See Big Attendance: Prepare for Crowd of 15,000 Saturday at Oaklawn Park, Daily Racing Form, 1938-04-01

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SEE BIG ATTENDANCE Prepare for Crowd of 15,000 Saturday at Oaklawn Park. Special Trains Scheduled From Little Rock and Memphis Brilliant Final Day Program. HOT SPRINGS, Ark., March 31. The third running of the Arkansas Derby, ,000 added feature of the Oaklawn Jockey Clubs meeting, will be decided Saturday as the climax of the Oaklawn Jockey Clubs thirty-day meeting, and one of the record attendances of the season is in prospect. Officials of Oaklawn Park began preparations for the handling of the largest crowd in the tracks history on Saturday, as more than 15,000 patrons are expected to jam their way into the picturesque course to bid the thoroughbreds adieu. General manager Peter J. Holmes said this morning that he expects between 12,000 and 15,000 spectators for the final fixture of the" 1938 racing season in the Vapor City. Special trains have been arranged to come from Little Rock and Memphis for the finale of the racing season. TWO HANDICAPS. A brilliant program of racing is in prospect for the closing day program, with two handicaps scheduled in addition to the Arkansas Derby. Racing secretary Eugene Bury plans the staging of a sprint and a distance handicap in addition to the third renewal of the Arkansas Derby. One of the handicaps is over the Oaklawn Course distance and the other is at a mile and one-sixteenth, which figures to bring out the best horses in training at the local Continued on twenty-sixth page. SEE BIG ATTENDANCE ij Continued from first page. course, thus making way for the culmination of the season in a blaze of glory. Both handicaps are for three-year-olds and over, though the best of the three-year-olds will be making a bid for the Derby honors. In addition to the monetary reward in the Derby the owner of the winner will be presented with a silver trophy by Mayor Leo P. McLaughlin following the running of the race, and "hizzoner" will also present the watches to the three leading riders of the season. FLORAL OFFERING. A floral offering will be presented by an official of the Oaklawn Jockey Club to the horse victorious in the third renewal of the Arkansas Derby, which promises to bring a field of thirteen to the starting gate for the mile and a furlong contest. Despite heavy rains Wednesday night, the track was in fine shape for this afternoons program and indications are that a fast track will prevail for the running of the most important race of the season at the Hot Springs track. Workouts of candidates for the mile and a furlong tussle were virtually at a standstill, as only two of the scheduled starters were on the track this morning for a short "blowout." R. L. Stivers Don Moss, which is regarded as having an outside chance to cop the big event, went a half- mile in :50 in handy fashion, while L. C. Youngs Sweep Royal went five-eighths in 1:05, handily. Other candidates for the Arkansas Derby are due to engage in "blowouts" Friday morning.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1930s/drf1938040101/drf1938040101_1_10
Local Identifier: drf1938040101_1_10
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800