The Kentucky Derby vs. Kentucky Oaks, explained

What's the difference between the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks? Let's find out!

The Kentucky Derby is perhaps the most famous circuit in horse racing, but it is by far no means the only one that matters.

In fact, there is another race that is run at Churchill Downs right before the Kentucky Derby called the Kentucky Oaks. But what’s the difference between the two? It’s actually pretty simple!

In the Kentucky Oaks, only three-year-old fillies — female horses — are allowed to compete. Compare that to the Kentucky Derby, which allows all Thoroughbreds to compete, though fillies are quite rare in the race itself.

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Not only that, the Kentucky Oaks is a shorter race than its counterpart, clocking in at one and one-eighth miles compared to one and one-half miles of the Kentucky Derby. Plus, the prize pools are different, with the Kentucky Derby purse at $5 million and $3.1 million going to first place, while the Kentucky Oaks has a $1.5 million purse with at least $750,000 going to the first place winner.