Oaklawn report

Attendance impresses new official

HOT SPRINGS - Among the first things Jed Doro noticed Friday afternoon at Oaklawn Park were people.

Lots of people.

More than 15,000, in fact, for the opener of Oaklawn’s 57-day live season.

“There’s a crowd here,” said Doro, 34, in his first season as Oaklawn’s assistant director of racing.

He is also the assistant racing secretary at Delaware Park, a picturesque facility about 40 miles southwest of Philadelphia. But Delaware Park, like many slots-fueled venues, doesn’t draw large crowds for live racing. The exception there is for the running of the prestigious $1 million Grade I Delaware Handicap for fillies and mares.

“This is like Delaware Handicap Day,” Doro said.

“That’s sad. It’s great to be here and see people at the races.”

Doro also works under Oaklawn racing secretary Pat Pope at Delaware Park.

Doro, the brother-in law of jockey Joe Rocco Jr., was hired by Oaklawn late last fall as an on-track replacement for David Longinotti during the 2014 live season.

Longinotti, Oaklawn’s director of racing, is having to work from his Hot Springs home because of a medical condition.

Doro said much of his job at Oaklawn, like Longinotti previously, is to be visible throughout the facility and interact with owners and trainers.

“I’m trying to fill David’s shoes, but that’s almost impossible,” Doro said.

Oaklawn General Manager Eric Jackson said there is no timetable for Longinotti’s return.

“We do miss David Longinotti, and I know it’s breaking his heart that he can’t be here,” Jackson said.

“But he is peppering all of us with emails. His heart is here, even if he can’t be.”

Bling, bling

Trainer Danele Durham has returned to Oaklawn with more “Bling.”

Durham, who wintered in Hot Springs for the first time last year, has 15 horses housed in barn 6, including nine with “Bling” in their name.

“You can never have too much bling,” Durham said with a laugh.

The bling theme traces to the Texas-based stallion Too Much Bling, whose offspring include, among others, Texas Bling, who is scheduled to make his 4-year-old debut for Durham in today’s $100,000 Fifth Season Stakes at 1 1/16 miles.

Texas Bling is trying to shake a nine-race losing streak since beating Will Take Charge in the $300,000 Springboard Mile Stakes in December 2012 at Remington Park in Oklahoma City.

Durham said Texas Bling has blossomed physically since last year’s Oaklawn meet, during which he finished second to Will Take Charge, the likely 3-year-old champion, in the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes.

“He’s definitely matured into his body,” Durham said.

“He fills it out now. Where he looked like a gangly 2-year-old before, I just think he almost looks like a European sport horse.”

Texas Bling tuned up for the Fifth Season with a sharp 3-furlong bullet (:34.60) on Jan. 3.

Texas Bling will race with blinkers in the Fifth Season.

Durham won 5 of 37 starts last year at Oaklawn.

ADW update

Bobby Geiger, Oaklawn’s director of gaming and wagering, said there were “several hundred” signups for the track’s new advance deposit wagering site, oaklawnanywhere.com., during the first day of the 2014 live meeting Friday.

Geiger said the “heavy demand” doubled the site’s enrollment.

“What we heard from a lot of them is, ‘I’m switching from whatever ADW over to Oaklawn-Anywhere,’ ” Geiger said.

Oaklawn has a booth adjacent to the paddock on the first floor for OaklawnAnywhere signups.

ADW is a form of wagering in which a player must fund an account before being allowed to place a bet.

Countless Arkansans already hold accounts with mainstream national ADW betting platforms like Xpressbet and TwinSpires, but OaklawnAnywhere is limited to Arkansas residents who are at least 18.

ADW wagering, as part of Act 350, was approved during the 2013 legislative session and allowed Oaklawn to launch an ADW betting platform similar to Xpressbet or TwinSpires.

Final furlong

Princess Semoran won Friday’s second race to give trainer Lynn Chleborad her 995th career victory. … Friday’s second race produced the first disqualification of the meeting when Shezafast Magnacat, under apprentice jockey Pedro Nazario, was disqualified from sixth and placed seventh and last after veering in at the start from the far outside post position to bother every horse. The disqualification came after a stewards’ inquiry. … Flat Irish, one of the early buzz horses of the meeting, is scheduled to make his career debut in today’s ninth race at 6 furlongs. The 3-year-old son of Flatter is trained by Bret Calhoun. … Kentucky Derby candidate Ride On Curlin is scheduled to make his 3-year-old debut in Sunday’s sixth race, an entry-level allowance sprint, under Calvin Borel.

At the post

DAY 1 ATTENDANCE 15,031 ON-TRACK HANDLE $869,170.50 OFF-TRACK HANDLE $2,074,495.62 TOTAL HANDLE $2,943,666.12.

CLASSIX CARRYOVER None.

FRIDAY’S STARS Jockey Noberto Arroyo Jr., trainer Cody Autrey and owner Steve Landers, a prominent Arkansas automobile dealer, teamed for three victories. Arroyo, a newcomer this year at Oaklawn, scored his fourth victory on the card in the ninth race aboard Bourbonize, an unbeaten 3-year-old Tiz Wonderful colt who was a sparkling 4-length entry-level allowance winner at a mile.

TODAY’S TIMES First post for the nine races is 1:05 p.m. Gates open at 11 a.m.

TELEVISION HRTV (races 7-9), TVG (full card) RADIO Oaklawn Raceday 11 a.m.-11:30 a.m., KABZ-FM, 103.7, Little Rock TODAY’S PRICES Admission $2. Parking in Oaklawn lots $2. Reserved seats $4.50. Programs $2. Daily Racing Form $7.50. Tip sheets $2-$5.

TODAY’S WAGERING MENU

Win-place-show, exacta, trifecta and superfecta wagering offered on all races.

Daily double (races 1-2, 8-9).

CLASSIX (races 3-8).

Pick-3 (rolling begins with race 2).

Pick-4 (races 2-5 races 6-9).

TODAY’S SIMULCASTING SCHEDULE Aqueduct (11:25 a.m.), Tampa Bay Downs (11:25 a.m.), Calder (11:30 a.m.), Laurel (11:35 a.m.), Gulfstream Park (11:40 a.m.), Turfway Park (12:10 p.m.), Fair Grounds (1 p.m.), Santa Anita (2:30 p.m.), Golden Gate Fields (2:45 p.m.), Penn National (5 p.m.), Delta Downs (5:45 p.m.), Charles Town (6:15 p.m.), Wheeling (6:30 p.m.), Southland (7:30 p.m.)