Always a Runner wins the 152nd Kentucky Oaks
Key takeaways
- Giving trainer Chad Brown his first Oaks victory, Always a Runner showed why he has thought so highly of her since she first got to the track.
- "She was in a clinic with fluid in her lungs, and the wonderful team of veterinarians got her back to me," Brown said.
- 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 1⅛-mile race.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Always a Runner won the 152nd edition of the Kentucky Oaks on Friday night, the latest chapter in the filly's remarkable journey from contracting pneumonia as a 2-year-old to beating some of the best 3-year-old competition around.
Giving trainer Chad Brown his first Oaks victory, Always a Runner showed why he has thought so highly of her since she first got to the track. Before that, her debut was delayed by illness that led to treatment in a hyperbaric chamber. Always a Runner had only raced twice before the biggest win of her career.
"She was in a clinic with fluid in her lungs, and the wonderful team of veterinarians got her back to me," Brown said. "This filly is very resilient, very tough, as you saw today. Only two starts to do this, overcome pneumonia and patient owners. They always let me lead, and we always put the horse first and she took us here."