Quote:
Originally Posted by cj
I was going to make some for Sunday at the same place, but I'm a little wary. Am I stuck in the restaurant? Can I stay the whole racing day, or is there a time limit? Maybe Barchy can help.
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The Bugler is right by (under?) the hotel on the casino side, with a patio that overlooks the clubhouse turn (should we call it the "casino" or "hotel" turn, now that there's no "clubhouse" any longer??
). Next door to it is a new cocktail lounge, also with patio overlooking track.
I know that they've recently been advertising lunch seatings on race days for 12 and 2:30 - and then there are the regular dinner seatings to boot, so I'm fairly sure you'll be urged to move along at some point.
As things stand currently:
The casino side is kept separate from the racing side. There are notices at the doors of the casino for those who are leaving the racing side to go to the casino that they will need to get a wristband to be allowed back in to the racing side.
So unless you have a racing reservation for simulcast in addition to your restaurant one - you'll just have your restaurant reservation time for watching the races, possibly also the lounge (though I understand it has a decent-sized cover charge on top of what you've spent in the restaurant - and it will probably be at capacity), and then the casino access.
It's pretty strict at this point.
As noted earlier, my 12yo nephew had come to town for the weekend, and I had reservations for the 3 of us for Saturday in the Post Parade restaurant for his very first time at the races, in addition to my own simulcast reservations for the other days.
When I arrived on Friday, with Saturday already cancelled (and not knowing that Friday was about to be), I asked when I checked in with my Friday reservation whether my brother and nephew (who were arriving in town around 4) might be able to come in and watch the last couple of races, since they couldn't come Saturday with me. They said reservations for that day had to be completed by 4 PM the day before. Sounds a little mean, but ...
It is my understanding that Oaklawn asked the health dept to allow them to have something like 12,000 on weekdays and 15,000 on weekends for racing. (This is a plant that regularly holds 20-30K, and can handle 60K on Arkansas Derby - with infield - and has a record over 72,000). So they were looking for permission for about 25% capacity. The health department gave them permission for numbers on the order of 4,500 and 6,000 (more like 10%). The box holder and Jockey Club member "possibles" likely limit the allotment to the general public to a number much smaller than those.
The health department is also watching closely. One change I saw happen between day one and day two that I attended - probably as a result of a health department monitor - the candy vending machine in the simulcast area was emptied and has not been refilled.
People are very good about being masked up.
So yes, they're taking a lot of precautions - more than some tracks - but they keep on racing, and we fans get to keep on coming - even if we have to jump through some hoops to do it.
The having to redial (rather than an online system) is definitely an old school thing - but I think if they had some type of online system - all the reservations would be quickly scooped up by people who'd be trying to re-sell them to me, regardless of scalping being illegal in Arkansas. I'm willing to be frustrated a little and spend a little extra time redialing to be able to attend some of the time.
