2026 Kentucky Oaks Contenders
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2026 Kentucky Oaks Morning Line Odds and Post Positions
Kentucky Oaks Contenders & Top Horses to Watch in 2026
The $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks is the top American race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies each spring. With a winner’s share of $750,000, the 1 1/8-mile event at Churchill Downs will be targeted by top stables from across the country.
The Kentucky Oaks is held the day before the Kentucky Derby.
Contenders begin to emerge during the summer/fall of the two-year-old season, with the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies serving as a prime feeder race for juvenile runners, and fans begin to seriously scrutinize prospects once sophomore prep races kick off in January.
Like the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks features a “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” schedule of races to determine eligibility, with the top 4 finishers earning points on a sliding scale.
Venues such as Aqueduct, Fair Grounds, Gulfstream Park, Oaklawn Park and Santa Anita offer a series of races for Oaks hopefuls, but contenders will emerge from other locales as well.
The 2026 Kentucky Oaks Contenders List
Below is a current leaderboard showing contenders for the 2026 Kentucky Oaks who have earned qualification points via prep races:
| RANK | HORSE | POINTS | TRAINER | EARNINGS |
|---|
1 | Meaning | 126 | Michael McCarthy | $280,000 |
2 | Life of Joy | 122 | Brad Cox | $401,420 |
3 | Percy's Bar | 114 | Ben Colebrook | $962,808 |
4 | Bella Ballerina | 110 | Brendan Walsh | $498,440 |
5 | Counting Stars | 100 | Mark Casse | $834,156 |
6 | Prom Queen | 100 | Brad Cox | $151,900 |
7 | Always a Runner | 100 | Chad Brown | $110,000 |
8 | Explora | 95 | Bob Baffert | $1,016,250 |
9 | Zany | 80 | Todd Pletcher | $345,625 |
10 | She Be Smooth | 75 | Todd Pletcher | $146,020 |
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