A few of the greatest dust racing of the winter season is coming to the Midwest this yr. oaklawn parkThe 2025-26 competitors can be held on Friday, December twelfth. Oaklawn Racetrack in Scorching Springs, Arkansas boasts expansive tracks, glorious stakes racing for handicappers, a superb stakes program, and really robust funding via a 64-raceday season that runs via Could 2nd.
The massive distinction between this yr’s Oak Garden season and final yr is that the race schedule can be 4 days every week throughout the February to April portion of the occasion, often called the Traditional. The primary 4 weeks of actions will start from December twelfth till January. 4 known as the Vacation Assembly. The observe calendar could have a brand new three-week break between the 2 occasions, which is able to cowl most of January earlier than the season resumes on January thirtieth.
The schedule for the Oaklawn Park Stakes is basically unchanged from final yr, regardless of the dearth of racing via a lot of January. The spotlight occasion of the season is the $1.5 million Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on March twenty eighth. Different stakes races for Kentucky Derby hopefuls may even characteristic seven-figure prize cash, together with the Grade 3, $1 million Southwest Stakes on Jan. 31 and the Grade 2, $1 million Insurgent Stakes on March 1.
Study Oaklawn Park
For jockeys, the Oaklawn Park meet is greater than only a stakes race, due to the good racing and betting every day. The dust races contested all through the season at Oaklawn are on par with the most effective dust races held this time of yr. Oak Garden will subsequently be a sizzling spot for a lot of handicappers and bettors heading into the winter horse racing season, which runs into early spring.
Oak Garden is a mud race solely occasion with no grass course. Oaklawn’s dust observe is a one-mile oval, and the vast majority of races are run over three distances: 6 furlongs, 1 mile, and 1 1/16 miles. Pole 16 has an alternate end line for a one-mile race with a very good run-up to the primary flip.
Oaklawn’s prime jockey
Oaklawn Park could have a brand new look Jock Room for the 2025-26 season that can characteristic each amenities. Luis Saez and Joel Rosario I’ve determined to take part on this yr’s event. Saez is the fourth-highest jockey within the nation in 2025 cash earned, whereas Rosario, a Corridor of Famer and former Eclipse Award winner, ranks tenth on the 2025 jockey cash record. Each jockeys will inevitably have an effect at or close to the highest of the Oaklawn Park leaderboard this season.
There are additionally a variety of acquainted faces within the Oak Garden jock room this season. Ricardo Santana Jr.The jockey, who was an eight-time main rider and event title winner at Oak Garden from 2013-2018 and 2020-2021, will return to Scorching Springs within the winter after having fun with some superb racing in late 2025 at Saratoga Race Course and Aqueduct. Santana received 36 of 291 mounts at Oaklawn final yr, a 12% fee, rating him seventh among the many prime riders. He has lengthy been a robust jockey/coach duo with Steve Asmussen at Oak Garden, however the two have had fewer winners at Oak Garden of late. Keith Asmussen Now I am taking a variety of the mounts I used to go to Santana. Keith Asmussen was sidelined with a fractured pelvis in a spill at Churchill Downs on November eighth. Asmussen completed final yr’s Oak Garden event with 31 wins (11%), good for eighth place within the standings. Eric Asmussenreceived 10% of 27 races final yr.
There was a change on the prime of the Oak Garden jockey rankings in recent times, and Santana is not on the prime. The highest protection riders to be held at Oak Garden from 2024 to 2025 are: Francisco Arrieta He received final yr’s driving title by a slender margin of 18% with 65 wins from 367 rides. Christian Torres (62 wins, 15%) took the highest spot. Torres was twice the main rider at Oak Garden a number of seasons in the past, posting 82 wins (18%) in 2023-24 and 100 wins (21%) in 2022-23.
Along with Saez, Rosario, Torres, Arrieta, Santana and Asmussen, different jockeys who may compete for a top-10 end within the rankings embrace longtime Oak Garden jockeys. Ramon Vasquez Two years in the past, they completed seventh with 39 wins (12%), and final yr they completed fifth with 40 wins (11%). Rafael Bejarano Final yr they had been third with 54 wins (19%). tyler bacon Final yr, 49 winners ranked 4th with 13%. Manny Esquivel Final yr, he received 37 races (12%) and completed sixth within the rankings.
The established Oak Garden jockey will face extra competitors from different seasoned jockeys planning to maneuver to Oak Garden this season. Jaime Torres, Rail Gutierrez, evin noveland Asael Espinoza To call a number of examples.
Oaklawn Park’s Prime Trainers
Steve Asmussen He received 46 races from 2024 to 2025 and is now the highest coach at Oaklawn Park 14 instances. He begins the event with 993 profession wins at Oak Garden and will surpass the 1,000-win milestone throughout the “Vacation” portion of the event.
Asmussen is the favourite to win the title at Oaklawn once more this yr, but it surely’s value noting for handicappers that Asmussen price bettors some huge cash in final yr’s event. Final season he raced precisely 500 horses. In different phrases, regardless that numerous favorites had been despatched out, the profitable share of the 46 profitable horses was solely 9%. Two years in the past, Asmussen received 71 video games at a fee of 15 p.c from 461 starters and set Oaklawn Park’s single-season earnings file with $6.68 million. Which model of the Asmussen Barn will we see at Oaklawn Park this season?
coach Ron Moquette Final yr, he had maybe the most effective Oaklawn season in historical past, ending second within the coach’s rankings with a profitable share of 16% on 37 horses out of 237 runners. This can be a important enchancment for the Moquette secure since two years in the past, after they completed sixth within the single-win standings with 22 wins, and three years in the past, after they completed fifth with 19 wins. Ken McPeek After ending because the No. 2 coach with 30 wins (19%) two years in the past, he had one other huge season at Oak Garden final yr because the No. 3 coach with 28 wins (18%).
brad cox He has been a key aspect at Oaklawn Park, as he has been in most main matches all year long. Though he hasn’t raced sufficient horses at Oaklawn to compete for the racing title, he usually leads the profitable margin amongst prime trainers. Final yr, Cox received 21% of his races in 19 races out of 92 starters. He posted a 102-26-25 share two years in the past, and had equally excessive profitable percentages in earlier seasons relationship again to the 2021 event. Cox is nice at getting off to a quick begin within the early levels of the Oaklawn meet every year and must be very harmful, particularly while you see his horses within the Dec. 12-January race. 4.
coach mark cass Anticipate to see an elevated presence at Oak Garden this yr, particularly within the “Traditional” competitors. Kass has 25 stallions assigned to him, and he plans to reap the benefits of Oaklawn’s favorable stakes schedule with a number of the “huge names” from the dust secure, together with Sandman, Nitrogen, La Cala, and soon-to-be 3-year-old prospect Ewing. You additionally must always monitor Norm Casse On the Oak Garden Event. Final yr, beginning pitchers received 10 of 55 video games (18%), in comparison with 11 of 52 (21%) two years in the past and 13 of 38 (34%) three years in the past.
Among the many many extra trainers who completed sensational at Oaklawn Park final season, listed here are the trainers bettors could wish to regulate this yr. chris hartmanwas fourth with 26 wins (18%) final yr after rating third with 28 wins (19%) in 2023-2024. coach Greg Compton Final yr noticed a giant leap within the standings, with 21 wins and 19%. Cipriano Contreras After posting a robust efficiency in 2023-2024 with 22 out of 84 video games, he recorded 19 wins from 101 beginning pitchers final yr. One other notable inventory final yr was Abel Ramirez Rodriguez He attracted consideration with 19 wins out of 82 starters and a fee of 23%.
In the meantime, the next trainers want to enhance on final yr’s disappointing efficiency at Oaklawn: robert klein (Two years in the past, 2 out of 89 folks (2%), 4 out of 120 folks (3%)), Scott Becker (2 out of 40 folks, 5%); aaron shorter (2 out of 47, 4%); Dannel Durham (1 of 35, 3%), and michael loon (1 of 43, 2%).
Handicap at Oaklawn Park
To get your handicapping legs up in competitors, begin by testing your submit place and working fashion preferences at varied key distances at Oaklawn’s observe structure: 6 furlongs, 1 mile, and 1 1/16 miles.
Oaklawn handicappers could have discovered over the previous few years that exterior tracks are efficient whatever the horse’s submit place. To the bare eye, the surface movement has been seen at instances in lots of the Oaklawn races over the previous 5 years or so, and there have been many days when the surface path has appeared to be favored. It is not unusual to get actual outcomes like 11-12 or 8-9. So watch out and determine if the course favors the surface course.
Oaklawn Dash Winner Profile
From a statistical perspective, Oak Garden’s exterior movement is mirrored within the numbers. The within submit was as soon as a cornerstone of the Oaklawn handicap, however it’s not a bonus, particularly in sprints.
Final yr’s 2024-2025 Oaklawn meet noticed a complete of 364 dash races, largely six furlongs, and the common area measurement for these races was a very good 9.54 horses per race. The statistically greatest submit positions in these races had been really exterior submit quantity 7 and past. Horses on the surface submit received 40% of the sprints (146 wins out of 364 races). In the meantime, horses in inside posts 1-3 received 30% of the sprints and horses in center posts 4-6 received 30%.
Relating to the working fashion most popular in sprints, quick velocity is a bonus. Speedsters at or close to the entrance received 40% of sprints, about the identical win fee as stalkers who received 38% of sprints. The one drawback is in opposition to Nearer, who’s greater than 4 lengths off the tempo, and Nearer received solely 22% of his sprints final yr.
Advisable route submit and working fashion
The Oaklawn route focuses on frequent distances of 1 mile and 1 1/16 miles. Over the 1 1/16-mile distance in a pattern of 153 races held on the 2024-2025 occasion, submit place and working fashion had been primarily inside, center, and outdoors posts, with horses having a wide range of working types. Handicappers are sometimes too fast to low cost Oaklawn route’s off-post alternatives, and whereas the general profitable share over the previous six years has declined the additional out of the beginning gate you go, final yr’s post-position stats weren’t as dramatic. In 1 1/16 mile races, horses in posts 1-3 received 60, horses in intermediate posts 4-6 received 51, and horses in posts 7 and past received 42.
Final season, the mile-long exterior submit place was a bit extra of a drawback. From a pattern of 86 one-mile races run eventually yr’s occasion, horses in posts 1-3 received 40% of races, horses in intermediate posts 4-6 received 36% of races, and horses exterior submit 7 received 24% of races. The one-mile race at Oaklawn makes use of an alternate end line that creates a brief stretch run to the end. This offers higher outcomes for speedsters than for closers. Horses that raced at or close to the lead within the mile received 36 of the 86 races (42%). Stalker received 32 of 86 races (37%) and Nearer received 18 of 86 races (21%), which means that Nearer received solely half of the main horses in mile races.
There are months of nice racing forward at Oaklawn Park. Incorporating Oaklawn’s normal bias and prime connections into your handicap may give you an enormous benefit over different jockeys all through the season. Good luck and revel in racing at Oaklawn Park.
