HOT SPRINGS -- Every window is cleaned, you could eat off the floor, but with corned beef sandwiches going for 50 cents why would you?
Everyone is ready for what will be anything but a soft opening for Oaklawn Park today.
In the past few days owners such as Rob Jolly, Frank Fletcher and Fletcher Clement have asked if yours truly is going to Oaklawn this week, and with a five-day opening weekend after last weekend's planned opening was frozen out, the answer is most likely.
Purses are on the rise thanks to skill-based electronic games, which to be honest have made the state's thoroughbred track one of the most financially sound in the country.
Better purses have led to better racing, and this season will be no different. Claiming a horse at Oaklawn has become a huge challenge for owners and trainers. There were times last season when it was not unusual to have as many as six or seven claim slips dropped into the box -- for the same horse -- before certain races.
And it is no surprise to see Ride On Curlin, the second-place finisher in the $1 million Arkansas Derby who finished second to California Chrome in the Preakness, on the grounds looking like the horse to beat in all the big races for 4-year-olds and up. But he'll have some strong competition from the likes of Fletcher's Rocket Time, The Big Beast and others.
In fact, Ride On Curlin is getting a tuneup this afternoon in the ninth race, an allowance sprint with a $61,000 purse.
The presence of great horses generally means great trainers, too. Steve Asmussen, who is shooting for his fourth consecutive trainer's title, is back. He will be challenged by a strong lineup of returning trainers -- nine of the track's top-10 training winners are back -- and several newcomers who will be wintering at Oaklawn for the first time.
And admission to the track is free this season.
One difference Arkansas Democrat-Gazette readers will notice is that handicapper Rick Lee has tweaked his selections this season. Now his entries will include each horse's trainer, Lee's Lock (his most likely winner on the card), Rick's Ratings (a confidence index for his top selections) and exotic wager possibilities.
Gates open at 11 a.m., and the first post is 1 p.m.
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The Arkansas Razorbacks' loss to Tennessee was disappointing, but it certainly doesn't mean the curse of being unable to win on the road is back.
The Hogs have won two road games. They won at SMU (12-4) and Georgia (9-5).
The Razorbacks started slow, and that's something they can't afford to do on the road.
Plus, they had 18 turnovers, which is out of character for them, and there were too many times that Bobby Portis didn't touch the ball, especially during a seven-minute drought in the second half.
Portis should touch the ball on almost every possession because he is a great passer and looks for the guy with a higher-percentage shot.
The Hogs made one of their patented runs after trailing 54-38 with 9:32 to play and cut it to 70-69 with :08 to play, and they were behind 72-69 with five seconds left when freshman point guard Anton Beard was fouled on a three-point attempt.
It was a heady play for a freshman on the road in the SEC to draw the foul, but he missed the free throws and Tennessee added two more to set the final score, 74-69.
The Hogs trailed for more than 38 minutes, and when they put the pedal to the metal and almost ran the Vols out of gas, the Razorbacks hit a wall too.
Portis was the only starter who shot better than 50 percent from the floor. Beard and Alandise Harris, who came off the bench, joined him in that company.
One of the reasons the Razorbacks started slow was because of some forced shots.
This is a decent-shooting team that struggled against Tennessee's zone, something they can expect to see again even from coaches who usually run man-to-man defense.
Sports on 01/15/2015