Always A Runner Claims the Lilies for the 152nd Running of the Longines Kentucky Oaks

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Kentucky Oaks Presented in Primetime on NBC for the First Time Ever LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Churchill Downs Incorporated (Nasdaq: CHDN) (the "Company", "CDI", "we") announced today that Always A Runner captured the Lilies in the 152nd running of the Longines Kentucky Oaks, topping a field of 13 fillies on fast track conditions. Under the lights of Churchill Downs Racetrack, over 103,000 enthusiastic fans gathered to witness America’s premier race for 3-year-old fillies, highlighted by a spectacular twilight finish. NBC Sports and Peacock broadcast the Kentucky Oaks in primetime for the first time, marking a significant step in expanding viewership and reaching new audiences. Wagering from all sources on the full Kentucky Oaks race day card set a new record of $89 million, up 18% from the prior record set in 2024. All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Oaks race was an all-time high of over $29 million, up 29% from last year. TwinSpires, the official betting partner of the Kentucky Oaks, set a new record of $24 million1, up 24% from the prior record set last year in wagering on Churchill Downs races for the Kentucky Oaks Day program. Always A Runner, owned by Douglas Scharbauer and Three Chimneys Farm, LLC, trained by Chad Brown, and ridden by Jose Ortiz, covered the 1-1/8th mile in 1:48.82 to win the Longines Kentucky Oaks by 1-¼ lengths at odds of 5-1. Three Chimneys Farm, LLC, bred the daughter of Gun Runner in Kentucky. Always A Runner has lifetime earnings of nearly $1 million. “We proudly celebrate and congratulate the connections of Always A Runner on her impressive victory,” said Churchill Downs President Mike Anderson. “We are so grateful to our fans, sponsors, horsemen, and horsewomen who made the 152nd Kentucky Oaks a truly memorable event.” Through the Kentucky Oaks, CDI continued to champion women’s health initiatives, harnessing the event’s platform to make an impact. We welcomed breast and ovarian cancer survivors to walk the historic racetrack prior to the running of Longines Kentucky Oaks for the 18th annual Survivors Parade. Churchill Downs’ Oaks charitable beneficiaries were Derby Divas, representing the Norton Cancer Institute; Horses and Hope, representing the Kentucky Cancer Program; and new for 2026, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Since its inception, the Oaks Survivors Pa...

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