LOUISVILLE, KY – Douglas Scharbauer and Three Chimneys Farm’s Always a Runner surged past Meaning and Explora at the sixteenth pole and pulled away to a 1 ¼-length victory in the 152nd running of the $1,500,000 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) for 3-year-old fillies Friday evening at Churchill Downs before a crowd of 103,290.
Trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Jose Ortiz, Always a Runner remained undefeated in three starts and completed the mile and eighth on a fast main track in 1:48.62. It marked the first Oaks victory for Brown and the second for Ortiz, who previously won in 2019 with Serengeti Empress. Ortiz also rode five winners on the Oaks Day program.
Race Recap
Exiting post 1, Explora set the pace while under token pressure from Dazzling Dame through opening fractions of :23.08 and :46.85. Pashmina tracked in third while Counting Stars saved ground in fourth along the inside.
Always a Runner settled in mid-pack early, positioned between horses before launching a powerful five-wide move around the far turn to avoid traffic.
At the top of the stretch, Meaning began to gain on Explora, but Always a Runner was full of run. She took command at the sixteenth pole and drew off convincingly to secure the victory.
Counting Stars rallied late to finish third, edging Explora by a neck.
Record Crowd, Handle & National Spotlight
For the first time, NBC Sports and Peacock broadcast the Kentucky Oaks in primetime, expanding the race’s reach and introducing the event to a broader national audience.
From a wagering standpoint, the event delivered historic numbers:
- $89 million wagered on the full Kentucky Oaks Day card (new record, up 18% from 2024)
- $29+ million wagered on the Kentucky Oaks race itself (all-time high, up 29% year-over-year)
Payouts & Pedigree
The victory was worth $855,600, boosting Always a Runner’s career earnings to $987,800.
- Winner: Always a Runner — $13.04, $7.46, $5.44
- Second: Meaning — $7.44, $5.62
- Third: Counting Stars — $5.36
Bred by Three Chimneys Farm, Always a Runner is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Gun Runner out of the Malibu Moon mare Always Carina.
Full Order of Finish
Following Explora, the rest of the field finished in this order:
Prom Queen, favored Zany, Percy’s Bar, Resist, Search Party, Pashmina, Lovely Grey, and Brooklyn Blonde.
Kentucky Oaks Quotes
Jose Ortiz (Jockey, Always a Runner, winner)
“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.”
Chad Brown (Trainer, Always a Runner, winner)
“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.”
Juan Hernandez (Jockey, Meaning, second)
“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.”
Michael McCarthy (Trainer, Meaning, second)
“I thought she would show up and she did. I am happy with her race.”
Francisco Arrieta (Jockey, Counting Stars, third)
“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.”
Mark Casse (Trainer, Counting Stars, third)
“I am very proud of her and I thought Francisco (Arrieta) gave her a great ride.”
Flavien Prat (Jockey, Explora, fourth)
“She bounced out of there very well. She was going well on the lead and ran a very good race overall.”
Bob Baffert (Trainer, Explora, fourth)
“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.”
Javier Castellano (Jockey, Prom Queen, fifth)
“We didn’t have the best break out of the gate. I had to decide to early position quickly, we feel too far behind and had a lot of traffic in front of us. I then had to go outside but we lost to a really good horse.”
Irad Ortiz Jr. (Jockey, Zany, sixth)
“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.”
Luan Machado (Jockey, Percy’s Bar, seventh)
“She broke well out of the gate but she just didn’t quite have the kick to get into the first group. It was a little bit of a wide trip but I was just off the winner so we really didn’t have much of an excuse.”
Luis Saez (Jockey, Dazzling Dame, eighth)
“I had a great trip and was in a beautiful spot. It’s the spot I wanted to be in but when we turned for home, it was a little tough for my filly.”
Brian Hernandez Jr. (Jockey, Resist, ninth)
“I am proud of her. She broke from the 17 hole and broke out a bit and was a little further back than I first envisioned. From there, I tried to work out a trip. She came with a run but in these Grade 1s, they don’t come back to you. You have to try and chase them down.”
Cristian Torres (Jockey, Search Party, 10th)
“I had a great trip all the way around. When it was time to run, she just wasn’t there for me.”
Ramon Vazquez (Jockey, Pashmina, 11th)
“I got a perfect and was in a good position on the backside behind the speed. My filly was just flat.”
Dylan Davis (Jockey, Lovely Grey, 12th)
“She got outfooted. She broke OK and was behind the (early) pace. She could not get any finish today.”
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