Oaklawn: RACING FORWARD | SEPTEMBER 2026   87 DAYS AND COUNTING: PREPARING FOR THE NEW LIVE RACE MEET

RACING FORWARD | SEPTEMBER 2026
 
87 DAYS AND COUNTING: PREPARING FOR THE NEW LIVE RACE MEET

With just 87 days until the start of the 2026-27 racing season, preparations are moving quickly to get Oaklawn ready for the arrival of horsemen and their horses. Construction is nearly complete on the new 28-stall barn, the track surface is being prepared, and clay is being added to stalls throughout the stable area. With each passing week, the grounds are taking shape.

Horsemen should mark several important dates on their calendars as the season approaches. Stall applications are due Sept. 25, the stable area and Racing Group Sales open Oct. 15, and horses will be allowed on the grounds beginning Oct. 16. Training begins Oct. 21, with timed workouts and starting-gate activities beginning Oct. 27. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to Oaklawn and getting another great season underway.
HORSEMEN INFORMATION

Horsemen Necessities:

Stall Apps Due – Sept. 25
Stable Area Opens – Oct. 15
Racing Group Sales Opens – Oct. 15
Horses Allowed – Oct. 16
Training Begins – Oct. 21
Timed Workouts and Starting Gate – Oct. 27
Racing Office Staff Report – Nov 5

Racing Office Hours:

Monday through Friday – 9am – 3pm

Horsemen’s Bookkeeper Hours:

Monday through Friday – 9am – 3pm

Horsemen Directory:

Racing Office: 501-363-4302
Horsemen Bookkeeper Office: 501-363-4380 | Online: Click Here
Licensing, Arkansas Racing Commission: 501-363-4580
State Veterinarian, Dr. Joe Lokanc: 630-632-1601
Horsemen Services, Heath Shaffett: 225-287-0451
H.B.P.A.: 501-623-7641
Arkansas Breeders’ Office / Terri Hoffrogge: 501-624-6328

OAKLAWN RUNNERS CARRY WINNING FROM ACROSS THE SUMMER RACING STAGE

Hot Springs and Saratoga Springs share storied histories as spa destinations—and this summer, their racing connection has been equally strong. Over the past month, horses who made their mark at Oaklawn have carried that form to some of the nation’s biggest summer racing stages, collecting major graded stakes victories and several noteworthy placings.

Arkansas Derby winner Renegade started the impressive run with a powerful late rally in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga. One week later, Oaklawn Handicap runner-up Sovereignty returned to top form with a commanding victory in the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes. Bayakoa Stakes winner and Apple Blossom Handicap runner-up Nitrogen delivered an outstanding performance of her own, taking on the boys and finishing second behind Sovereignty.

Honeybee Stakes winner Explora also earned her first Grade 1 victory with a decisive five-length score in the Test Stakes. The success continued on the Saratoga turf when Oaklawn allowance winner and Bachelor Stakes runner-up Stradale captured the Grade 3 Mahony Stakes for his first graded stakes victory. Ozark Stakes winner Oscar’s Hope finished second to complete an Oaklawn-connected exacta.

The momentum carried into the final weekend of August, when Willy D’s captured the Grade 2 $1 million Charles Town Classic. Second in the race a year ago, Willy D’s went straight to the front under Ricardo Santana Jr. and turned back defending champion Banishing to score by 1 3/4 lengths. The victory added another graded stakes title to the résumé of the Lake Ouachita Stakes winner.

The weekend continued with another major Oaklawn-connected victory at Saratoga, where Hymn, trained by Ron Moquett, delivered the biggest performance of his career in the Grade 1 $500,000 Forego Stakes. The Oaklawn allowance winner pressed the early pace before taking command in the stretch and digging in to prevail by three-quarters of a length. The victory was Hymn’s first Grade 1 score and earned him an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland.

From Hot Springs to Saratoga Springs—and beyond—horses who competed and succeeded at Oaklawn continue to make their presence felt on racing’s biggest stages.