It’s being called the Race for the Ages, and it will take place at Oaklawn Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas on April 9, 2010. The $5,000,000 (FIVE MILLION DOLLAR) purse is unprecedented in the history of horse racing.

Rachel Alexander Pulls Out of the Race – March 15 Update

Rumor has it that Hot Springs may (or may not) be THE place to be this second weekend in April. People from all over the world are already making reservations. One report is that "someone" from the Middle East has paid $160,000 to rent a house in Hot Springs for four days. Another has paid $5,000 for a reserved box.

The Arkansas Derby has sent several horses on to Kentucky that won the more famous Kentucky Derby. But the Race for the Ages is not the Arkansas Derby. It’s the Apple Blossom Invitational that has been moved from it’s regular date of one week before the Arkansas Derby to the day before.

What’s so special about this race, you know, other than a purse of $5,000,000? How about a head-to-head faceoff between two of horseracing’s top horses: Rachel Alexander and Kenyatta?

Rachel Alexander carries the title Horse of the Year, and Zenyatta won last year’s Breeder’s Cup Classic. Consider this: On February 18 Zenyatta turned in a six furlong workout of 1:14; six days later Rachel Alexander turned in a six furlong workout of 1:14. Both horse has since run faster times in the six furlongs. The Apple Blossom Invitation 2010 is being extended from a mile and a quarter to a mile and a half.

If you think you might be traveling to Hot Springs for the first time in your life, there are a few things you should know. It’s been my personal experience that you will not find any better people in the United States. It’s the capital of "laid back" and that could be because of its history of being THE place to go to relax. The thermal baths have drawn people for over a century. My significant other says the best massage she’s ever had happened in Hot Springs.

Of course, you should know that traffic on a normal racing day is the pits. Throw in the Race for the Ages and, well, let me recommend you go a day or two early and stake out a spot. It will probably be plenty warm so a sleeping bag night is not out of the question. And always remember that when you’re in Hot Springs the Number One Rule is to have fun.

Uncle Brice Supporters

Say Hey to the Good Folks that make this blog possible:

Online Little Rock.com is where Uncle Brice got his start. There’s a ton of information on this site about Arkansas, Little Rock, dining, dancing, shopping (and shopping online). It’s also a high-trafficked Civil War information site. You can even find out stuff about all the colleges and universities of Arkansas.

Home Business Opportunities is a site that has never been more in demand. You can find legitimate ways to earn money from home as well as a lot of information about Internet marketing, writing, building traffic for your website, and more.

The owners of Online Little Rock have a mission in life to teach everyone about brain injury. They have two websites that have hundreds of pages of information, including visitor-submitted Brain Injury Stories. The sites are Brain Injury Online and Brain Injury Guide.

Beth’s Brain Injury Blog is a favorite in the brain injury community. She writes about the good, the bad and the ugly of brain injury and how you must maintain a sense of humor to live successfully whether you are the victim or a caregiver.