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WALLY HALL: Oaklawn thrives years after dour outlook

It is hard to believe just 25 years ago people were predicting that thoroughbred racing was going to be limited to five tracks around the country.

None of those tracks were Oaklawn Park.

A quarter of a century later racing continues, and while some tracks have been leveled to make way for malls, Spa City's racing oval has become one of the major players in the industry.

This week, Oaklawn put out a news release announcing yet another purse increase for the 2017 meet.

Since 2011, overall purses have increased more than 50 percent. Back in the day, Oaklawn had its share of hard-charging $5,000 claimers, but there is no such thing now as the lowest claiming purse is $25,000. The Arkansas Derby has become known as a launching pad for Triple Crown success.

At the first signs of decline, Charles Cella -- the owner and CEO of Oaklawn -- created the Racing Festival of the South, a series of stakes races run during the final week.

He pumped up purses, which helped, but it wasn't until General Manager Eric Jackson thought of Instant Racing, which adds a significant amount of income to purses, that Oaklawn became a major factor in the sport.

The home run hitters of the sport, the 3-year-olds, are too numerous to name, but American Pharoah prepped for the Triple Crown at Oaklawn. He ended the 37-year drought of Triple Crown winners.

This year's Arkansas Derby winner, Creator, won the Belmont Stakes. Elliott Walden -- the president of WinStar Farms, which owns Creator -- was quoted in the news release about what a great track Oaklawn is, but he also said: "Bob Baffert has used it [Oaklawn] for a decade."

Yes, the world's most famous trainer ships several horses to Oaklawn, and much of that credit goes to director of racing David Longinotti, who helped recruit Baffert and part of his huge stable.

Like him or not, Baffert has helped redefine thoroughbred racing and keep it a sports staple.

More good news out of Oaklawn is good news for the Sport of Kings.


The Football Writers Association of America and the National Football Foundation released their Super 16 preseason poll Wednesday, and the Arkansas Razorbacks were in the others receiving votes category.

The Hogs got four points.

The FWAA-NFF insists on total transparency, and along with the poll it publishes the names of the voters and how they voted each week, so it took only a couple of minutes to find out who thought so much of the Razorbacks.

The points came from Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune, who picked the Hogs No. 14 (three points), and Kevin McGuire, NBC Sports College Football Talk, who picked them 16th.


College football doesn't start in earnest until next week, and there is already debate about the playoffs and the four teams who are being predicted to make the final four.

Several experts believe the SEC could end up with two teams.

They believe if Alabama or LSU goes undefeated and the Crimson Tide or Tigers only loss was to the other that a one-loss SEC team would get in before a one-loss team from any other conference, except a champion.

It would help, of course, if the ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big 12 teams beat each other up in conference and every team had at least two losses.

It seems a long shot for the SEC to be doubling down in the College Football Playoffs. An undefeated team has happened only six times since the 1992 expansion, with Alabama and Auburn leading the way at two times each.

Sports on 08/26/2016

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