Hot Springs, Arkansas is the home to Oaklawn Park, which has become a hot spot for trainers with leading three-year-olds looking to prepare for the Kentucky Derby.

Oaklawn Park has a trio of graded stakes for three-year-olds looking to hit the Derby Trail: The Southwest (G3) in February, the Rebel (G2) in March, and the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) in April, which is one of the leading Kentucky Derby preps of the spring season.

The last winner of the Arkansas Derby to go on and win the Kentucky Derby was Smarty Jones in 2004, who helped make prepping for the Triple Crown races in Arkansas more fashionable.

Smarty Jones swept the Southwest, Rebel, and Arkansas Derby on his way to taking the Run for the roses and Preakness Stakes (G1) before getting his Triple Crown derailed by longshot Birdstone in the Belmont Stakes.

When looking to make your Arkansas Derby picks, horses coming out of the Southwest and Rebel have performed well.

Other Arkansas Derby winners have gone on to have outstanding careers including Curlin (2007), Lawyer Ron (2006), Afleet Alex (2005), and Victory Gallop (1998).

The 2011 Arkansas Derby winner Archarcharch failed to fire in the Run for the Roses, checking in 15^th, while Nehro parlayed his runner up finish into another runner up finish in Louisville.

The 2010 runner up Super Saver turned around and pulled off the upset in the Kentucky Derby, returning $18.00.

Summer Bird, who was third in the 2008 running, returned to finish sixth in the Kentucky Derby, then won the Belmont Stakes (G1).

Recent Arkansas Derby Winners: