HOT SPRINGS -- After a $100 million expansion and a momentous shift in its live racing calendar, Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort is poised to make December a month like no other for Hot Springs and the state of Arkansas.
The 117-year-old thoroughbred racetrack is gearing up to host its live racing season in December for the first time in its history, when the 66-day season kicks off Dec. 3.
"It's just incredibly exciting for Hot Springs to have racing in December," said Steve Arrison, chief executive officer of the Visit Hot Springs tourism agency. "You know, December's usually a quieter month. You look forward to the racing season in January when it starts and it gives us an extra season that no other destination in Arkansas has. So to start it in December is just wonderful news.
More people are expected to visit Hot Springs this Christmas season as a result of the early racing season, as Arrison noted, many will come who normally do not.
"People will be coming when they usually don't come in December," he said. "You know, we're having a very strong fall but there's a reason Oaklawn is the No. 1 tourism attraction in the state of Arkansas. And letting that open a month earlier than usual is just great news for the businesses and the economy of Hot Springs.
Board member and Senior Vice President of Oaklawn Jockey Club Eric Jackson recently told the Hot Springs National Park Rotary Club the announcement of the new racing season -- both throughout the state and nationally -- has been very well received and will change training patterns across America.
"Twenty years ago, a little over that now, we came to the conclusion that if we didn't change our business model, we weren't going to be around that long," he said. "We barely made it through the '90s and it didn't look good. So we started a journey back about 20 years ago that has brought us to where we are today.
"It is like a dog learning new tricks. We have had to learn them. And we're pretty proud of where we are. We're just finishing up a $100 million expansion project. It has taken us longer than we thought because we did it in the middle of covid, but we've got a lot of different parts to Oaklawn now that we never had," Jackson said.