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 Jose Ortiz celebrates aboard Always a Runner after winning the Kentucky Oaks. | |
The $1.5 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) is the premier race in the country for 3-year-old fillies, and is the female counterpart to the Kentucky Derby. After the scratches of Bella Ballerina, Bottle of Rouge, My Miss Mo, and also-eligible Nycon from the originally drawn 17 fillies, a field of 13 went to post before the 103,290 fans in attendance at Churchill Downs, under dark overcast skies and a temperature of 53 degrees when the gate opened at 8:43PM. This was the first Oaks to be run under floodlights, about an hour after sunset. Wagering from all sources on the full Kentucky Oaks race day card set a new record of $89 million, up 18 percent from the prior record set in 2024. All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Oaks race was an all-time high of over $29 million, up 29 percent from last year.
 Always a Runner takes the lead down the stretch in the Kentucky Oaks. |
Jockey Flavien Prat sent 15-2 Explora to the lead first time by and she set fractions of 23.08, 46.85, and 1:10.78 while pressed by 40-1 Dazzling Dame and stalked by 21-1 Pashmina and 13-2 Counting Stars. Turning for home Explora tired allowing 5.79-1 fourth choice Meaning, 5th early, to gain a short lead through 1 mile in 1:35.82. Always a Runner, 8th early under Jose Ortiz, came out 5 wide for room and rallied by to win by 1 1/4 lengths over Meaning in 1:48.82. It was another length back to Counting Stars third, while favorite Zany was 7th early and failed to rally finishing 6th beaten 5 1/2 lengths.
There were six other stakes races on the card with the Oaks. Full results for all of them with more photos are here.
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 9 Always a Runner Ortiz 13.04 7.46 5.44 5 Meaning Hernandez 7.44 5.62 4 Counting Stars Arrieta 5.36 Winning Time: 1:48.82 $2 Exacta 9-5 97.58 $0.50 Trifecta 9-5-4 193.87 $1 Superfecta 9-5-4-1 1,845.74 |
Left: Always a Runner in the winner's circle. Winning jockey Jose Ortiz, celebrating his second Oaks win, said, "Around the far turn she really started coming with a big run. She had to really work hard to get by those fillies on the lead. It's such an incredible experience to win the Oaks. It was a great day of racing and to cap it off in the Oaks it was amazing."
Right: Always a Runner returns after the race. Winning trainer Chad Brown, celebrating his first Oaks win, said, "I'm so proud of this horse. She's overcome so much and to be able to be rewarded this way is unbelievable. She had a very serious case of pneumonia. When horses experience things like that, we just had to take things day by day. Her career was really up in the air. I never imagined she'd get to this day."
Left: Always a Runner walks over before the race. Brown added, "She's just an unbelievable horse. (She never raced as a 2-year-old because) she was in a clinic with fluid in her lungs, and the wonderful team of veterinarians got her back to me. This filly is very resilient, very tough, as you saw today."
Right: Always a Runner heads to the winner's circle in the paddock. Ortiz added, "She's amazing. Obviously, she ran very good races her first two times out. Chad was very confident in her; he knew what he had."
Left: Always a Runner in the post parade. Brown added, "I've spent many, many Derby weekends looking at the infield wishing I could go in there and hold one of these trophies. So of course, I won the first one where we're in the paddock (for the winner's circle). Maybe tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow, if I'm lucky, I'll get that trip to the infield. That was the only negative. Everything else about it was an incredible experience today with this post time."
Right: Jose Ortiz celebrates aboard Always a Runner after the race. Ortiz added, "She broke really good and was able to fall behind Meaning, which me and Chad had talked about as one of the possibilities, that she was a very nice filly to follow. Meaning had a beautiful trip under Juan [Hernandez], and I followed him and I ended up just perfect," Ortiz said. "Saved ground and tipped out right at the quarter pole. It was just a dream trip. I was very, very happy to be in the position I was."
Left: Second place finisher Meaning in the post parade. Jockey Juan Hernandez said, "I had a really good trip. She broke really well and got in a good position. Around the turn, I swung out because the horse in front of me was kind of stopping. When I asked her, she exploded. I thought we had it for a second, the other filly was just a little faster than we were today. She's going to improve from this race." Trainer Mike McCarthy added, "I thought Juan did a wonderful job keeping her in the pocket. The running started coming through the three-eighths pole, and we were there every step of the way. Shook loose at the top of the lane, and for a second – kudos to Chad. That filly came running, and we were second best on the day."
Right: Third place finisher Counting Stars walks over before the race. Jockey Francisco Arrieta said, "She broke well. I had a couple of horses covering me and I sat just behind them. I tried to make a move but the gap closed so I had to wait a little longer." Trainer Mark Casse added, "I am very proud of her and I thought Francisco gave her a great ride."
Left: Sixth place finisher and beaten favorite Zany in the post parade. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said, "I was right next to the winner (early on). At the three-eighths pole, we were moving good but at the quarter poke, they opened up in front me and she did not respond when I hit her left handed. Not today."
Right: The fillies break from the gate for the Kentucky Oaks. Jockey Flavien Prat aboard pacesetter and fourth place finisher Explora said, "She bounced out of there very well. She was going well on the lead and ran a very good race overall." Trainer Bob Baffert added, "They went fast. She was in a good spot and hung in there. Turning for home, she gave us a scream. I am proud of her; she ran her heart out."
Photos courtesy of Amber Chalfin of Downthestretchphotos.com.
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