{"id":1835,"date":"2026-05-07T15:29:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T15:29:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=1835"},"modified":"2026-05-07T15:29:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T15:29:37","slug":"always-a-runner-wins-kentucky-oaks-under-the-lights-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=1835","title":{"rendered":"Always a Runner wins Kentucky Oaks under the lights"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

By STEPHEN WHYNO<\/strong> AP Sports Writer<\/p>\n

LOUISVILLE, Ky. \u2014 Trainer Chad Brown got the scary call last fall that Always a Runner had a serious case of pneumonia, something that would keep her from racing as a 2-year-old.<\/p>\n

Read more Golden Tempo stuns in making Kentucky Derby history<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThis filly was struggling,\u201d Brown said. \u201cHer career was really up in the air.\u201d<\/p>\n

After more than a month in a veterinary clinic and treatment with a hyperbaric chamber, she began her racing career in February. On Friday night, Always a Runner showed her toughness once again by winning the Kentucky Oaks against some of the best 3-year-old fillies around in the 152nd edition of the race and the first run under the lights in prime time at Churchill Downs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis filly is very resilient, very tough,\u201d Brown said after winning the Oaks for the first time. \u201cShe didn\u2019t have to be here today. She didn\u2019t have to run again. She could have never run, easily. I\u2019ve had it happen with several horses. The fact that not only did she overcome it and ended up here today as an undefeated horse in the Oaks is just remarkable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Always a Runner made a move around the final turn and needed every bit of the stretch to pass Bob Baffert\u2019s Explora and and Michael McCarthy\u2019s Meaning before the finish line of the 1\u215b-mile race.<\/p>\n

Meaning was second by 1\u00bc lengths and Counting Stars third. Always a Runner finished in 1:48.62 and paid $13.04 to win, $7.46 to place and $5.44 to show.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were there every step of the way,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cKudos to Chad, that filly came running. We were second-best.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Always a Runner impressed Ortiz, who had never ridden her in a race before the Oaks \u2013 just a morning workout. She\u2019s now 3 for 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cChad was very confident in her,\u201d said Ortiz, who won five races on Friday at Churchill Downs. \u201cHe knew what he had. He told me, \u2018Just go out there, get to know her in the work and you\u2019re going to feel like a sports car, like she\u2019s a Ferrari.\u2019 And he was right. I loved the way she worked, and here we are. We won.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Santa Anita consensus picks for Sunday, May 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Brown will try to pull off the Oaks-Kentucky Derby double on Saturday with Emerging Market, who also had pneumonia as a 2-year-old and has only raced twice. He has also never won the Derby.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stick with things that are working,\u201d Brown said. \u201cSo, two starts, we should be good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The first night Kentucky Oaks was one for the history books, but also took place in front of large swaths of empty seats. Many of the 100,000-plus fans who filled the grandstand and the track from the late morning through the afternoon had departed before sunset. The Oaks has typically been run before 6 p.m. local time.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me it\u2019s just a very long day,\u201d Ortiz said. \u201cIt was just amazing. Good vibe. It\u2019s for the public. If they have fun, it\u2019s good to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown lamented not being able to get presented with the trophy in the infield, the tradition for the Oaks and the Derby that was moved to the paddock because of the time. Other than that, he had no complaints.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a really cool experience, and it\u2019s nice to utilize this facility with the lights and all and I would definitely do it again. Obviously, my horse ran terrific,\u201d Brown said. \u201c(The ceremony) was the only negative. Everything else about it was an incredible experience today with this post time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo won\u2019t run in the Preakness<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Chad Brown-trained filly shows her toughness again, making a move around the final turn and needing every bit of the stretch to pass Bob Baffert\u2019s Explora and Michael McCarthy\u2019s Meaning before the finish line of the 1\u215b-mile race, run in prime time for the first time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":997,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-verified-news"],"yoast_head":"\nAlways a Runner wins Kentucky Oaks under the lights - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=1835\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Always a Runner wins Kentucky Oaks under the lights - 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