Kentucky Oaks
Address:
700 Central Avenue
Louisville, Kentucky 40208
Phone:
502 636 4400
Description:
The Kentucky Oaks is the sister race to the
Kentucky Derby. Run the Friday before Derby, Oaks is a race for three-year-old fillies and is marketed as a "Ladies Day Out" event. Attendees where pink, and the Oaks winner receives a garland of lilies, whereas the Derby winner gets a rose garland (hence the name "Run for the Roses"). To match the Derby mint julep, the race now also has an official drink, the "Oaks Lily," a pink vodka cocktail. As with the Derby, tickets to Oaks are pricy and difficult to get, but Oaks general admission tickets are $25 and allow ticket holders into the paddock area and infield. Since these areas do not guarantee a view of the race, TVs are available throughout
Churchill Downs. You can see the horses before each race in the paddock area.
Post time (the scheduled race start time) for Oaks is 5:45. Parking at Churchill Downs is sold ahead of time and reserved, so plan to take a shuttle or arrive early to get a good spot in the neighborhood. Don't forget your pink.
Map: