Racing to the Kentucky Oaks for a good time.

Each year on the first Friday of May, people from all over the United States gather at Churchill Downs in Louisville to watch thoroughbred filly horses race.

On May 5, people went out to enjoy a day at the track watching and betting on horses. However, because of the rain this year, not as many people showed up as there was in the past years. People that go dress up in fancy clothes and a colorful, big hat.

“I wanted to go because it’s a huge event in Kentucky and the U.S., and I want to experience the most from my year abroad,” said senior and foreign exchange student Margherita Battistotti. “I really enjoyed going because it was a new experience for me and I love seeing new things! I had already been to Churchill Downs, but this time it was packed with people and I love going to big events like this. I love events that make people proud and excited about their traditions and culture.”

Those who attend the Oaks commonly choose to bet on certain horses based on their odds of winning, their name, the color of their silk or their number. “The way I usually bet is I look at the odds of the horse, but the first time I bet I looked at what color it was going to wear,” said sophomore Emily Shepherd.

There are different types of bets. When placing a win wager, the horse picked must win the race in order to win the wager. Another, is a place wager where a bet is made on a horse to finish the race in the top two and they must get first or second to win the wager. When placing show wager, a horse that you think will place in the top three is selected. To win the wager, they must finish in first, second or third.

There are also harder bets, which pay more money. In an exacta bet, the person that bets wins when they pick two horses to finish in first and second, in that order. In a trifecta bet, the better selects three horses to finish in first, second, and third. If they finish in the order chosen, then the better wins the wager. There are also many other harder bets which pay a lot of money, such as superfecta, daily double, and more.

The better can also box a wager, which means that to win the wager, the horses chosen finish in first, second, or third in any order, which makes a better chance to win. “I boxed Ever So Clever for the Oaks race, but I didn’t win anything,” said Battistotti.

This year, it rained at the Oaks which caused less of an outcome of people. People wanted to protect their outfits from getting rained on, so they wore a poncho or a jacket. Some people that wore hats even covered them up with plastic wrap to keep them protected from the rain. However, the rain did not affect any of the Oaks events. “The rain didn’t really affect anything. It was just really cold and we couldn’t sit down in our seats because the chair was wet,” said Shepherd.

Wearing colorful and fancy clothes and hats is a tradition at the Kentucky Oaks. Usually women wear spring or pastel-colored clothes with a big hat. Dressing simple helps to not take away from the hat. This year many people had to wear jackets or ponchos that covered their colorful outfits.

Before the Oaks race, there is a Survivors Parade. This year, there were 143 survivors who marched to raise awareness about breast and ovarian cancer. This is why a lot of people wear pink to the track on Oaks day.

Abel Tasman, the horse, and Mike Smith, the jockey, won the 143 Oaks race. Afterward, a garland of lilies was draped over her as a symbol of breast cancer awareness.