Eric Jackson, Oaklawn Park's general manager for the past 30 years, was named the track's senior vice president Saturday during a meeting of the Arkansas Racing Commission.
Wayne Smith, assistant general manager since March of 2016, is now the track's sixth general manager.
Louis Cella, a member of Oaklawn's board of directors and youngest son of track president Charles J. Cella, announced the promotion of Smith, a move nearly a year in the making.
"Eric and the Cella family have created a jewel in the South for both racing and gaming," Smith said. "I'm so thankful to have had the last year to learn the business, and I'm confident we can continue to grow what Eric and his team have built."
Charles J. Cella, Oaklawn's president since 1968, and his family have owned and operated the track since its founding in 1904.
"Wayne Smith begins an exciting new era for Oaklawn," Charles Cella said in a release. "It's been a tremendous pleasure working with Eric Jackson. Because of his dedication and guidance, Oaklawn has become a leader in both racing and gaming. We look forward to Wayne building on that success."
Smith, who is originally from Rhode Island and a graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, is experienced in accounting, finance, regulatory compliance, hospitality, racing and gaming. He formerly worked for ITT Sheraton, MGM Grand, Caesar's Entertainment, Empire City Racing and Gaming (New York) and Penn Gaming (Illinois).
"When we began the search, we wanted ability and experience, but also put an emphasis on personality because this person needed to embrace our culture," Jackson said. "Wayne has made a seamless transition. Over the last year, he has gained an appreciation for why racing comes first. Oaklawn has always had very strong relationships with the horsemen, the racing commission and the Hot Springs community. Wayne is the right person to preserve and protect and grow these relationships."
Smith got a nod of approval from racing commission Chairman Alex Lieblong, of Conway, himself a horse owner.
"The horsemen seemed thrilled with him," Lieblong said. "I have not heard one negative comment about him and that's hard to do in this business. He's been wonderful in my dealings with him, but what is even more telling is that I'm hearing the same thing from the horsemen."
Trainer Ron Moquett, an Arkansas native, said Smith "could have come in and said, 'We're doing it my way,' but he's adopted the Oaklawn way. That's important to us horsemen."
Jackson, a Hot Springs native, formerly worked for his late father, who distributed Daily Racing Form in the city, before becoming operations director at Oaklawn in 1978. He was promoted to general manager in 1987 after the death of W.T. Bishop.
Jackson is credited with helping revive Oaklawn's sagging business as a founder of Instant Racing, a game based on pari-mutuel racing that the local track and Southland Greyhound Park in West Memphis launched in 2000. Revenue from Instant Racing helped Oaklawn boost purses for live racing, which had sunk to dangerously low levels during an economic slump heightened by competition from gaming interests in other states.
Garland County voters in 2005 approved a measure that permitted expanded gaming at the track. With revenues from gaming and simulcast racing included, Oaklawn is finishing the 2017 season with the largest purses in track history.
Sports on 03/27/2017