Don’t forget the girls !!!
The first running of the Longines Kentucky Oaks was on May 19, 1875 when Churchill Downs was known as the Louisville Jockey Club. The race was founded by Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. along with the Kentucky Derby. The Oaks and the Derby are the oldest continuously contested sporting events in history, and the only horse races to be held at their original site since its conception. The Longines Kentucky Oaks was modeled after the British Epsom Oaks.
The Longines Kentucky Oaks is considered by some to be among the most popular horse races in American horse-racing society due to its high attendance. It attracts about 100,000 people in attendance a year.
If you are planning to attend the Kentucky Oaks, we encourage you to wear any color as long as it is PINK – from hats to handkerchiefs, suits to sundresses, sunglasses to stilettos! For the sixth consecutive year, Churchill Downs invites you to THINK PINK when planning your attire for the 140th Kentucky Oaks, on Friday, May 2nd, in honor of the Oaks official flower – the stargazer lily – and in support of Churchill Downs’ official partnerships with Bright Pink and Horses & Hope.
Churchill Downs has partnered with Bright Pink, the only national non-profit organization that focuses on the prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer in young women, while providing support for high-risk individuals. Through this partnership, Churchill Downs will donate $50,000 to Bright Pink, to be used towards the education, support, and empowerment of young women nationwide in prevention of breast and ovarian cancer. Churchill Downs invites Kentucky Oaks fans, like you, to donate, too! Click here to learn more about the Survivors Parade Presented by Kroger, to vote for your favorite breast and/or ovarian cancer survivor, and to make a donation to Bright Pink on their behalf. In addition, donation stations will be located throughout the Churchill Down facility on Kentucky Oaks Day, so you can make a cash or check donation to Bright Pink on Friday, May 2nd and receive a pink ribbon to accessorize your Kentucky Oaks attire!
In addition, Churchill Downs will continue to support the mission of Horses & Hope, which is to increase breast cancer awareness, education, screening and treatment referrals among Kentucky horse industry workers and their families. Churchill Downs will donate $1 to Horses and Hope for the sale of each Oaks Lily, the official drink of the Kentucky Oaks.