Kentucky Oaks

The first running of the Kentucky Oaks was on May 19, 1875, when Churchill Downs was known as the Louisville Jockey Club.[1] The race was founded by Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. along with the Kentucky Derby, the Clark Handicap, and the Falls City Handicap.[2]

The Oaks and the Derby are the oldest continuously contested sporting events in American history.[2] 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 Oaks was rescheduled from May 1 to September 4.[3]

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.[4] In 1980, attendance reached about 50,000 people and by 1989, it had increased to about 67,000.[1] 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 only trails 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.

Despite the increasing number of out-of-state visitors who attend the race every year, the "Oaks" (as local residents simply refer to it) is considered to be a local event by the people of Kentuckiana (the Ohio Valley, centered around Louisville, and consisting of much of northern Kentucky and southern Indiana). Large crowds of Louisvillians and others from the Kentuckiana attend the Oaks annually and the infield of the race track hosts numerous musical attractions, boardwalk games, and food and alcoholic beverage vendors. Bringing in one's own alcohol is forbidden at Churchill Downs and many locals revel in finding ingenious ways to smuggle in their own libations, rather than pay the inflated prices inside Churchill Downs. Most every school and quite a few businesses in the Kentuckiana region treat the Oaks as a holiday. Perhaps out of self-consciousness for the gambling aspect of the race, none of the region's schools declare that the holiday is explicitly because of the Oaks and most simply say it is an "administrative holiday."

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.[1]

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.[1]

Largest winning margin

• ​20 ¹⁄₄ lengths – Rachel Alexandra (2009)[5]

Longest shot to win the Oaks

• 47/1 – Lemons Forever (2006)[6]

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)

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)[7]

Carl used the original German spelling of "Goose", which one of a few spellings was "Ganz", but also Gantz, Gans, and so on. [8] The Goose brothers are cousins of Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., the founder of the Louisville Jockey Club.

• Kentucky Oaks "top three finishers" and starters
• Road to the Kentucky Oaks
• American thoroughbred racing top attended events
• List of graded stakes at Churchill Downs
• List of attractions and events in the Louisville metropolitan area
• Pink ribbon

• KentuckyOaks.com – Official website