COURTESY OAK RIDGE TRAINING CENTER

Black Prong Florida Vacation Resort is now offering tours of Oak Ridge Training Center, home to more than 600 thoroughbreds in training each winter.

From November through May, this sprawling, world-class center hums with the energy, athleticism and discipline that define the sport of kings and Black Prong is offering a tour program titled “A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Champions in the Making” which is geared toward racing insiders and novices. 

Steve Wood – Photo Courtesy: Oak Ridge Training Center’s Website

The two-hour tour for up to 11 guests per session begins at 7:45 a.m. and includes transfer from Black Prong to Oak Ridge Training Center, exclusive access to a premier thoroughbred training facility, close interaction with horses, grooms and trainers and expert insights from track superintendent Steve Wood. The tour also offers coffee and baked goods at the trackside viewing stand and panoramic viewing stands overlooking both dirt and turf courses from the hilltop viewing stand.

The morning begins at the center’s panoramic hilltop viewing stand, where champions trained including Sierra Leone, winner of the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic (Grade 1), second in the 2024 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) and an earner of more than $8.1 million; Tepin, international champion with $4.4 million in earnings; and Blind Luck, earner of $3.3 million after being purchased as a yearling for just $11,000.

Guests also visit a working training barn to see horses up close. They will witness an authentic training environment and learn from the trainers, riders and grooms, who devote their lives to the health and advancement of these remarkable athletes.

Guests then move to the trackside viewing stand, arriving just in time to watch the horses head out for their morning training sessions. Here guests will be introduced to Steve Wood, Oak Ridge Track Superintendent, who joined the Oak Ridge staff in 2025 after acclaimed tenures at Del Mar and Santa Anita—two of the nation’s premier racecourses and frequent hosts of the Breeders’ Cup.

Return to the January 2 issue of Wire to Wire