hasn't looked back since.

“I started at the bottom and worked my way up,” said Mason, 50, who has stabled primarily at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas and Arlington and Hawthorne in Illinois. “When I restarted my career at Arlington, I had three horses and was work riding for Steve Asmussen. I'd start at 4 a.m. and work till 1 p.m. then come back to feed.”

Mason grew her stable to 40 horses at one point (she's now at about 28) and put together six consecutive $1-million plus earnings years beginning in 2014, her best season coming in 2016 when her runners earned $1,432,666. Much of that was earned by stable star Sarah Sis, a five-time graded stakes winner for Mason. The trainer's winningest year was in 2014 when she won 56 races from 287 starts.

“I've had a rough couple of years after some great years, but that happens to everybody,” Mason said. “If you don't have the animals to back you, it's hard. It's a challenging sport and so many things can go wrong. My biggest thing is to try and do as much preventive management as possible.

“I've got some nice babies this year, so it's onwards and upwards,” she added. “That's the fun and exciting part of our sport, the youngsters coming up and getting to watch them develop and progress. It's exhilarating and the best part of the game.”

Storminside is anything but a youngster. The 7-year-old gelding by Hansen was bought privately early in 2019 by Mason's “significant other,” Mike Waters, who races as Muddy Waters Stables. In his second start for Mason, Karl Broberg claimed Storminside for $10,000. Nine weeks later when Broberg ran him for the first time in a $6,250 claiming race, Mason and Waters claimed him back. He's been in the stable ever since, winning four of 21 starts, including his last three.

He was claimed out of Sunday's winning effort.

“I'm very fortunate,” Mason said. “I've got a lot of great owners who have supported me through the years and have never left my side, even during some difficult times. I'm very grateful for that. It's hard to find loyal people in this business, especially when they see this guy or that guy winning races at high percentages.”

Mason could not be at Arlington for her milestone win, watching the race at home after being hospitalized for two days with a kidney issue. She is hoping this will not be her final year of racing at Arlington, which has been put up for sale by the track's corporate owner, Churchill Downs Inc., and could be shut down for development.

“There is optimism here, because there are a lot of good people in the industry who want to buy Arlington Park and keep racing going,” she said. “To see Arlington Park close would be the saddest thing in the world.”

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Oaklawn Boosts Arkansas Derby Purse To $1.25 Million, Shifts Race To April 2

Oaklawn will dramatically impact the 2022 Triple Crown trail by making two major changes to the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby – boosting the purse to $1.25 million and moving the date to Saturday, April 2. The date shift is a departure from the traditional three weeks before the Kentucky Derby and the increased purse makes the race the richest event among Derby preps.

All total, Oaklawn is planning a record 36 stakes worth $12.3 million. In addition to the Arkansas Derby, three stakes will carry million dollar purses and 15 other stakes will offer purses ranging from $200,000 up to $750,000. Every stakes race will have at least a $150,000 purse. With the historic shift in the track's racing calendar that now begins in December, Oaklawn will stage its first 2-year-old stakes since 1973 – the Advent Stakes on opening day, Friday, Dec. 3.

“When we launched our $100 million expansion program two years ago, we said our goal was to take Oaklawn to a new level of excellence,” Oaklawn President Louis Cella said. “When you look at next season's stakes schedule, that includes five new stakes, you can see that is exactly what we are doing.”

The new positioning of the Arkansas Derby on the racing calendar will have a ripple effect on Oaklawn's other major 3-year old races. The $1,000,000 Rebel Stakes (G2) will be run on Saturday, Feb. 26. The $750,000 Southwest (G3) will be run Saturday, Jan. 29. The Smarty Jones Stakes will kick off the series on New Year's Day with a purse that has been increased by $100,000 to $250,000.

“Historically, Oaklawn's 3-year-old series has offered the most Kentucky Derby qualifying points of any track in the country,” Cella said. “With the extra timing between races and added purse money, we believe Oaklawn will only grow as 'the' place to prepare for the Triple Crown races.”

“Oaklawn has such a wonderful racing history going back 117 years,” General Manager Wayne Smith said. “When racing begins on December 3, fans will get to experience our new hotel overlooking the race track, a world class spa, new event center, and endless casino action. There has never been a more exciting time at Oaklawn.”

Older horses and older fillies and mares will also benefit from rich series leading up to the $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) and $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1), respectively, on Saturday, April 23. Prior to the Oaklawn Handicap, older horses will have the $150,000 Fifth Season on Jan. 15, $600,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) on Feb. 12, and the $500,000 Essex Handicap on March 19. The opportunities for older fillies and mares prior to the Apple Blossom include the $150,000 Pippin Stakes on Jan. 8, $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) on Feb. 5, and the $350,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) on March 12.

The Arkansas-bred program continues to be one of the richest state-bred programs in the country and will now feature six stakes races after the addition of the $150,000 Natural State Breeders' Stakes for 3-year-old fillies and older at one mile on Friday, May 6. The highlight of the series is the $200,000 Arkansas Breeders' Championship for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles on May 7.

The 2021-2022 Oaklawn live meet runs Friday, Dec. 3 – Sunday, May 8. There is no racing Dec. 24 – 26 for Christmas or April 17 for Easter.

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Oaklawn Adds December Race Dates To Live Racing Season

In yet another historic move for the 117-year-old track, Oaklawn will now add December race dates to its calendar and host a 66-day season from Friday, Dec. 3, 2021 – Sunday, May 8, 2022.

“For many years, horsemen have wanted to race here in December to fill a gap in their racing schedule,” said Oaklawn President Louis A. Cella, who has guided Oaklawn through the most dramatic changes in its history over the past four years. “We have completed our resort expansion, including the opening of our luxury hotel, spa and event center. Therefore, the timing is right for another expansion – to our live racing season.”

The 66-day season will be conducted largely on a Friday-Sunday basis, with some exceptions. There will be no racing Dec. 24 through Dec. 26 during the Christmas holiday and also no racing on Easter Sunday, April 17. Racing will continue to be offered on Presidents' Day Monday, Feb. 21, 2022.

Oaklawn plans to present the new proposed racing schedule to the Arkansas Racing Commission at their next meeting for approval.

“We are looking forward to the new format,” Cella said. “The additional days will provide a huge economic impact for horsemen, Arkansas Thoroughbred breeders and tourism in Central Arkansas.”

“Oaklawn's decision to add racing days in December is wonderful news for Hot Springs and Garland County,” said Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs. The expansion of its casino and its addition of a world-class hotel this year already provided Hot Springs with an exciting new feature in its attractions menu. The additional live racing dates will further cement Oaklawn's status as a premier economic engine for our city. We all look forward to this great new reason for everyone to visit Hot Springs.”

Purses for the season are projected to be $45 million – $50 million; the highest in America at that time of year, with all allowance races starting at $100,000.

“To be able to offer six-figure allowance races for five consecutive months is a very strong statement,” Oaklawn Racing Secretary Pat Pope said. “Between the purses and all of our new amenities, we should be part of every horseman's annual calendar.”

The extended season and projected purse increases make it necessary for Oaklawn to restructure its stakes program, highlighted, by realigning Oaklawn's strong 3-year-old prep races.

“We will offer 2-year-old racing in December,” Cella said, “and we anticipate additional exciting changes in our racing program, including an aggressive 2021-2022 stakes schedule. We are working on that now and will announce those changes soon. Suffice it to say that our stakes program will continue to be designed to attract the nation's best horses and best horsemen to Hot Springs.”

Trainers are also excited about the additional race dates.

“I love it,” Hall of Famer and 11-time Oaklawn leading trainer Steve Asmussen said. “The more Oaklawn, the better.”

“I've been an advocate for this for years,” Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said. “I think it's a great addition and will keep our stables competitive. It's also going to be a popular time. People are already in a festive mood around the holidays and the weather in December is usually pretty good. I think there is going to be a strong fan base. I'm 100% for it.”

“Oaklawn's new dates allow us horsemen to participate in the most lucrative purse circuit in America without any interruptions,” trainer Ron Moquett said. “It's now a smooth transition between Oaklawn, Churchill, and Saratoga.”

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