The 145th running of the Kentucky Oaks sets all-time wagering record

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WTVQ)-Wagering on Friday’s 145th running of the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks reached record levels at Churchill Downs Racetrack as Serengeti Empress captured the race before a crowd of 105, 719 that braved early morning rain.

Attendance decreased 7% compared to last year which had more favorable weather conditions. This follows a record-breaking Thursday (“Thurby”) crowd of 48,212.

Wagering from all-sources was the highest all-time on both the Kentucky Oaks program and on the Kentucky Oaks race.

Wagering from all-sources on the full Kentucky Oaks Day race card totaled $60.2 million, an 8% increase over the previous wagering record total of $55.8 million in 2018. All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Oaks race rose 10% to $19.4 million from the previous Oaks race record total of $17.5 million in 2018.

Churchill Downs held its 11th annual “Pink Out” in partnership with Derby Divas and in support of Norton Cancer Institute – during the celebration of the Kentucky Oaks.

The Churchill Downs Incorporated Foundation says it donated $50,000 and helped raise an additional $23,877 through on-line donations to benefit the Breast Health Program at Norton Cancer Institute, a local non-profit, focused on the prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer in young women.

Churchill Downs also donated $1 from each Friday sale of the Finlandia Oaks Lily®, the official drink of the Kentucky Oaks, to Derby Divas, a group of dedicated volunteers who have partnered with Norton Healthcare to raise funds to make sure underserved women have access to mammograms and other key services to help prevent, detect and treat breast cancer.

The Kentucky Oaks Survivors Parade presented by Kroger celebrated 145 cancer survivors who marched down Churchill Downs’ historic homestretch prior to the running of the Longines Kentucky Oaks to help raise national awareness of breast and ovarian health and honor survivors.

Serengeti Empress, owned by Joel Politi and bred in Kentucky by Tri Eques Bloodstock, LLC, led from gate to wire and held off Coffeepot Stables’ Liora to win the Longines Kentucky Oaks by 1 3/4 lengths at odds of 13-1 in a final time of 1:50.17. Both jockey Jose Ortiz and trainer Tom Amoss, won the race for the first time. The daughter of Alternation out of the Bernardini mare Havisham was also the first Longines Kentucky Oaks winner owned by Politi. She now has a lifetime record of five wins in eight starts and increased her lifetime earnings to $1,044,870 and returned $28 for a $2 win wager.