This morning, Oaklawn Park will have the Arkansas Derby post position draw.
In the interested crowd will be some who are dreaming of training the next American Pharoah, who broke the Triple Crown drought by winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes last year.
He prepared for that grueling challenge at Oaklawn Park, winning the Rebel Stakes and the Arkansas Derby.
American Pharoah was trained by Bob Baffert, who is hoping his charge, Cupid, will build upon his Rebel Stakes victory and give him another Derby hopeful.
Mostly, the crowd will be realists.
Trainers don't have crystal balls, and they don't want any.
They are concerned about the next few weeks, where their horses will fit, and do they have a chance for a paycheck before the end of the meet Saturday night.
There was a time a few years ago that by now, with four glorious days left, some of the trainers already would have left the grounds and vanned their horses to Churchill or some other track.
That's not the case so much these days because it seems like there is no ceiling for raising the purses for all the races at Oaklawn, not just the graded stakes.
Eric Jackson's brainstorm of Instant Racing was supposed to save Oaklawn during a difficult time when an economic downturn was adversely affecting thoroughbred racing.
Instant Racing became games of skill, and the popularity of the gaming room has led to numerous purse increases.
Oaklawn has had full fields for the majority of its races this season. Santa Anita is lucky to get six or seven horses in a claiming race.
While the feature races, starting with Thursday's Carousel and ending with the Arkansas Derby on Saturday, are what the Racing Festival is about, Oaklawn has become a festival of racing its entire meet.
While horses like American Pharoah, Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, Curlin and Concern have given Oaklawn Park national attention and a thumbs up in the world of horse racing, the daily races are what bring in the owners and trainers who attract the jockeys.
So the vast majority of the trainers at Oaklawn will not be at the Arkansas Derby draw this morning. They will be tending to their horses, whether an allowance or a claiming race, and Oaklawn has become a mecca for claims.
A few will be thinking about Friday's Bachelor and Apple Blossom stakes, and more about Saturday's card that -- in addition to the Arkansas Derby -- has the Northern Spur, Instant Racing and Oaklawn Handicap, all part of the Racing Festival of the South.
Late Saturday, most will have an interest in the Arkansas Derby -- what's good for Oaklawn is good for them.
So the crowd will gather today near the paddock to see who was lucky and who was not as they draw the posts for what should be a full field of 12 horses, perhaps even a slight overflow to 13.
Cupid will be the favorite. If some of the locally owned, talented horses are going to have a shot, someone is going to need to run with him on the lead, otherwise he'll be on cruise control until the stretch.
Whitmore, co-owned by Harry Rosenblum and trained by Ron Moquett, comes from off the pace and finished second to Cupid in the Rebel.
Suddenbreakingnews won the Southwest but finished fifth in the Rebel after having trouble during the racing.
Dazzling Gem, third in the Louisiana Derby and owned by Steve Landers, is expected to get in the mix Saturday.
For some, the Derby draw is highly important; for most it is entertaining; but for everyone, it is a full field.
Sports on 04/13/2016