Kentucky Oaks

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 a $600,000 purse and a large garland of lilies, affectionately called the "Lillies 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.^[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, and the only horse races to be held at their original site since their conception.^[2] The Kentucky Oaks was modeled after the British Epsom Oaks. In the first race, the horse Vinaigrette won the then 1 ¹⁄₂ 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.

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 attracts about 100,000 people in attendance a year since 2001's 127th running of the Kentucky Oaks.^[3] In 1980 it was about 50,000 people and by 1989, it had reached about 67,000 people.^[1] The attendance at the Kentucky Oaks ranks third in the continent 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.

In local culture

Despite the increasing number of out-of-state visitors who came to the race every year, the "Oaks" (as local residents simply refer to it) has always been 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."

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.^[1]

Records

Speed record:

• The fastest time to finish the 1 ¹⁄₈ mile race is 1:48.64 set in 2003 by Bird Town. The fastest time for the 1 ¹⁄₂ mile race is 2:39 by the horses Felicia set in 1877, tied by Belle of Nelson in 1878 and tied again Katie Creel in 1882. The 1 ¹⁄₄ mile race record is held by Selika set in 1894 at 2:15. The record for the 1 ¹⁄₁₆ mile race is 1:43.6 set be Ari's Mona in 1950 and tied by Sweet Alliance in 1977.^[1]

Largest winning margin:

• 20 ¹⁄₄ lengths - Rachel Alexandra (2009)^[4]

Longest shot to win the Oaks:

• 47/1 - Lemons Forever (2006)^[5]

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 on Believe You Can and Untapable (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)^[6] - Roscoe Tarleton Goose (1916)^[7][8]

Carl used the original German spelling of "Goose," which one of a few spellings was "Ganz," but also Gantz, Gans, and so on. ^[9] The Goose brothers are cousins of Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr.,^[10] the founder of the Louisville Jockey Club.

Winners of the Kentucky Oaks since 1875

Notes

• In 1924, Glide finished first but was disqualified for fouling.
• In 1959 the race was run in two divisions.

See also

• 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

References

External links

• KentuckyOaks.com - Official website