Plum Pretty Is 2011 Kentucky Oaks Winner After Thrilling Finish At Churchill Downs

It should come as no surprise to see a Bob Baffert horse in the winner's circle at Churchill Downs, though this time it was the Kentucky Oaks, Friday's precursor to the Kentucky Derby, taking home a victory. At 6/1, Plum Pretty held good odds in the morning line, but still surprised Joyful Victory, who many expected to be the dominant horse in the Kentucky Oaks field.

But Joyful Victory was caught in the wash, a hazard of starting on the rail, and was never able to mount a serious challenge. As it stood, Plum Pretty came flying around the final turn as if she was shot out of a cannon, taking a lead and putting some distance between herself and the field. That distance was needed, though, as the field began to close heading toward the wire.

Rosie Napravnik ran a wonderful race aboard St. John's River, starting on the extreme outside and making a beeline straight for the rail. She kept St. John's River along the rail for the entire race and closed incredibly fast down the stretch with Plum Pretty in her sights. But Napravnik ran out of real estate and if the Kentucky Oaks was just a stride longer, she may have nipped Plum Pretty to take home the top prize.

Plum Pretty paid 14.80 to win with those 6/1 odds. The rest of the order is below.

No. 12 Plum Pretty
No. 13 St John's River
No. 6 Zazu
No. 1 Joyful Victory
No. 8 Bouquet Booth

For more on the race, check out the rest of our 2011 Kentucky Oaks StoryStream. The Kentucky Derby gets underway on Saturday at Churchill Downs. Stay with our 2011 Kentucky Derby StoryStream for previews, odds and analysis up to and throughout the derby. For more on the race, head over to SB Nation's Kentucky Derby StoryStream or check out And Down The Stretch They Come.

Kentucky Oaks 2011 Results: Plum Pretty Gives Bob Baffert Another Winner

It may not quite be the Kentucky Derby, but the Kentucky Oaks is, essentially, a dress rehearsal for Saturday's big race at Churchill Downs. It has all the feel, pomp and pageantry of derby, with a few major differences. Unlike the derby, the Kentucky Oaks is for the fillies and instead of a run for the roses, it's a dash for the lilies. And with excitement in the air as the 2011 Kentucky Derby weekend kicked off at Churchill Downs, the fillies took center-stage in front of just over 110,000 adoring fans.

Joyful Victory opened as the morning favorite and held 2/1 odds as they hit the post, followed closely by Zazu and Kathmanblu, each at 4/1. Summer Soire took the lead into the first turn, with Joyful Victory sitting back in fifth, biding her time. She was flanked by Kathmanblu and Zazu, who were all comfortable waiting to hit the gas pedal as they hit the back-stretch.

However, as they made the turn, Plum Pretty took the lead down the stretch and opened it up, leaving the field in the dust down the stretch. St. John's River came on strong down the stretch, but Plum Pretty was able to hold at the wire, winning by less than a length. And, again, Bob Baffert had a winning horse at Churchill Downs, this time in the Kentucky Oaks.

It was the No. 12 and No. 13 horses at the wire, with Plum Pretty taking home the $500,000 top-prize and garland of lilies by a nose over St. John's River.

For more on the race, check out the rest of our 2011 Kentucky Oaks StoryStream. The Kentucky Derby gets underway on Saturday at Churchill Downs. Stay with our 2011 Kentucky Derby StoryStream for previews, odds and analysis up to and throughout the derby. For more on the race, head over to SB Nation's Kentucky Derby StoryStream or check out And Down The Stretch They Come. Be sure to check out SB Nation's Kentucky Oaks StoryStream, as well.

Kentucky Oaks 2011 Post Positions: Joyful Victory Favored, Starting On The Rail

The 2011 Kentucky Oaks gets underway just before 6 p.m. EDT, or 3 p.m. here on the West Coast, live from Churchill Downs. The Oaks is the warm-up for the Kentucky Derby, with three-year-old fillies set to take the track in the run for the lilies. The post is a bit less crowded, with 13 horses pulled for the post position draw earlier in the week.

Joyful Victory, coming out of the No. 1 spot, is the morning line favorite in the Kentucky Oaks, holding 5/2 odds. She will start on the rail, though it's less of a factor than the Derby, with only 12 other horses to navigate through. Kathmanblu holds 4/1 odds and will start from the No. 4 post position. Zazu also holds 4/1 odds and will start from the No. 6 position.

You can find more information on the race in our Kentucky Oaks StoryStream. The race will be broadcast live on Versus just before 3 p.m. PDT.

Below are the post positions and odds for the 2011 Kentucky Oaks, along with the jockeys and odds. More information can be found in SB Nation's Kentucky Oaks StoryStream.

The Kentucky Derby gets underway on Saturday at Churchill Downs. Stay with our 2011 Kentucky Derby StoryStream for previews, odds and analysis up to and throughout the derby. For more on the race, head over to SB Nation's Kentucky Derby StoryStream or check out And Down The Stretch They Come.

Kentucky Oaks 2011: Start Time And Field For Churchill Downs' Filly Race

The 2011 Kentucky Oaks, a precursor to Saturday's Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, gets underway on Friday afternoon as the fillies take center-stage. Where Saturday's race is open to any three-year-old thoroughbreds, Friday is for the fillies as they run for the lilies. Friday's Kentucky Oaks singles the beginning of the derby weekend, culminating with the big race on Saturday afternoon: The 2011 Kentucky Derby.

Here is the information for Friday's Kentucky Oaks race at Churchill Downs.

Start Time: Post time for the Kentucky Oaks is at 5:45 p.m. EDT, or 2:45 p.m. here on the West Coast.

Field: 13 horses are entered in the Kentucky Oaks, led by Joyful Victory. It's a three-year-old filly race and serves as the precursor to Saturday's main event: The Kentucky Derby. The field is as follows

Joyful Victory
Lilacs and Lace
Summer Soiree
Kathmanblu
Suave Voir Faire 
Zazu 
Her Smile 
Bouquet Booth 
Daisy Devine 
Street Storm 
Holy Heavens 
Plum Pretty 
St. Jonn's River

Preview: You can find Matt Gardner's preview of the 2011 Kentucky Oaks over at SB Nation. Matt also expanded on the topic a bit at his home blog, And Down The Stretch They Come. While Joyful Victory is the favorite, and rightfully so, he has his doubts about whether she can bring home the Kentucky Oaks title.

Honestly, I don't know what to really think of the favorite.  You don't dominate a couple of graded races like she did at Oaklawn without possessing some quality.  And Joyful Victory's two morning works at Churchill Downs since the Fantasy were both strong, including a bullet five furlong blitz in the slop on Sunday, so she's appears to still be in good form.  But the major question I have is this: if she runs the same race in the Oaks as she did in the Fantasy and the Honeybee, will that get it done?  I have my doubts.

Gardner adds both Kathmanblu and Zazu could see success in the Kentucky Oaks, thanks to their closing ability.

The Kentucky Derby gets underway on Saturday at Churchill Downs. Stay with our 2011 Kentucky Derby StoryStream for previews, odds and analysis up to and throughout the derby. For more on the race, head over to SB Nation's Kentucky Derby StoryStream or check out And Down The Stretch They Come.