Always A Runner’s Oaks Win Drives Record $89M Wagering, 103K Attendance
Always A Runner won the 152nd Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs before 103,000 fans under lights with a 1:48.82 finish. Day wagering hit a record $89 million (up 18%), with $29 million on the Oaks (up 29%) and TwinSpires handle of $24 million (up 24%).
1. Race Outcome
Always A Runner, bred by Three Chimneys Farm and owned by Douglas Scharbauer and Three Chimneys Farm, covered the 1⅛-mile in 1:48.82 to win the 152nd Longines Kentucky Oaks by 1¼ lengths at 5-1 odds. Thirteen fillies competed on a fast track under the lights, marking the premier race for 3-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs.
2. Wagering and Broadcast Milestones
The full Kentucky Oaks day card generated $89 million in all-sources wagering, an 18% increase over the 2024 record, while the Oaks race itself drew $29 million (up 29%). TwinSpires set a new $24 million handle (up 24%) and the event was broadcast in primetime on NBC and Peacock for the first time to over 103,000 on-site spectators.
3. Charitable Initiatives
For its 18th annual Survivors Parade, Churchill Downs welcomed breast and ovarian cancer survivors to walk the track, raising nearly $2 million since inception. Oak beneficiaries for 2026 include Derby Divas of Norton Cancer Institute, Horses and Hope of the Kentucky Cancer Program, and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.