Jockey Jose Ortiz capped off a day of five victories by riding Always a Runner to victory in the Kentucky Oaks.
Always a Runner’s Comeback
Trained by Chad Brown, Always a Runner secured a 1 ¼-length victory in Friday’s $1.5 million, Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, in front of a crowd of 103,290.
Always a Runner’s career was uncertain after she was sidelined by pneumonia as a 2-year-old. Brown stated, “Her career was really up in the air,” and, “She didn’t have to be here today. She didn’t have to run. She could have never run, easily. I’ve had it happen.”
Brown noted the severity of the setback, saying, “I’ve seen a lot of different setbacks with horses, but this is way up at the top of the list in perseverance. For a horse to overcome things, this is at the top.”
Always a Runner had been purchased as a yearling for $1.05 million. Brown saw her potential immediately upon her arrival at his barn last year.
However, she was diagnosed with pneumonia. Brown called it a rough fall for his 2-year-olds, many of whom were ill, but said Always a Runner may have suffered the worst. “This filly was struggling,” Brown said. “She had a severe case of it and was in a clinic for over a month. Everyone was patient, and we had a wonderful team of veterinarians that helped her get back. We would have never thought we’d be here today when I got that phone call.”
Ortiz’s Dream Trip
Always a Runner and jockey Jose Ortiz covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.82 and paid $13.04 on a $2 win wager.
Meaning rallied for second place, and Counting Stars was third.
Ortiz said, “It was a very long day, but it was a great day for me. I got five wins and capped it off with the Oaks. It was a good vibe.”
Always a Runner finally got to the track in February, winning her debut at Tampa Bay Downs. After another brief illness, she won the Grade 3 Gazelle on April 4 at Aqueduct.
Brown balanced conditioning with care. “It’s a fine line you walk of how far you push for this,” Brown said. “If you swing and you miss and you’ve really trained them hard to do it and you don’t win and you’ve compromised your season, that can happen. … When you have the right horse and the right team, things have a way of working themselves out.”
Always a Runner raced midpack early as Explora set fractions of 23.84 seconds for the quarter-mile, 48.51 seconds for the half-mile and 1:13.00 for three-quarters.
Ortiz said, “I saved ground, tipped out right at the quarter-pole,” and, “It was just a dream trip. I was very h”
A Historic Oaks
The Oaks was televised in prime time for the first time. Post time had been at 5:51 p.m. in recent years but was moved to 8:40 p.m. for this year’s race.
Always a Runner and jockey Jose Ortiz rallied five-wide off the turn, took the lead with half a furlong to go and pulled away for a 1 ¼-length victory.
Ortiz didn’t seem to mind the long day.
It was a great day for him.