Two days of world-class horse racing at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., kick off on Friday with 13 races, highlighted by the 2024 Kentucky Oaks. The filly equivalent of the Kentucky Derby, the Oaks has brought together a deep and contentious 14-horse field. Tarifa, who has lost only once in five career starts, has been installed as the lukewarm 7-2 favorite on the morning line. She will attempt to deliver trainer Brad Cox, a Louisville native, his third Oaks victory.
But several fillies have a legitimate shot at the garland of lilies. Leslie's Rose (4-1) also has lost only once and is coming off an impressive win in the Ashland Stakes. Just F Y I (9-2), the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner from last year, has been training in the mornings as if she's ready to get back to her championship form. Thorpedo Anna (5-1) and Ways and Means (5-1) have never finished outside of the top two in seven combined starts.
Post time for the $1.5 million Oaks is 5:51 p.m. ET.
What to know about the 2024 Kentucky Oaks
- What 150th Kentucky Oaks
- Where Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
- Who 14 3-year-old fillies
- Purse $1.5 million
- Distance 1⅛ miles
- Post time 5:51 p.m. ET
- Network USA
- Weather forecast Cloudy with a couple of thunderstorms; high of 74
Kentucky Oaks preview
One of the nation's most iconic sporting events will be held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., this week. It's a horse race featuring several of the country's top 3-year-olds with very little separating the top contenders. Afterward, the winner will be donned with a garland of flowers.
That race is, of course, the 2024 Kentucky Oaks.
The Kentucky Oaks, which is limited to fillies, annually serves as the opening act for its more celebrated brother, the Kentucky Derby, the following day. But this year's Oaks, set for early Friday evening, is arguably the more compelling race.
Consider: The top five choices on the morning line in the Oaks are separated by a little more than a rumor. Fair Grounds Oaks winner Tarifa is the slight favorite at 7-2, just ahead of Leslie's Rose (4-1), Just F Y I (9-2), Thorpedo Anna (5-1) and Ways and Means (5-1). By contrast, in the Kentucky Derby, Florida Derby winner Fierceness is the 5-2 favorite, and Blue Grass Stakes winner Sierra Leone is the 3-1 second choice. But no other horse is shorter than 8-1.
"It's probably one of the strongest Oaks' fields that I've seen in a long time," said Ian Wilkes, trainer of 30-1 Oaks longshot Into Champagne. "Top to bottom, it's very strong."
Though there's a good chance that she may not leave the starting gate as the favorite, Tarifa has been installed as the morning-line favorite for a reason. She has four wins in five career starts and has won three in a row, beating several of these rivals already. She also is a homebred for Godolphin, the horse racing equivalent of the New York Yankees, and is trained by the skillful Brad Cox.
The 44-year-old Cox didn't need to travel far to go a long way. He grew up about a quarter mile south of the backside of storied Churchill Downs as a horse racing fan. Today he is one of the best trainers in the country, having won two Eclipse Awards as the country's most outstanding trainer, in 2020 and '21.
Cox, who will also saddle 30-1 longshot Gin Gin, already has won the Oaks twice, with Monomoy Girl in 2018 and Shedaresthedevil in 2020. With a win on Friday, he would become just the ninth trainer to have won the Oaks three times.
"They're doing as good as you can hope leading into the Oaks," Cox said of his duo. "It's a solid group of fillies this year, and we're looking forward to the race."
Post time for the $1.5 million Oaks is set for 5:51 p.m. ET.
SportsLine expert picks
SportsLine has two great horse racing experts who have locked in their Kentucky Oaks picks. Here's a preview of each:
Michelle Yu, an on-air host and reporter with a background training horses and who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders' Cup, enters this year's Kentucky Oaks on a roll. She predicted Stronghold's upset win in the Santa Anita Derby en route to a $219.50 payday and smashed the exacta in the Apple Blossom Handicap as part of a $410 score, both in the last month. In the Oaks, Yu is high on the chances of Power Squeeze, even though she is a 12-1 longshot. But her top pick is a filly who is "ready for a big effort." Check out Yu's full Kentucky Oaks wagering strategy at SportsLine.
Jody Demling has hit the Oaks-Derby double 10 times in the last 15 years. This year he's fading Tarifa, even though she is the 7-2 favorite. But his top pick is a filly who is set up for "a big effort." Find Demling's full Kentucky Oaks wagering strategy at SportsLine.
Kentucky Oaks morning-line odds
| Prg # | Horse | Odds | Projection |
| 1 | Tapit Jenallie | SCR | SEE PICKS |
| 2 | Gin Gin | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 3 | Where's My Ring | 15-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 4 | Regulatory Risk | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 5 | Thorpedo Anna | 5-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 6 | Lemon Muffin | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 7 | Fiona's Magic | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 8 | Tarifa | 7-2 | SEE PICKS |
| 9 | Everland | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 10 | Into Champagne | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 11 | Ways and Means | 5-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 12 | Power Squeeze | 12-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 13 | Just F Y I | 9-2 | SEE PICKS |
| 14 | Leslie's Rose | 4-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 15 | Our Pretty Woman | 15-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 16* | Candied | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| * Also Eligible |
