Oaklawn Daycare

[hogbud]

First time here in many years
Never seen so many strollers, screaming kids, bottle feedings, etc.
Guess it's hard to find sitters these days.

[jdelo77]

You think it's bad right now go opening weekend with 50 cent corn beefs and 10 cent soft drinks ! That's one of the reasons I stay away opening weekend ...

[oldman1015]

First time here in many years
Never seen so many strollers, screaming kids, bottle feedings, etc.
Guess it's hard to find sitters these days.

You should make a point and go next Thursday.

[HawgFan70]

Last Saturday, Rebel Day was a damn joke at Oaklawn. we always hang out in front of the Derby Bar beside the Michelob  Ultra cart. Some we stand by one of the big post where we can see the Huge TV's with Gulfstream. Some random lady brought 2 little girls ages probably 7 to 10 and sit them at the pole with 2 bags of popcorn they were throwing popcorn everywhere. The language there is definitely not for little girls. I tried to go bet once I walked by I bet 15 strollers on the way. I wish they would enforce the 16 and over rule that was in place years ago. I know they want to be family friendly but you don't want your kids around when I get head bobbed out of a pick 4 I promise ya lol

[holeinthewall]

Last Saturday, Rebel Day was a damn joke at Oaklawn. we always hang out in front of the Derby Bar beside the Michelob  Ultra cart. Some we stand by one of the big post where we can see the Huge TV's with Gulfstream. Some random lady brought 2 little girls ages probably 7 to 10 and sit them at the pole with 2 bags of popcorn they were throwing popcorn everywhere. The language there is definitely not for little girls. I tried to go bet once I walked by I bet 15 strollers on the way. I wish they would enforce the 16 and over rule that was in place years ago. I know they want to be family friendly but you don't want your kids around when I get head bobbed out of a pick 4 I promise ya lol

It was like that Thursday, Friday and Saturday this last weekend.  I won't be there on Derby day. Not dealing with it.  Drunk women in dresses = fun  Kids still crapping their shorts is not.

[HawgWild]

Times have changed for sure. I don't recall ever having to deal with babies and strollers back in the day.

[kingoftherapids]

It was like that Thursday, Friday and Saturday this last weekend.  I won't be there on Derby day. Not dealing with it.  Drunk women in dresses = fun  Kids still crapping their shorts is not.

lol man you fellas need to lighten up! i wouldn't give a flying F about horse racing if i wasn't introuduced to Cigar at the age of 7. Have y'all ever wondered why oaklawn is different? why there are 40k  at oaklawn on a non derby day whereas some breeders cups saturdays have the same attendance... you don't go in other tracks around the country and see kids being introduced to racing this early. yet oaklawn always has the best attendance and one of the best atmospheres in racing. 1000 kids on the weekend doesn't bother me at all. it is growing the sport and i am all for that...

i rather get rid of the ten cent super players that don't even have their money ready when they walk up to the machines. then they ho hum over their program for 3 minutes while standing in front of the screen. Kids don't take up betting lines. they don't clog up the alcohol lines. y'all need to relax. let oaklawn stay oaklawn. it was spring break... i don't blame the parents for wanting to come to the track and i like that they are introducing the future of the sport.

[cbhawg03]

We took our baby.  Didn't bring stroller or anything though.  We sit in box though but she might throw fit here and there or want to walk around, and yea she crapped her diaper.  But the child would also pull herself up on the entertainment center at home or sit in chair with me and watch races while saying go baby go.  I teach them young.  March 1st marked a year since she went to a better place though. 

So put me down as to understand what you mean but kind of disagree.  Sometimes life short, 20 months short, so glad took her and she got to experience it and see horses even though she didn't understand. 

Not to turn thread all dark

[holeinthewall]

We took our baby.  Didn't bring stroller or anything though.  We sit in box though but she might throw fit here and there or want to walk around, and yea she crapped her diaper.  But the child would also pull herself up on the entertainment center at home or sit in chair with me and watch races while saying go baby go.  I teach them young.  March 1st marked a year since she went to a better place though. 

So put me down as to understand what you mean but kind of disagree.  Sometimes life short, 20 months short, so glad took her and she got to experience it and see horses even though she didn't understand. 

Not to turn thread all dark

Comments are more geared towards the ones that don't know where they are going or what they are doing once they get in there.  They stand in the middle of a walk area.  They get to the concession stand and when asked what they want they haven't even looked to decide yet.  So 4 ice cream sundaes. 3 popcorns and 6 cokes later I finally get my beer. aFter they take 20 minutes to order.

[Russ22]

lol man you fellas need to lighten up! i wouldn't give a flying F about horse racing if i wasn't introuduced to Cigar at the age of 7. Have y'all ever wondered why oaklawn is different? why there are 40k  at oaklawn on a non derby day whereas some breeders cups saturdays have the same attendance... you don't go in other tracks around the country and see kids being introduced to racing this early. yet oaklawn always has the best attendance and one of the best atmospheres in racing. 1000 kids on the weekend doesn't bother me at all. it is growing the sport and i am all for that...

i rather get rid of the ten cent super players that don't even have their money ready when they walk up to the machines. then they ho hum over their program for 3 minutes while standing in front of the screen. Kids don't take up betting lines. they don't clog up the alcohol lines. y'all need to relax. let oaklawn stay oaklawn. it was spring break... i don't blame the parents for wanting to come to the track and i like that they are introducing the future of the sport.

Well said.

[OaklawnCapper]

lol man you fellas need to lighten up! i wouldn't give a flying F about horse racing if i wasn't introuduced to Cigar at the age of 7. Have y'all ever wondered why oaklawn is different? why there are 40k  at oaklawn on a non derby day whereas some breeders cups saturdays have the same attendance... you don't go in other tracks around the country and see kids being introduced to racing this early. yet oaklawn always has the best attendance and one of the best atmospheres in racing. 1000 kids on the weekend doesn't bother me at all. it is growing the sport and i am all for that...

i rather get rid of the ten cent super players that don't even have their money ready when they walk up to the machines. then they ho hum over their program for 3 minutes while standing in front of the screen. Kids don't take up betting lines. they don't clog up the alcohol lines. y'all need to relax. let oaklawn stay oaklawn. it was spring break... i don't blame the parents for wanting to come to the track and i like that they are introducing the future of the sport.

I always seem to get behind the moron who is betting the entire program and usually decides to handicap at the window.  I was also introduced to the sport at the age of 7.  My grandparents took me to the 1997 Arkansas Derby where Crypto Star and Pat Day got up late to win.  I will never forget that day and still have the program.  I have been hooked on the sport ever since.

[oldman1015]

lol man you fellas need to lighten up! i wouldn't give a flying F about horse racing if i wasn't introuduced to Cigar at the age of 7. Have y'all ever wondered why oaklawn is different? why there are 40k  at oaklawn on a non derby day whereas some breeders cups saturdays have the same attendance... you don't go in other tracks around the country and see kids being introduced to racing this early. yet oaklawn always has the best attendance and one of the best atmospheres in racing. 1000 kids on the weekend doesn't bother me at all. it is growing the sport and i am all for that...

i rather get rid of the ten cent super players that don't even have their money ready when they walk up to the machines. then they ho hum over their program for 3 minutes while standing in front of the screen. Kids don't take up betting lines. they don't clog up the alcohol lines. y'all need to relax. let oaklawn stay oaklawn. it was spring break... i don't blame the parents for wanting to come to the track and i like that they are introducing the future of the sport.

AMEN

[userpick]

Oaklawn has much bigger issues than keeping children away from the game.

[showhimthewhip]

I'll continue to take my children and let them get in your way.  I would rather them be at the track than a lot of other places in this world.

[jdelo77]

Other than opening weekend the kids don't bother me , I agree get them interested when they are younger ! One of the best times I've had is with my nephew about 5 years ago on Rebel day , he was only 3 and we bet almost all day , he started out with  five dollar bill and turned it into 100 , I sent it home with him and got a call from my brother that night and he wasn't to happy ..

[oldman1015]

Oaklawn has much bigger issues than keeping children away from the game.

Like what?

[userpick]

Like what?

Outdated facilities for starters. The paddock is the worst one in all of racing. I'm not sure what the solution is, but what they have is an embarrassment. Outdated betting menu. Oaklawn is the last to do everything. Terrible customer service. A friend of mine bets $300,000 a meet there. By far their largest on track handle customer. They should be on their knees every night in front of him. Instead they don't even acknowledge him. The on track tax issue is a joke. Again, the last in the country to end taxes on "signers". I know a guy who hit a big pick 4 a few weeks ago. He bet it at the windows so he was taxed. It was his fault for betting it there, but they lost a customer for life because he's completely an online guy now. Tampa Bay Downs has 1/3 the purses we have and 50% higher handle. That's a disgrace. Now that Old Man Cella has passed they are making progress, but it's a long ways from being where it needs to be.


Oh, and the track announcer is as bad as it gets.

[kingoftherapids]

Outdated facilities for starters. The paddock is the worst one in all of racing. I'm not sure what the solution is, but what they have is an embarrassment. Outdated betting menu. Oaklawn is the last to do everything. Terrible customer service. A friend of mine bets $300,000 a meet there. By far their largest on track handle customer. They should be on their knees every night in front of him. Instead they don't even acknowledge him. The on track tax issue is a joke. Again, the last in the country to end taxes on "signers". I know a guy who hit a big pick 4 a few weeks ago. He bet it at the windows so he was taxed. It was his fault for betting it there, but they lost a customer for life because he's completely an online guy now. Tampa Bay Downs has 1/3 the purses we have and 50% higher handle. That's a disgrace. Now that Old Man Cella has passed they are making progress, but it's a long ways from being where it needs to be.


Oh, and the track announcer is as bad as it gets.

talking with loginotti and wayne smith tomorrow and i have questions addressing paddock, turf course, hotel, p5 carryover, rolling doubles.  depending on how the convo is going i'll address how good the announcer was a few weeks ago compared to vic.

[userpick]

talking with loginotti and wayne smith tomorrow and i have questions addressing paddock, turf course, hotel, p5 carryover, rolling doubles.  depending on how the convo is going i'll address how good the announcer was a few weeks ago compared to vic.

Well our mutual friend has had long conversations with them about the betting menu and seems like they're making progress for the future. Can't give away much but sounds like next year there will be a very popular wager on the menu, and not rolling doubles either.

Regarding Vic, I'm hearing more and more that he may only have a couple more weeks left as our announcer. Fingers crossed!!!

[OaklawnCapper]

The turf course and the paddock are big ones for sure.  I have talked with a couple of trainers who winter their barns at the Fair Grounds instead of Oaklawn because FG has a turf course and they don't want to split time between Hot Springs and New Orleans.  I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that Vic is gone after this year.

[userpick]

The turf course and the paddock are big ones for sure.  I have talked with a couple of trainers who winter their barns at the Fair Grounds instead of Oaklawn because FG has a turf course and they don't want to split time between Hot Springs and New Orleans.  I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that Vic is gone after this year.

Trainers love FG because the track is 1000X better for horses than Oaklawn. Not much we can do about that though with the weather. There's a reason the top trainers best horses are stabled at Evangeline Training Center and other tracks. Not at Oaklawn.

[kingoftherapids]

a little from today: a night racing card doesn't sound like it is remotely on the table. when asked about the turf course wayne smith acted like it was a loaded question that seemed to be a hot topic... turf course is "not in the short term plan of 3-5 years. never say never"

i got the vibe that it is being heavily thrown around... 

as soon as the horses move out they are going to start adding more barns. they are also going to revamp the barn area pretty heavily... says we want the front (american pharoah park update) to match the backside. not really sure what all that entails.

[userpick]

Not that its a huge deal, but the AP statue out front annoys me. There are many owners in Arkansas that would probably just as much win the Arkansas Derby as any other race in the world. Part of winning it is seeing your silks out front when you walk in. I wasn't a fan of taking that down for a horse whose owner owes the entire world money.

[kingoftherapids]

Not that its a huge deal, but the AP statue out front annoys me. There are many owners in Arkansas that would probably just as much win the Arkansas Derby as any other race in the world. Part of winning it is seeing your silks out front when you walk in. I wasn't a fan of taking that down for a horse whose owner owes the entire world money.

i wasn't either. i think its okay if you want a statue in the infield somewhere but i thought the painting of the statue was cool. besides the changing of the name on that downstairs bar it paid homage to the derby winner. and i liked that it happened as everyone was leaving the track after the derby. it was a cool tradition. they said that statue was in terrible shape but i think they should have just redone it. they say now that thing is sitting in storage. i'd love to own it.

[OaklawnCapper]

Not that its a huge deal, but the AP statue out front annoys me. There are many owners in Arkansas that would probably just as much win the Arkansas Derby as any other race in the world. Part of winning it is seeing your silks out front when you walk in. I wasn't a fan of taking that down for a horse whose owner owes the entire world money.

The first time I took my wife to the track she asked about the statue so I explained to her.  Then told her one day my silks were going to be on that statue.  It was a long shot when I said it but now it's a no go lol.  One of the goofy things at Oaklawn I'd like to have is one of the signs with the blue oval with the jockey and horse logo above the betting windows right in front of the Derby Bar.  That is the logo I remember from when I was a kid and I think I'd be cool to hang one above my bar.

[kingoftherapids]

Oaklawn doesn't honor the Arkansas Derby winner near as much as they should i don't think. I believe their name is etched in the stone of the infield statue deal and the derby bar being named after the horse is about it now.

I like what LAD does. they have a wall with minature silks of ever super derby winner. they also have their names in the paddock.

[OaklawnCapper]

Oaklawn doesn't honor the Arkansas Derby winner near as much as they should i don't think. I believe their name is etched in the stone of the infield statue deal and the derby bar being named after the horse is about it now.

I like what LAD does. they have a wall with minature silks of ever super derby winner. they also have their names in the paddock.

They should do something on the big wall on the south side of the paddock.

[showhimthewhip]

My thoughts on the AP statue,

The horse, like it or not, was a west coast horse.  Definitely not an Arkansas horse. 
I hear people in Arkansas and at Oaklawn claim he was an Oaklawn horse simply because he won the preps.  He wasn't stabled here.  He flew in, took our local money and flew back out.  Saying he has Arkansas connections is like saying Pearl Jam has Arkansas connections because they played at Barton one time.

Yet Oaklawn wants to ride his coat tails instead of continue a cool tradition of painting the statue every year.  Like someone above alluded to, its awesome to be walking out on Derby Day and see them already painting the colors over the statue.

I don't gripe about Oaklawn much at all because I know we are very lucky to have such an awesome and historic place to enjoy.  I love it more than any track I've been to.  but this little detail annoys me.

[OaklawnCapper]

One of the other things I miss is the big mural that was on the building above the entrance.

[userpick]

My thoughts on the AP statue,

The horse, like it or not, was a west coast horse.  Definitely not an Arkansas horse. 
I hear people in Arkansas and at Oaklawn claim he was an Oaklawn horse simply because he won the preps.  He wasn't stabled here.  He flew in, took our local money and flew back out.  Saying he has Arkansas connections is like saying Pearl Jam has Arkansas connections because they played at Barton one time.

Yet Oaklawn wants to ride his coat tails instead of continue a cool tradition of painting the statue every year.  Like someone above alluded to, its awesome to be walking out on Derby Day and see them already painting the colors over the statue.

I don't gripe about Oaklawn much at all because I know we are very lucky to have such an awesome and historic place to enjoy.  I love it more than any track I've been to.  but this little detail annoys me.

"Our very own" Gun Runner bugs the hell out of me. Vic says that once a week.

[kingoftherapids]

One of the other things I miss is the big mural that was on the building above the entrance.

That was solely an old man cella decision to take that out. my dad provided some of the paint for that 20 years ago when they redid it. i can't stand the new look.

[kingoftherapids]

"Our very own" Gun Runner bugs the hell out of me. Vic says that once a week.

AAAAAND. he says AAAAANNnd at least 10 times a race.

[OaklawnCapper]

That was solely an old man cella decision to take that out. my dad provided some of the paint for that 20 years ago when they redid it. i can't stand the new look.

Very cool was your dad's business in Hot Springs?

[kingoftherapids]

Very cool was your dad's business in Hot Springs?

yep still is. Peter's Flooring and Paint over there on Malvern avenue. the one with the entrance that is a giant paint can. lol

[userpick]

AAAAAND. he says AAAAANNnd at least 10 times a race.

"To the outside..AND..."

[showhimthewhip]

AAAAAND. he says AAAAANNnd at least 10 times a race.

I haven't noticed but I'm sure I will now.

[HawgWild]

My thoughts on the AP statue,

The horse, like it or not, was a west coast horse.  Definitely not an Arkansas horse. 
I hear people in Arkansas and at Oaklawn claim he was an Oaklawn horse simply because he won the preps.  He wasn't stabled here.  He flew in, took our local money and flew back out.  Saying he has Arkansas connections is like saying Pearl Jam has Arkansas connections because they played at Barton one time.

Not the best analogy IMO. Horses of this caliber usually run once a month or less. For AP to run in the Rebel and Arkansas Derby, he had to pass on the Wood, Florida Derby, Louisiana Derby, Santa Anita Derby, Blue Grass, etc. Baffert chose none of them. We should lay claim to him just like Sunny's Halo & Smarty Jones.

FWIW, AP only raced in California 3 times, all as a 2 yo.

[userpick]

Not the best analogy IMO. Horses of this caliber usually run once a month or less. For AP to run in the Rebel and Arkansas Derby, he had to pass on the Wood, Florida Derby, Louisiana Derby, Santa Anita Derby, Blue Grass, etc. Baffert chose none of them. We should lay claim to him just like Sunny's Halo & Smarty Jones.

FWIW, AP only raced in California 3 times, all as a 2 yo.

Should we claim Bob Baffert as an Oaklawn trainer?

[HawgWild]

Should we claim Bob Baffert as an Oaklawn trainer?

Not sure there's any marketing value in that but if his stable ran the majority of their races here, then yes.

[kingoftherapids]

yes AP ran more races here than any other track in his entire career but Smarty jones was stabled here. he never left during the meet. came in late december and left after the derby. big difference in that and shipping in and winning then leaving.

[Torqued pork]

Fossils like myself can remember Elocutionist being the first Arkansas Derby winner to win a Triple Crown race (1976) Preakness. It wasn't until 1983 that an Arkansas Derby champ won the Kentucky Derby.

If someone would've told me 30 years ago the Arkansas Derby would ever be a higher graded race than the Blue Grass Stakes and Wood Memorial I would've laughed at them. If the track wants to advertise the first TC winner since Affirmed made a hoofprint there it's understandable.  It's  called promoting your business.