Oaklawn Reports Record Stall Applications

Oaklawn Park reported Nov. 7 that it has received a record number of stall applications for the 2015 winter/spring race season.



The Hot Springs, Ark., track attributed the glut of applications to a record $23 million in purses available for meet, which begins Jan. 9 and runs through April 11.



The track said it received applications for more than 2,800 stalls, nearly twice the number of horses the barn area can accommodate.



"We can house about 1,500 horses," racing secretary Pat Pope said. "Of course we're pleased with the number of applications, but what really stands out is the quality of them."



The barn area will open Monday, Nov. 10, and the track will open for training one week later.



Among the horses expected for the 2015 meet are 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) winner Take Charge Brandi, Xpressbet Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) winner Work All Week, and Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I) runner-up Don't Tell Sophia.



Six-time leading trainer Steve Asmussen, who saddled Untapable to victory in the Distaff and 2014 Southwest Stakes (gr. III) winner Tapiture, who was second in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I), is expected to have both ready later in the meet after a freshening.



Horsemen returning in 2015 include Racing Hall of Fame member D. Wayne Lukas, the trainer of Take Charge Brandi, Randy Morse, who will have grade I winner Moonshine Mullin in his stable again, Ken McPeek, Steve Hobby, Chris Richard, Ron Moquett, and Donnie K. Von Hemel.



Six-time Sovereign Award winning trainer Mark Casse returns for his second meet and will be joined by newcomers Wayne Catalano, Mike Stidham, Steve Margolis, and Tony Dutrow. Dutrow will have horses for prominent Arkansas-based owners John Ed Anthony and Alex and Joanne Lieblong, who have grade I winners The Big Beast and I Spent It.



"The response we've had from horsemen all across the country has been very gratifying and it's a reflection of the high quality racing we've had over the last few years," Pope said. "Just as in college sports, you don't like to count on a recruit until they suit up for the first time and we don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but it's shaping up to be one heck of a race meet."



Oaklawn will begin the meet with maiden special weight races carrying purses of $60,000, which is $5,000 per race higher than at the start of last season. Open allowance races will have purses up to $65,000. The minimum purse will be $18,000.