Arkansas Derby
- Stakes: Grade II for 3-year-old thoroughbreds and fillies
- Distance: 1 1/8 miles
- Track: Dirt
- Purse: $1,000,000
The Racing Festival of the South culminates with the annual Arkansas Derby race. Horse racing fans are eager to see if the next Oaklawn Park champ will finally bring home the Triple Crown trophy.
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The Arkansas Derby is the second leg of the Big 3 Pick 3, a $1 minimum national wager where horse bettors will try to pick the winner of three important prep races for three-year-olds planning on running in the Kentucky Derby and the prestigious Triple Crown.
Two favorite horses in recent years, Smarty Jones and Afleet Alex, both captured the Arkansas Derby and finished their careers as top three-year-olds.
The Arkansas Derby has really gained in stature because of this, keeping its reputation as a vital race for any Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown hopeful.
Besides, history tells us that horses who did not finish strongly in the Arkansas Derby do not fare well in Kentucky.
The race is being held at Oaklawn Park, which was incorporated in 1904 and one of the select few that features the finest in live thoroughbred horse racing in America.
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