05/01/26 07:58:00
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05/01 19:57 CDT Always a Runner wins the 152nd Kentucky Oaks, the first to run
under the lights in prime time
Always a Runner wins the 152nd Kentucky Oaks, the first to run under the lights
in prime time
By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Sports Writer
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) --- Always a Runner won the 152nd edition of the Kentucky
Oaks on Friday night, the first time the race for top 3-year-old fillies has
been run under the lights in prime time at Churchill Downs.
It's the first victory in the race for top 3-year-old fillies for trainer Chad
Brown. Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Always a Runner made a move around the final turn
and needed every bit of the stretch to pass Bob Baffert's Explora and and
Michael McCarthy's Meaning before the finish line of the 1 1/8-mile race.
Meaning was second and Counting Stars third.
Always a Runner has become a star after contracting pneumonia as a 2-year-old
and undergoing treatment for it. She's now 3 for 3 in her only races.
"What an unbelievable talent," Brown said. "This filly is very resilient, very
tough."
Brown will try to pull off the Oaks-Kentucky Derby double on Saturday with
Emerging Market. He has also never won the Derby.
The first night Kentucky Oaks was one for the history books, but also took
place in front of large swaths of empty seats. Many of the fans who filled the
grandstand and the track from the late morning through the afternoon had
departed before sunset. The Oaks has typically been run before 6 p.m.
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AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing
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