The Oaks Stakes

The Oaks Stakes is run in early June, over a mile, four furlongs and 10 yards (2,423 metres) at Epsom Downs.

In 1778, Edward Smith-Stanley the 12th Earl of Derby, hosted a party at which he and his guests devised a sweepstake which would be named after the estate he leased in Carshalton, near to Epsom - The Oaks. The race was eventually held in 1779 and was won by Bridget, the Earl’s own horse.


The Oaks is the third of five British Classics to be run in the flat calendar and is open to three year old fillies only. It makes up the second leg of the Fillies’ Triple Crown, won by just seven horses throughout history, including the famous Oh So Sharp.


The Preis der Diana (Germany), Prix de Diane (France), Irish Oaks and Oaks d’Italia (Italy) are national variations of the Oaks, based on the Epsom event, although not all are contested over the same distance.


In 1916, Fifinella won both the Oaks and The Derby under jockey Joe Childs. She is the last filly to win The Derby.


Robert Robson trained a phenemonal thirteen Oaks winners between 1802 and 1825 but in more recent years, the event has been dominated by Henry Cecil, who has saddled eight winners from 1985 to 2007. In 1989, Cecil’s horse Snow Bride was promoted to first place after the original “winner” of the race, Aliysa, had been disqualified after a positive test for a banned substance. This led to her owner Aga Khan IV withdrawing from British racing until 1996.


The jockey with the most wins to his name in The Oaks is Frank Buckle, “The Pocket Hercules”, who managed nine winners from 1797 and 1823. Post war, the best record for a jockey belongs to Lester Piggot, who was aboard six winners between 1957 and 1984.


The greatest margin of victory in The Oaks was back in 1983, when Sun Princess hacked up by a whopping twelve lengths. In 1904, Pretty Polly won the race at a starting price of 8/100, the shortest priced winner in the history of The Oaks and indeed any of the British Classics. The biggest starting price of an Oaks winner is 50/1; Vespa winning in 1833 and Jet Ski Lady in 1991.


The 2010 Oaks Stakes will take place on Saturday June 5th and is sponsored by Investec.