Epsom Oaks

The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2,420 metres), about 1½ miles, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late May or early June. It is the second-oldest of the five Classic races, after the St Leger. Officially the Betfred Oaks, it is also popularly known as simply The Oaks. It has increasingly come to be referred to as the Epsom Oaks in both the UK and overseas countries, although 'Epsom' is not part of the official title of the race.)

It is the third of Britain's five Classic races to be held during the season, and the second of two restricted to fillies. It can also serve as the middle leg of the Fillies' Triple Crown, preceded by the 1000 Guineas and followed by the St Leger, although the feat of winning all three is rarely attempted.

History

The event is named after The Oaks, an estate located to the east of Epsom which was leased to the 12th Earl of Derby in the 18th century. He and his guests devised the race during a party at the estate in 1778. It was first run (as the Oakes Stakes) in 1779, one year before the introduction of the Derby Stakes. The inaugural winner, Bridget, was owned by Lord Derby himself.

The Oaks subsequently became one of Britain's leading events for three-year-olds. By the mid-1860s, the five leading events for this age group were referred to as "Classics". The concept was later adopted in many other countries.

European variations of the Oaks include the Irish Oaks, the Preis der Diana, the Prix de Diane and the Oaks d'Italia. Other national equivalents include the AJC Oaks, the New Zealand Oaks and the Yushun Himba.

Since 1892, horses have each carried 9 stone in the race. Prior to this, there were several fluctuations, from an original 8 stone 4 pounds, down to 8 stone, then progressively upwards.

During both World Wars the race was run at Newmarket under the title the New Oaks Stakes. The 2014 running incorporated the name of Sir Henry Cecil in its title. Cecil, who died in June 2013, trained eight Oaks winners between 1985 and 2007.

Records

Winners

See also

• Horse racing in Great Britain
• List of British flat horse races
• Trial races for the Epsom Oaks

References

• Church, Michael (2015). The Oaks Stakes: The History - The Winners - Their Breeding 1779-2015. Raceform. p. 256. ISBN 978-1-910498-28-6.
• Church, Michael (2018). The Oaks Chart 1778-2017. Michael Church. pp. 1 A2.
• Paris-Turf:
  • "1978"., "1979"., "1980"., "1981"., "1982"., "1983"., "1984"., "1985"., "1986"., "1987".
• Racing Post:
  • 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997
  • 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
  • 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
  • 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
• Abelson, Edward; John Tyrrel (1993). The Breedon Book of Horse Racing Records. Breedon Books. pp. 58–64. ISBN 1-873626-15-0.
• Randall, John; Tony Morris (1985). Horse Racing: The Records. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. pp. 43–56. ISBN 0-85112-446-1.

External links

• The Epsom Oaks
• The Oaks Stakes.
• Oaks
• Oaks Stakes – Epsom Downs
• Epsom Oaks Stakes.

1. Epsom Derby
2. Epsom Downs Racecourse
3. Oaks
4. Northern Dancer sire line
5. Ralph Beckett
6. Sadler's Wells (horse)
7. 2024 Epsom Derby
8. Epsom (disambiguation)
9. Emily Upjohn
10. Enable (horse)
11. Galileo (horse)
12. Geoff Lewis
13. Epsom
14. Andrew Balding
15. Seamie Heffernan
16. Val de Loir
17. Kentucky Oaks
18. Trial races for the Epsom Oaks
19. Frankel (horse)
20. William Haggas