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Want to support this channel and help us preserve old films? Visit Visit our website Shot by Wisconsin filmmaker Norman Schley, this film footage features shots from a horse racing day in 1962 at the Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The silent film pieces together various shots from in and around the race track as well as the stables where the horses are primed and groomed for race day. Oaklawn Park Race Track, which is known today as Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, is an American thoroughbred racetrack and casino. It is home today to “The Racing Festival of the South,” a four-day series of races inaugurated in 1975 that concludes with the Arkansas Derby. Oaklawn park first opened in 1905 and the city declared a holiday to mark the occasion. Throughout the 1950s the track grew in popularity and in 1962, the year of this film, the track had the fifth-highest profit of North American tracks. The original clubhouse of the race track was designed by Chicago architect Zachary Taylor Davis in 1904, who is known for being the architect behind Chicago’s Old Comiskey Park and Wrigley Field. Thoroughbred horse racing was a sport enjoyed by all during the progressive era in the United States. Popularity, however, began to falter during the late 1890s as anti-gambling sentiment prevailed but this turned around in the early 20th century when parimutuel betting was introduced. As more state governments legalized on-track betting during the 20th century the sport became more and more popular. By the 1950s and 1960s more people attended horse races than any other sport. Signs around the race track (0:11). Race horse wearing leg wraps (1:20). Police officer directs spectator traffic (2:55). Box office (3:39). Men set bets on winning horses (4:32). Daily Racing Form for race in 1962 at Oaklawn Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas (5:07). Exterior of Oaklawn Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas (6:14). Sunrise at horse stable (7:06). Two jockeys drink a cup of coffee together (7:22). Horses escorted from barn to track for training (7:29). Jockeys do training runs around the track of the empty stadium (10:25). Race track fills with spectators (11:29). Tote board with race results (13:51). Aerial view of spectators (13:58). Scenes of jockeys doing more training runs around the track (15:08). Horses back at the stables - one wears cloak promoting the Hot Springs, Arkansas Police (16:57). Stable parking lot with 1962 Chevy Bel Air Station Wagon in twilight blue (18:11). Race horse groomed and prepped for the race (18:32). Construction and preparation of a camera tower for news crews (22:29). Race-day spectators arrive (23:55). Horses line-up in starting gate (26:42). Various races commence (26:54). Spectators place bets at gambling windows (31:26). Race track cleaned by tractor pulling plow (32:03). Horses race on the track again (33:27). Winning horse is applauded and garnered with flowers and gifts (35:06). Ford Country Squire Station Wagon (35:32). Horses line-up in starting gate for another race (35:31). Horses line-up in starting gate for another race (36:10). Winning jockey and horse brought in front of the tote board (36:49). Photos taken of the horse’s owner (37:12). News reporters hold up 20th century Press Cameras (37:27). Crowds gather to watch another race (37:46). Starting gate taken off the rack track marking end of race day (38:57). Economy-Chrysler limousine straight ambulance in view (40:07). We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.“ This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit
