Kentucky Oaks

Date: May 06, 16
Post:
Purse: $1,000,000
Grade: I
Type: T
Distance: 9 Furlongs
Age: 3 Year Old
Sex: Fillies
Turf: Dirt

Notes
The Kentucky Oaks is an American horse racing event that is raced at a distance of nine furlongs on the dirt track of Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky. This grade I thoroughbred stake is open to fillies with age three. The Kentucky Oaks is generally held on the Friday just before the Kentucky Derby and it carries a purse of $500,000 and is honored with a garland of lilies. It is to be noted here that the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby are the oldest continuously contested sporting events in history. Kentucky Oaks is the only horse racing event that has been running in the same ground since it’s inauguration. Until now, the race has been run on four different distances – it was raced on one and half miles between 1875 and 1890. After that, the distance changed to one and one fourth miles for a brief period until 1895. The distance also changed several times in between and finally in 1982, the distance was set at 1⅛ miles, which is still maintained.