WATCH: Oaklawn’s expansion officially opens Wednesday

The view from a sixth-floor room at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort’s new hotel. - File photo by The Sentinel-Record
The view from a sixth-floor room at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort’s new hotel. - File photo by The Sentinel-Record

The grand opening for the more than $100 million expansion of Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort will be Wednesday, but advanced media tours of the expansion revealed two consistent themes in its design that future guests can bet on: luxury and horse racing.

Oaklawn General Manager Wayne Smith, who gave The Sentinel-Record a tour of the expansion Monday, said generations of the Cella family have owned Oaklawn solely as a racetrack, and, "you'll find that throughout the whole facility that racing is in some way, shape or form involved in the design, and what we want people to recognize is we are a racetrack first, and then we are a hotel and casino next."

With racing art decorating the walls of the 198 hotel rooms, bed frames subtly taking after the design of horse stalls, most room and restaurant views being of the actual racetrack and the hotel's fine dining restaurant, The Bugler, being themed after a racetrack bugler and decorated with past racing trophies, Oaklawn hit the mark in prioritizing racing in its expansion design.

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Aside from Oaklawn being the only thoroughbred racetrack in the state, Smith said the expansion will offer many things people can't find elsewhere.

With the expansion of the casino, more square footage and natural light was added, and smoking was taken away inside. Eventually planning to designate smoking areas, Smith said there is a strategy behind these changes, and it all has to do with creating a luxury atmosphere as guests arrive.

When entering through the hotel entrance, as guests ride up the escalator from the lobby they will begin to hear the sounds and music from the casino, smell the aroma from the coffee shop, deli and diner closest to the entrance, and will be entering into a concourse filled with natural light, rather than the typically dimly lit gaming area of a casino.

Smith said this sets Oaklawn apart as a "new level of luxury," and gets guests thinking what they may want to do or where they may want to eat upon their arrival.

Other things included in the expansion are:

• A high-limit room has three high-limit tables and over 80 slot machines with a dedicated bar and patio.

• The First Turn bar that provides a view of the first turn of the track from its climate-controlled patio.

• The Bugler, Oaklawn's fine dining restaurant that also offers a view of the track for its guests.

• A luxury spa and fitness center.

• An event center that has a 1,900-square-foot stage and can hold 1,000 people for a plated dinner or 1,500 people for a concert. Four meeting rooms are along the center's exterior.

• The parking lot increased by about 500 spaces.

Restaurants, bars and the spa are open to the public. Menus and hours of operation can be found at http://www.oaklawn.com.

Oaklawn President Louis Cella stands near a painting by the artist Peb at The Bugler at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort’s new expansion Monday. - Photo by Richard Rasmussen of The Sentinel-Record
Oaklawn President Louis Cella stands near a painting by the artist Peb at The Bugler at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort’s new expansion Monday. - Photo by Richard Rasmussen of The Sentinel-Record
The dining area at The Bugler at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort’s new expansion Monday. - Photo by Richard Rasmussen of The Sentinel-Record
The dining area at The Bugler at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort’s new expansion Monday. - Photo by Richard Rasmussen of The Sentinel-Record
An entertainment area and stage at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort’s new expansion Monday. - Photo by Richard Rasmussen of The Sentinel-Record
An entertainment area and stage at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort’s new expansion Monday. - Photo by Richard Rasmussen of The Sentinel-Record

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