Always a Runner wins the 152nd Kentucky Oaks, the first to run under the lights in prime time
Always a Runner won the 152nd Kentucky Oaks in a historic prime-time race held under the lights at Churchill Downs. Trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Jose Ortiz, the filly overcame a past illness to secure victory in her third career start. The win marked Brown's first Kentucky Oaks triumph and highlighted the resilience of the 3-year-old filly.
- ▪Always a Runner won the 152nd Kentucky Oaks, the first edition of the race held under the lights in prime time.
- ▪The filly, trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Jose Ortiz, overcame pneumonia as a 2-year-old before winning the race.
- ▪Always a Runner passed Bob Baffert’s Explora and Michael McCarthy’s Meaning in the final stretch to win the 1 1/8-mile race.
- ▪Meaning finished second and Counting Stars came in third, while Always a Runner paid $13.04 to win.
- ▪Jose Ortiz had never ridden Always a Runner in a race before, only in a morning workout.
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