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Severe Weather Delayed Kentucky Oaks, Sent Fans Running for Shelter at Churchill Downs
Good Cheer won the 151st running of the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on Friday. Friday's main attraction, as well as a number of the other races, were pushed back because of the weather. At one point the board at Churchill Downs advised fans that severe weather was approaching and told them to seek shelter.
You can hear the thunder and see the rain and lightning in multiple clips below. You can also see the high winds wreaking havoc on the infield as fans who did not leave soon enough run for shelter.
Truly cannot believe Churchill ran that last race, or even worse that all these people in the infield who didn’t adhere to the warning pic.twitter.com/xgAMw7CaLK
— Bryce Jones (@BryceJonesWx) May 2, 2025
Strong winds and heavy rain rolling through Churchill Downs on this Oaks afternoon! pic.twitter.com/ozHDOAFVEu
— Ben Peine (@BenPeineWeather) May 2, 2025
Storm’s brewin’ at Churchill. pic.twitter.com/aiFwlq3bH6
— Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) May 2, 2025
A look at the track conditions after a severe thunderstorm rolled through Louisville. Main track has been classified as sloppy (turf = good)
— Maggie Davis (@MaggieDavisTV) May 2, 2025
Churchill Downs briefly paused racing, but race 10 is now slated to go at 5:15. That’s about a 25 minute delay
Oaks now set for 6:01 pic.twitter.com/k2OAwq2O61
More video from Louisville shows the dark storm clouds coming in toward Churchill Downs Friday afternoon. Fans were forced to seek shelter for a brief period as bad weather moved over the racecourse. pic.twitter.com/hsLQrOX5kP
— FOX Weather (@foxweather) May 2, 2025
Eventually they got all the races in and now the concern shifts to the weekend as more than 100,000 people will descend on Churchill Downs for the 151st Kentucky Derby, which will feature two sons of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. It is currently expected to rain all day in Lexington on Saturday.
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Stephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.