The Kennedy Oaks, registered as the VRC Oaks, is a race for three-year-old fillies over the staying trip of 2500m at Flemington Racecourse during November. The race headlines day three (Oaks Day) of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, which is staged on the Thursday, two days after the Melbourne Cup.
Each runner carries 55.5kg under the set-weights conditions of the race. The distance itself is one of the more intriguing puzzles to the race with punters trying to work out which fillies will see out the trip.
A capacity field of 16 runners can line up in the race, with four emergencies typically listed.
The Kennedy Oaks dates back to 1861 where it was originally known as the VRC Oaks. The race was also known as the Crown Oaks between 2007-16. As of 2017, the race has been known as the Kennedy Oaks and carries $1 million in prize money. The winner earns $600,000 for connections with prize money paid down to eighth place – horses that finish sixth, seventh and eighth receive $20,000.
Palestine was the inaugural winner in 1861 and there have been some classy fillies to etch their name into the history books. One of those is Evening Peal for trainer Peter Lawson. She captured the VRC Oaks and Queensland Oaks in 1955 before winning the Australian Oaks in 1956. Later in the year, Evening Peal would run second in the Caulfield Cup before winning the Melbourne Cup.
Light Fingers is a name most racing fans know and the great mare would capture the VRC Oaks in 1964. A year later and she would capture the Australian Oaks and the Melbourne Cup. She was trained by champion trainer Bart Cummings and won 15 races from 33 starts.
Champion racehorse Surround was the winner of the 1976 VRC Oaks, Cox Plate and Caulfield Guineas. Her 28-start career saw her win 17 races, which also included the CF Orr Stakes, Australian Oaks and Queensland Oaks.
Miss Finland was a comfortable winner of the 2006 VRC Oaks. She had captured the Golden Slipper Stakes during her two-year-old season and would also win the Thousand Guineas, Australian Guineas and Memsie Stakes.
In more recent years, Jameka was a winner of the 2015 Crown Oaks. She would later capture the Caulfield Cup by three lengths in 2016 and The BMW by a whopping 6.5 lengths.
Punters were left stunned in 2016 when 100/1 outsider Lasqueti Spirit led all the way under a daring frontrunning ride from Brenton Avdulla. The Lee Curtis-trained filly won by 3.8L, but failed to win another race before being retired two years later.
Other notable winners of the Kennedy Oaks include Rose Of Kingston (1981), Research (1988), Kensington Palace (1997), Special Harmony (2003), Samantha Miss (2008) and Mosheen (2011).
The Wakeful Stakes is the key Kennedy Oaks form race, producing more winners in the past 30 years than any other event. Notably, between 2010 and 2019, just one favourite saluted, that being Kirramosa in 2013.
