The Kentucky Oaks race is run every year at Churchill Downs racecourse the Friday before the Kentucky Derby. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies and is affectionately known as the “Lilies for the Fillies” because the winner of the race receives a larger garland of lilies in addition to $1.5 Million in prize money.
Every online sportsbook that accepts US bettors will offer betting lines for the Kentucky Oaks race every year, but the three recommended below are each trusted and well respected in the horse race betting industry.
Best Sportsbooks For Betting On Kentucky Oaks
- Built for American bettors
- Wide variety of competitive betting lines
- Easy to navigate betting platform
- Accepts players worldwide
- Competitive betting lines
- Fast & easy deposits and withdrawals (including Bitcoin)
How To Bet On The Kentucky Oaks Online
Betting on the Kentucky Oaks is very straight forward, but if you follow these three simple steps you will be placing your Kentucky Oaks wagers in no time.
Bet On Kentucky Oaks – Sign Up Guide
- Open an Online Racebook Account – First you should visit any of the sportsbooks outlined above and open an account. You will have to fill out a quick sign-up form that just takes a second.
- Fund Your Account – After you have created your account you will have to make a deposit in order to have money with which to bet on the Kentucky Oaks race. There are a wide variety of deposit methods to choose from at each of the sites listed above and if you run into any problems the sportsbooks customer support team will be eager to assist you.
- Place Your Kentucky Oats Bets – You are now ready to place your bets. Head over to the Racebook section of the sportsbook and find the ‘Churchill Downs’ racetrack to place your bets. To learn more about the different bets you can place on this and other horse races head over to our bet on horse racing page. You can also find some basic horse racing betting tips on that page that will help you place your Kentucky Oaks bet.
Kentucky Oaks History
The first Kentucky Oaks race was held way back in 1875 at the Louisville Jockey Club, which later changed its name to Churchill Downs. Along with the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks race is oldest continuously contested sporting event in the world and the oldest horse race to be held at the same track since its inauguration.
The Kentucky Oaks race is the third most attended horse race in the United States, beaten only by the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Since 2001 there have been about 100,000 people attending the race every year. The fact that most schools and businesses in the Louisville area treat the Oaks as a holiday could play a part in why so many are able to attend.
To learn more about the history of the Kentucky Oaks race check out the Kentucky Oaks wikipedia page.