Oaklawn Offers $1-Million Bonus

The Oaklawn Jockey Club is offering a $1 million bonus to any 3-year-old thoroughbred that can sweep the 1986 Rebel stakes and Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park and go on to win the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

“There can now be no question where the top 3-year-olds will campaign in the spring of 1986,” said Charles Cella, Oaklawn’s board chairman. “This million-dollar bonus is being offered to emphasize the fact that Oaklawn’s racing program is the premier route to the Kentucky Derby and the Triple Crown.”

In 1983, D.J. Foster Racing Stable’s Sunny’s Halo won the Rebel, the Arkansas Derby and the Kentucky Derby.

The $100,000-added Rebel stakes, set for March 29, also carries a $50,000 Breeder’s Cup premium award. The 50th running of the $500,000 Arkansas Derby is set for April 19.