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Kentucky Oaks
American Thoroughbred stakes horse race From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers 1+1⁄8 miles (1,800 m) at Churchill Downs; the horses carry 121 pounds (55 kg). The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Friday before the Kentucky Derby each year. The winner gets $846,300 of the $1,500,000 purse, and a large garland blanket of lilies, resulting in the nickname "Lilies for the Fillies." A silver Kentucky Oaks Trophy is presented to the winner.
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History
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The first running of the Kentucky Oaks was on May 19, 1875, when Churchill Downs was known as the Louisville Jockey Club.[2] The race was founded by Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. along with the Kentucky Derby, the Clark Handicap, and the Falls City Handicap.[3]
The Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby are the oldest continuously contested sporting events in American history.[3] The Kentucky Oaks was modeled after the British Epsom Oaks, which has been run annually at Epsom Downs, Epsom, in Surrey since 1779. In the first race, the horse Vinaigrette won the then 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) mile race in a time of 2:39+3⁄4, winning a purse of $1,175. Since that race, the Kentucky Oaks has been held each year.
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kentucky Oaks was rescheduled from May 1 to September 4.[4]
The Kentucky Oaks is considered by some to be among the most popular horse races in American horse-racing society due to its high attendance. It has attracted about 100,000 people in attendance each year since 2001's 127th running of the Kentucky Oaks.[5] In 1980, attendance reached about 50,000 people and by 1989, it had increased to about 67,000.[2] The attendance at the Kentucky Oaks ranks third in North America and usually surpasses the attendance of all other stakes races including the Belmont Stakes and the Breeders' Cup. The attendance of the Kentucky Oaks typically trails only the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes; for more information see American thoroughbred racing top attended events.
The Kentucky Oaks, the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, and the Acorn Stakes are the counterparts to the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, held at Churchill Downs, Pimlico Race Course and Belmont Park, respectively. The "Filly Triple Crown", known as the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing, is a series of three races at the Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) has considered changing the Triple Tiara series to the three counterparts of the Triple Crown.
In July 2025, Churchill Downs announced that the 2026 Kentucky Oaks would be held later in the evening and televised by NBC in prime time, moving from USA Network; Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen stated that a broadcast television airing in prime time would help increase the "national profile" of the Oaks, amid the 2025 Kentucky Derby achieving the race's largest television audience since 1989. The later post time has faced criticism from local restaurants, who believed that it could reduce traffic from attendees who scheduled dinner reservations after the Oaks.[6][7][8]
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Charitable initiatives
Since 2008, Oaks Day has been used to highlight awareness for breast and ovarian cancer; the tradition was established by then-Kentucky governor Steve Beshear at the suggestion of Monika Clark, a patient of metastatic breast cancer whose husband was a law partner of Beshear. Attendees are encouraged to wear pink, while the "Survivors Parade" features nominated survivors of breast and ovarian cancer walking the track[9][10] Churchill Downs partnered with the breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure from 2009 through 2011, incorporating charity appeals into Oaks Day and donating a dollar for each spectator in attendance. In March 2012, Churchill Downs announced that it would instead partner with Stand Up to Cancer for that year's race, citing its wider scope.[11]
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Awards for winners
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Besides the silver Kentucky Oaks Trophy presented to the winner, they are also presented with a Garland of Lilies draped around the filly's withers.
The first garland for the Kentucky Oaks was presented to Kathleen, the 1916 winner. It was made of roses, not the lilies that have become synonymous with the filly's race today. Though every Oaks winner since Kathleen has received a garland, the Star Gazer Lily did not become the official flower of the Kentucky Oaks until 1991, when the Kroger Company was commissioned to create a feminine garland for the fillies. Lite Light, winner of the 117th Kentucky Oaks, was the first filly to receive the garland of lilies.
The Star Gazer Lily was selected for its femininity and strength. A total of 133 lilies are sewn onto a white moire fabric backing with a fleur-de-lis pattern, which, like the green satin of the Derby garland, is embroidered in white-on-white with the seal of the Commonwealth of Kentucky at one end and an image of the Twin Spires and the words stating which running of the Kentucky Oaks it is on the opposite end. It is trimmed in a border of Oak Ivy Leaves symbolic of the event. The completed fabric is 116 inches long, 18 inches wide and weighs approximately 18 pounds. A bouquet of Star Gazer Lilies is also given to the jockey for the winner's circle photo. Kroger is the official florist of the Kentucky Oaks and Derby. The public can view the lily garland at a local Kroger store the evening before the race.[12]
Changes in distance
The Kentucky Oaks has been run at four different distances:
- 1875–1890, the race was 1+1⁄2 miles;
- 1891–1895, it was 1+1⁄4 miles;
- 1896–1919, it was 1+1⁄16 miles;
- 1920–1941, changed to 1+1⁄8 miles;
- 1942–1981, run at 1+1⁄16 miles; and
- 1982, set at 1+1⁄8 miles, and it has been that distance since.[2]
Records
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Speed record
- 1+1⁄8 mile 1:48.28 – Shedaresthedevil (2020)
- 1+1⁄2 mile 2:39 – Felicia (1877), Belle of Nelson (1878) and Katie Creel (1882).
- 1+1⁄4 mile 2:15 – Selika (1894)
- 1+1⁄16 mile 1:43.6 – Ari's Mona (1950) and Sweet Alliance (1977).[2]
Largest winning margin
- 20+1⁄4 lengths – Rachel Alexandra (2009)[13]
Longest shot to win the Oaks
- 47/1 – Lemons Forever (2006)[14]
Most wins by a jockey
- 4 – Eddie Arcaro (1951, 1952, 1953, 1958)
- 4 – Manuel Ycaza (1959, 1960, 1963, 1968)
Female jockeys to win
- Rosie Napravnik (2012, 2014)
Most wins by a trainer
- 5 – Woody Stephens (1959, 1960, 1963, 1978, 1981)
- 5 – D. Wayne Lukas (1982, 1984, 1989, 1990, 2022)
Most wins by an owner
- 6 – Calumet Farm (1943, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1979)
Only brothers to both win the Kentucky Oaks
- Carl Seay Goose "Ganz" (1913) – Roscoe Tarleton Goose (1916)[15]
Carl used the original German spelling of "Goose", which one of a few spellings was "Ganz", but also Gantz, Gans, and so on. [16] The Goose brothers are cousins of Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., the founder of the Louisville Jockey Club.
"Oaks/Derby Double"
Jockeys, trainers, and owners competing in the Kentucky Oaks often will compete in the Kentucky Derby, a race for the next day the Oaks. Winning both these races in the same year is referred to as an "Oaks/Derby Double;" 8 jockeys, 3 trainers, and 5 owners have accomplished this feat:
*Until the 1950s, the Oaks was held several days or weeks after the Derby.
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Winners
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Notes
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See also
References
External links
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