It’s Kentucky Derby weekend, which if you happen to be a fan of these musings you probably know it’s one of the few times this space gets devoted to the Sport of Kings. But if you are indeed a fan of these musings you also know that there’s been a greater appreciation and opportunity for exposure for female athletes to share the spotlight and attention that we do our best to at least try and stay on top of. And given how much my soccer-addicted grandfather instilled in me the appreciation for hprse racing, I feel an obligation to do my part to not simply just fall back on one race a year.
Apparently so does the opportunistic team at NBC Sports, fresh off elevating the women’s hockey team to equal status with men at the Milan-Cortina Olympics. Hence why they are actually doing the Derby one better and turning over a prime time Friday night to showcase a whole buncha deserving fillies. As THE ATHLETIC’sTeresa Genaro woman-splained yesterday:
For the first time this year, the Kentucky Oaks hits primetime. Post time for the race is 8:40 p.m. ET, reportedly because Churchill Downs hopes that the later post will bring increased television ratings and wagering. Post time for the first race at Churchill Downs on Friday will be 12:30 p.m. ET. Television coverage begins at 4 p.m. on Peacock and NBCSN. The broadcast moves to NBC at 8 p.m. and will also be shown on Peacock.
Like the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks uses a points system to determine which 3-year-old fillies will be eligible to run. The top 14 fillies on the leaderboard are guaranteed a spot in the starting gate, with three horses added as also-eligibles in case anyone in the main field scratches.
Those three also-eligibles — Resist, Nycon, and Lovely Grey — have all made it to the race this year, following three scratches since the draw on Saturday. Should any additional horses scratch, the Oaks will run with less than a full field of 14 fillies.
Last weekend the hometown LOUISVILLE COURIER-JOURNAL’s Brooks Holton set the stage for those who actually do have a chance to win:
Post positions for the 2026 Kentucky Oaks are set, with Zany established as the favorite in the $1.5 million, Grade 1 stakes race during Saturday’s draw at Churchill Downs.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Zany drew the No. 2 spot and leads the pack with 4-1 morning-line odds. Other top contenders include Meaning (5-1), who drew the No. 5 spot, Explora and Percy’s Bar (6-1), who drew the No. 1 and No. 11 spots, respectively.
Those names may be completely alien to you too as the races that typically lead up the Oaks are far more obscure than the ones that lead up to the actual Derby. There aren’t similarly-named stakes races in Florida or at Santa Anita to whet the appetites and occasionally get covered, and with FanDuel TV due to hit its own glue factory once the NHL first round ends by Sunday night there won’t even be a national channel to covering the sport going forward. So this is as much of a seminal moment for horse racing itself as it may be for NBC and Peacock. Proving there is enough interest in the sport beyond the entrenched Run For The Roses might actually open more doors, especially on a service that announced this week in its sub-par earnings report that they see live sports as a quicker route to greater relevance than riskier scripted fare can be.
With women’s sports in general getting more ubiquitous than ever–and with the allure of gambling always bringing men along for the ride, giving the Oaks the broadcast network spotlight on a night when post-season basketball and hockey playoffs are the exclusive domain of cable and streaming is as safe a bet as one could make. And heck, any platform that’s dependent on Bravo content would almost be a natural fit for something like the Kentucky Oaks–not to mention races later this year that could feature those that finish in the money.
There isn’t a pure female Triple Crown, of course. But if there’s a smattering of traction tonight I’d be inclined to believe something could be at least proposed. Have those races as the payoff for a competition series–or perhaps spotlight the competitors in their off-track surroundings. Project Raceway, perhaps? Summer Barn, anyone? How’s about The Real Housemares of Kentucky?
Get Andy Cohen working on this pronto, gang.
Courage…