Kentucky Oaks Results 2019: Serengeti Empress Takes Wire-to-Wire Upset Win

Serengeti Empress led from wire to wire to win the 2019 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs in Louisville on Friday.

The Tom Amoss-trained Serengeti Empress entered the race as a 13-1 shot and managed to hold off 38-1 Liora, who made a late push. Lady Apple finished third at 10-1, and the 8-1 Champagne Anyone was fourth.

With Jose Ortiz aboard, Serengeti Empress established herself as the top three-year-old filly, while favorite Bellafina finished well off the pace in fifth.

Here is a rundown of the full finishing order, as well as the payouts for the top three finishers:

1. Serengeti Empress: $28.00 (win), $14.80 (place), $9.60 (show)

2. Liora: $32.60 (place), $17.00 (show)

3. Lady Apple: $7.00 (show)

4. Champagne Anyone

5. Bellfina

6. Jaywalk

7. Street Band

8. Chocolate Kisses

9. Motion Emotion

10. Jeltrin

11. Out For a Spin

12. Flor De La Mar

13. Restless Rider

14. Positive Spirit

Ortiz steered Serengeti Empress to the front early, and while it was widely expected that contenders like Bellafina or Champagne Anyone would chase her down, the Wayne Catalano-trained Liora was the only horse that posed a challenge:

Serengeti Empress entered the Kentucky Oaks with inconsistent results in her previous few races. Although she won the Rachel Alexandra, it was sandwiched by seventh-place finishes in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and Fair Grounds Oaks.

David Aragona of Daily Racing Form offered praise for Serengeti Empress, Amoss and Ortiz after the strong performance:

With six wins in the previous seven races, including the Santa Anita Oaks, Bellafina was a heavy favorite entering Friday's race.

Trainer Simon Callaghan seemingly had a strong contender to win his first Kentucky Oaks, but jockey Flavien Prat was never able to make any inroads against Serengeti Empress.

A scary moment occurred right after the start when Positive Spirit fell after clipping hooves with another horse, sending jockey Manny Franco tumbling off.

Per Danielle Lerner of the Courier Journal, an on-site veterinarian said Positive Spirit appeared to avoid serious injury:

Franco also came away from the incident relatively unscathed, according to the NBCSN race broadcast.

While Amoss and Ortiz are two of the most accomplished performers in their respective fields, they both ran the Kentucky Oaks for the first time in their careers Friday.

With Serengeti Empress pulling off a somewhat surprising win, it sets the stage for what could be a wild Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday.