Alright, listen up, y’all. We gonna talk about this Arkansas Derby thing, the one they got in 2024. Don’t you go gettin’ all confused now, I’ll make it plain as day, just like Ma used to make biscuits.

So, first things first, this here Arkansas Derby, it’s a big deal horse race. Big money, too. They say it’s a million-dollar race, maybe even more. That’s enough to buy a whole lotta chickens, let me tell ya.
Now, some folks, they call it a “prep race”. That just means it’s a race to get them horses ready for the Kentucky Derby. You know, that big fancy one up in Kentucky? Yeah, that’s the one. This Arkansas Derby, it helps them horses get strong and fast, so they can run good in Kentucky.
This year, 2024, they had it on Saturday, March 30th. Not in April like some folks thought. It was down there in Hot Springs, at Oaklawn Park. That’s where they always have it, I reckon. Been doin’ it for years, long as I can remember.
- Race Day: Saturday, March 30th
- Location: Oaklawn Park, Hot Springs
- Money: Big money! Million dollars or more, they say.
They had this fella, Bob Baffert. He’s a horse trainer, a real good one they say. But he couldn’t get his horse in the Kentucky Derby this year. Something about rules, I don’t rightly know. But he still had a horse in this Arkansas Derby, a horse named Muth. They said that horse was the favorite to win. Folks were bettin’ on him, I hear.
And there were other horses too, lots of ‘em. They come from all over, these horses. Fast ones, strong ones. They got names like Informed Patriot. That one run by a fella named Steven M. Asmussen, and the jockey, that’s the little fella that rides ‘em, he’s called Ricardo Santana, Jr.. They didn’t win though, come in third I think. It’s all a bit much to keep track of if you ask me.

Now, if you went to this Arkansas Derby, you wouldn’t just see horses running. They had music too, live music. Folks was dancin’ and havin’ a good time. It ain’t just about the horses, you see. It’s about gettin’ together, havin’ some fun, and maybe, just maybe, winnin’ a little bit of money.
If you’re lookin’ to bet on these horses, you gotta look at the odds. That’s what they call it, “odds.” It tells you how likely a horse is to win. The better the horse, the lower the odds, I think. It’s all a bit complicated if you ask me, but them city folk, they seem to understand it just fine.
So, what happened in the race? Well, I ain’t gonna tell you every little detail, ‘cause honestly, I don’t remember it all. But I know it was excitin’. Horses runnin’ fast, people yellin’, music playin’. It was a real hootenanny, you could say.
If you wanna know more about this Arkansas Derby, you can find all sorts of stuff online. They got the contenders, that’s the horses running. They got the entries, that’s who signed up to race. They got the results, that’s who won. They got news and even some tips on how to pick a winner. They call it “handicapping,” but I just call it guessin’.
They even got the past winners listed. You can look back and see which horses won in years past. Some of them horses went on to be famous, you know. Real champions.

And if you’re really into this horse racing stuff, they got all sorts of information, you know, the kind that makes my head spin. Stuff about the horses, their mamas and papas, how fast they run, and all that. They call it “undercard races” too, them races that happen before the big one. Lots of horses runnin’ all day long.
So, that’s the Arkansas Derby for ya. It’s a big race, lots of fun, and a chance to see some real fast horses. It’s part of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby,” they say. Just a stop along the way for them horses tryin’ to make it big. Maybe next year I’ll go myself, if my old bones can handle it. But for now, I’ll just stick to watchin’ it on the TV, with a nice cup of tea and maybe a slice of pie.
Remember, it ain’t just about the horses. It’s about folks gettin’ together, havin’ some laughs, and enjoyin’ a day out. And who knows, maybe next year, one of us will pick the winner and bring home some of that big money. That’d be somethin’, wouldn’t it?