Arkansas Derby by the Numbers
Oaklawn Park is hosting the $1-million Arkansas Derby on Saturday. 12 3-year-olds will compete for 170 Kentucky Derby points and a $1000,000 purse. American Pharoah won the race before launching his winning Triple Crown bid last year.
1 1/8 miles is the distance of the race. Althea completed the course in 1:46 4/5. 3 wins by jockey Pat Day and owner Loblolly Stable. 4 wins for trainer Todd Pletcher. 5 horses are in the field. Curlin won the Arkansas Derby by 10 lengths in 2007.
This year marks the 79th running of the Arkansas Derby. The biggest field to compete in one Arkansas derby was in the 1970s. In 1960, 19 horses ran but there were so many horses it was split into two divisions. 1936 was the year the inaugural ArkansasDerby was run. Last year's betting handle amounted to more than $12-million.
