Getty José Ortiz rode Serengeti Empress to victory in last year's Kentucky Oaks.
Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY, will host the 146th running of the Kentucky Oaks on Friday.
Fox Sports 2 (11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. ET) and NBC Sports Network (3 p.m.-6 p.m. ET) will split the coverage of all the Oaks Day races, with the Kentucky Oaks main event starting at about 5:45 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.
If you don’t have cable, here’s how to watch a live stream of the Kentucky Oaks and all the Oaks Day races for free:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of NBC Sports Network, Fox Sports 2 and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a seven-day free trial right here:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the 2020 Kentucky Oaks live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV also comes with 500 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch the race on-demand within three days of its conclusion, even if you don’t record it.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of NBC Sports Network, Fox Sports 2 and 40-plus other TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Blue” bundle. It comes with a free 3-day trial, but if you bypass that, you can get it for $20 for the first month (normally $30), and get Showtime, Starz and Epix included for free:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the 2020 Kentucky Oaks live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 10 hours of cloud DVR.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of NBC Sports Network, Fox Sports 2 and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which comes with a seven-day free trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the 2020 Kentucky Oaks live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Kentucky Oaks 2020 Horses & Post Positions
- 1. Swiss Skydiver
- 2. Tempers Rising
- 3. Donna Veloce
- 4. Speech
- 5. Gamine
- 6. Bayerness
- 7. Shedaresthedevil
- 8. Hopeful Growth
- 9. Dream Marie
Kentucky Oaks 2020 Preview
Gamine, fresh off Grade 1 victories in the Acorn Stakes at Belmont and the Test at Saratoga, leads the field of nine 3-year-old fillies with even-money morning-line odds.
She’s trained by Bob Baffert, whose worked three horses to Kentucky Oaks titles: Silverbulletday in 1999, Plum Pretty in 2011, and Abel Tasman in 2017.
The Oaks will be just the second two-turn race in Gamine’s four-race career.
“The two turns, that’s the whole thing with her, but we know she’s fast and she’s done it before, so it’s not like it’s new,” Baffert said, according to The Courier-Journal. “We’re just blessed we have a filly like this. We gave a lot of money for her, and it’s worked out. A lot of times you do that and they don’t work out. We’re just enjoying her.”
Gamine is seeking her fourth victory. According to the morning-line odds, Swiss Skydiver is Gamine’s biggest challenge at 8-5.
“She’s just really special,” Swiss Skydiver trainer Kenny McPeek said, according to BloodHorse. “Every time we take here over there, she does what you ask her to. She seems to be getting bigger and stronger as the year goes. She’s just a very special filly to be around.”
Swiss Skydiver is looking for her sixth victory in 10 tries.
“All week she’s done nothing but dive into the feed tub,” Swiss Skydiver trainer Kenny McPeek said, per The Courier-Journal. “The biggest problem we have is keeping her settled when we don’t feed her quickly. That’s a real rarity. Most fillies aren’t this sturdy. She seems to love what she does, and certainly eating is her No. 1 favorite thing to do. That makes a trainer’s job really easy.”
Michael McCarthy-trained Speech is the race’s third favorite, with 5-1 morning-line odds. She’s 2-3-0 in five starts this year, claiming victory in the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland in July.
“Any time you come into a race like this — whether they’re 50-1 or even money — you have to expect that every entry is doing as well as they possibly could be,” McCarthy said, per The Courier-Journal. “I’m very, very happy with where we’re at.”
Fans won’t be permitted at the Oaks due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed the event, originally scheduled for May 1.
“It’s been strange all year without any fans,” McPeek said, per The Courier-Journal. “For us horsemen, we go over and do our thing and then we leave. The eerie quiet … there hasn’t been a soul there. It’s been unusual, for sure.”