Kentucky Oaks day was one that produced big numbers in several facets. A card that featured seven Stakes races and the 152nd running of that showcase for three-year-old fillies indeed shined the spotlight on the sport of Thoroughbred racing. A crowd of over 100,000 people saw Always A Runner win the feature as they broke out their wallets and wagered a record amount while witnessing some fantastic four-legged athletes.

Betting Handle Sets Record And Features Nice Payouts

The all-sources betting numbers for Kentucky Oaks day was a record $89 million. All sources means wagers placed on the races run at Churchill Downs at other tracks, on-line, at off-track betting facilities combined with those bets beneath the Twin Spires tallied $89 million. Of that total, $29 million was invested in speculation on the Kentucky Oaks, which is also a record.

The return on those investments at the window may have not been eye-popping but they were very solid. In those seven Stakes races only two post-time favorites (On Time Girl, Imaginationthelady) were victorious. No tremendous longshots came home first in races 7 through 13, but the average return for a $2 win wager was $12.16. Moon Spun offered up the best payout of $29.18 (race 7) and keyed a superfecta (top four finishers) payout of $3084.93 on a $1 wager. The 20-cent pick six (last six races of the day) paid $4352.86 to those who forecasted correctly.

Oaks Fans See The Magnificence of Churchill Downs

Over the past fifteen years, Churchill Downs has invested nearly a billion dollars in capital improvements to a facility that has stood since 1875. This palace that showcases the sport of Thoroughbred racing now features many amenities to make the fan experience top notch. Of course, the horses have enjoyed the fruits of improvement as well as a renovated turf course and paddock have been major recent upgrades. During Oaks Day on May 1, 103,290 people attended and enjoyed the marvel that is the modern-day Churchill Downs.

Always A Runner Wins Oaks And Caps A Competitive Card

Interestingly enough, the 152nd running of the Kentucky Oaks was on by a filly poetically named Always A Runner. This unbeaten daughter of Gun Runner closed into a hot pace and earned her third lifetime win in as many starts for trainer Chad Brown. Her final time for the mile and an eighth was 1:51.25 and she finished a length and a quarter to the good. This was the first victory in the Oaks for the highly successful conditioner based in New York. It raised the career earnings for this filly purchased for $1,050,000 at the September Keeneland yearling sales to $984,800.

Always A Runner’s sashay to the winner’s circle capped a day that featured many very close finishes. The largest margin of victory in the Stakes action was On Time Girl’s length and a half score in the Eight Belles and both Corporate Power (Alysheba) and Imaginationthelady (Edgewood) were involved in photo finishes.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com