In a move believed to be unprecedented in American racing history, Oaklawn will split the 84th running of the Arkansas Derby Saturday, May 2. Thanks to the cooperation of Churchill Downs, both divisions will carry the full 170 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby (G1). The Kentucky Derby is now scheduled for Sept. 5.

The Arkansas Derby was originally scheduled to have a purse of $1,000,000. Under the provisions of the split, each division will have a purse of $500,000.

In making the announcement, Oaklawn president Louis Cella said, “Because of our national crisis, we and the entire world of sports are in uncharted waters requiring unprecedented actions. We’re trying to make the best of a very, very difficult situation. On the one hand, it is the worst of times to be racing without fans in our grandstand. On the other, we have a large number of exceptional three-year-olds wanting to run in our Arkansas Derby. We simply did not want to see anyone lose that opportunity.”

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