The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

fillies staged annually in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, United States. The race currently covers at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States that hosts the annual Kentucky Derby. It opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years. The first ...

; the horses carry . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Friday before the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

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.

History

The first running of the Kentucky Oaks was on May 19, 1875, when Churchill Downs was known as the Louisville Jockey Club. The race was founded by Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. along with the

, the Clark Handicap, and the Falls City Handicap. The Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby are the oldest continuously contested sporting events in American history. The Kentucky Oaks was modeled after the British Epsom Oaks, which has been run annually at Epsom Downs,

Epsom Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain ...

, in Surrey since 1779. In the first race, the horse

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won the then mile race in a time of 2:, 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 COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the Kentucky Oaks was rescheduled from May 1 to September 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. In 1980, attendance reached about 50,000 people and by 1989, it had increased to about 67,000. 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 The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...

and the

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was ...

. The attendance of the Kentucky Oaks typically trails only the

and the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...

; 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 The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, often shortened to Triple Crown, is a series of horse racing, horse races for Thoroughbreds, often restricted to three-year-olds. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse races i ...

, held at

Pimlico Race Course Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of O ...

and

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

, 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.

Charitable initiative

On Kentucky Oaks Day, Churchill Downs Racetrack is a vision in pink as more than 100,000 guests are asked to incorporate pink into their attire in an effort to drive national attention to the fight against breast and ovarian cancer.

Awards for winners

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 The Kroger Company, or simply Kroger, is an American retail company that operates (either directly or through its subsidiaries) supermarkets and multi-department stores throughout the United States. Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cinc ...

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 The ''fleur-de-lis'', also spelled ''fleur-de-lys'' (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a common heraldic charge in the (stylized) shape of a lily (in French, and mean and respectively). Most notably, the ''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.

Changes in distance

The Kentucky Oaks has been run at four different distances: *1875–1890, the race was miles; *1891–1895, it was miles; *1896–1919, it was miles; *1920–1941, changed to miles; *1942–1981, run at miles; and *1982, set at miles, and it has been that distance since.

Records

Speed record

* mile 1:48.28 – Shedaresthedevil (2020) * mile 2:39 – Felicia (1877), Belle of Nelson (1878) and Katie Creel (1882). * mile 2:15 – Selika (1894) * mile 1:43.6 – Ari's Mona (1950) and Sweet Alliance (1977).

Largest winning margin

* lengths – Rachel Alexandra (2009)

Longest shot to win the Oaks

*47/1 – Lemons Forever (2006)

Most wins by a
jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

*4 –

Eddie Arcaro George Edward Arcaro (February 19, 1916 – November 14, 1997) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Triple ...

(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) Carl used the original German spelling of "Goose", which one of a few spellings was "Ganz", but also Gantz, Gans, and so on. 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.

Winners

Notes

References

External links

* {{Kentucky Derby Grade 1 stakes races in the United States Flat horse races for three-year-old fillies Horse races established in 1875 Churchill Downs horse races Kentucky Derby Sports competitions in Louisville, Kentucky 1875 establishments in Kentucky