Attacking the leaders with a relentless wide bid on the outside in the stretch, Always a Runner remained unbeaten in three starts by wearing down Meaning to win the $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs.
Counting Stars ran third in the prestigious race for 3-year-old fillies.
The winner, a 3-year-old daughter of Gun Runner out of the Malibu Moon mare Always Carina, ran 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:48.82 under Jose Ortiz, who won five races on Churchill's 13-race card. Victorious previously in maiden race at Tampa Bay Downs and the Gazelle Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack last out, she paid $13.04.
Chad Brown trains Always a Runner for Douglas Scharbauer and Goncalo Torrealba's Three Chimneys Farm. Scharbauer bought her for $1.05 million at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
Friday's Oaks marked the first primetime edition of the Kentucky Oaks, with track officials experimenting with a later post time under the track's lights with the aim of increased viewership and wagering.
This story will be updated.
Video: Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1)
