Thoroughbreds arrive at Will Rogers Downs for 2023 spring season
CLAREMORE – The stakes are set for another season of live racing at Will Rogers Downs with the 2023 spring season set for March 6-May 17.
The 29-day season will have daily live racing every Monday and Tuesday, adding Wednesdays in April and May. Oklahoma-breds make up six of the eight stakes races worth $430,000. Average daily purses are estimated around $185,000, about a 10% increase from last year.
“With the exception of 2020, last spring’s Thoroughbred meet resulted in the best overall handle in track history. In this time, we have found an audience that enjoys racing early in the week,” said John Lies, racing secretary, announcer, and oddsmaker at Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs. “Starting earlier in the season is a gamble, but we are optimistic the schedule will be well received. The shift allows us to offer more opportunity to the horsemen.”
The new race schedule features the $55,000 guaranteed Miranda Diane Stakes on March 27, along with the TRAO Classic Sprint that also holds a $55,000 guarantee. April brings the $50,000 guaranteed Wilma Mankiller Stakes on April 17 and the Highland Ice Stakes on April 18. May holds the Will Rogers Stakes, Cinema Stakes, Cherokee Nation Classic Cup, and More Than Even Stakes, each with a $55,000 guarantee.
