LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It all seemed so normal again. Crowds of well-attired spectators mingling the grounds at Churchill Downs, some lined along the rail around the paddock, others sharing laughs and libations in expensive suites. The brilliant sunshine and pleasant temperatures made for a sensational backdrop to one of racing’s biggest days. And in the end, the 147th Kentucky Oaks had another familiar feel to it with trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez joining forces to win the marquee race for 3-year-old fillies with favored Malathaat. Overcoming a slow start from post 10, Malathaat was hustled up to fifth by Velazquez entering the first turn. Though parked three wide down the backstretch and four wide turning for home, Malathaat was able to outfight Search Results to win the $1.25 million Oaks by a neck in front of a crowd of 41,472 at Churchill Downs, perhaps the largest crowd to witness a sporting event since the COVID-19 pandemic began 13 months ago. :: Get DRF Clocker Reports for the Kentucky Derby and Oaks cards to access exclusive insights from morning training It was 2 3/4 lengths back to Will’s Secret, who nosed out Clairiere for third. Travel Column finished fifth and was followed, in order, by Millefeuille, Maracuja, Pauline’s Pearl, Coach, Crazy Beautiful, Moraz, Pass the Champagne, and Competitive Speed. Ava’s Grace scratched. The victory was the fourth in the Kentucky Oaks for Pletcher. Only Woody Stephens, with five, has won more. Pletcher’s previous wins came with Ashado (2004), Rags to Riches (2007), and Princess of Sylmar (2013). Velazquez’s only prior Oaks victory was Pletcher’s first, with Ashado. Though their wins together are fewer and farther between than in past years, it was Velazquez’s 1,827th career win for Pletcher, their 285th together in a graded stakes. Whether it could be confirmed statistically or not, the Pletcher-Velazquez tandem feels like the most successful in the sport’s history. “When the money’s down, there’s no one better,” Pletcher said. Malathaat is owned by Shadwell Stable, whose principal, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum, died March 24. “We have many good horses in our stable this year, and having Malathaat to step up and give him an Oaks win is more than we could ask for,” said Rick Nichols, the racing manager for Shadwell Stable. :: Get Kentucky Derby Betting Strategies for exclusive wager recommendations, contender profiles, pedigree analysis, and more Hamdan purchased the filly for $1,050,000 at the Keeneland September yearling auction. She was bred by Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stable, which also had two runners of its own – Pauline’s Pearl and Clairiere – in the field. Initially intended to go to Kiaran McLaughlin to train, Malathaat was sent to Pletcher when McLaughlin retired from training last April.  When Pletcher won his third Oaks with Princess of Sylmar, he also sent out that year’s Oaks favorite, Dreaming of Julia. Dreaming of Julia is the mother of Malathaat, whose sire is Curlin. In the 2013 Oaks, Dreaming of Julia got off to a terrible start out of the gate under Velazquez, which compromised her chances and she finished fourth. Saturday, breaking from post 10, Malathaat got off to a slow start and Velazquez said “I was having nightmares when that happened out of the gate.” But Velazquez said he took his chances to hustle Malathaat into position and was fifth around the first turn, about four lengths off the pace. Travel Column set the pace, stalked by Moraz with Search Results three wide through a half-mile in 47.47. At the five-sixteenths pole, Moraz wasn’t keeping up and Search Results, under Irad Ortiz Jr., was moving toward Travel Column. At the three-sixteenths pole, Search Results seized the lead from Travel Column, but Malathaat was on the march. :: DRF's Kentucky Derby Headquarters: Contenders, latest news, past performances, analysis, and more Malathaat poked her head in front at the eighth pole, but Search Results was battling back. Malathaat edged away in the final strides. “I think I was probably [in front] too soon and when she put her head in front she was waiting,” Velazquez said as he watched the replay. “It looks a little worse watching it from here, but I thought it was pretty comfortable when she put the head in front that the other filly wasn’t coming back at her.” Malathaat covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.99 – the sixth-fastest time in Oaks history – and returned $7 to win as the favorite. She earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 95. “When you have these kind they overcome adversity,” Pletcher said. “She loves a target. Sometimes she waits a little bit when she gets there, but I felt like she’d run on to the wire.” Chad Brown, the trainer of Search Results, said his filly was a “little wide both turns” breaking from post 12. It was her first defeat in four starts. “I thought Irad rode a great race from that post,” Brown said. “A terrific horse won. I’m very proud of her effort.” Malathaat improved her record to 5 for 5. At 2, she won the Tempted and Demoiselle at Aqueduct. Her 3-year-old debut was delayed by a setback in February and then the death of Hamdan in March prompted the connections to skip the Gulfstream Park Oaks on March 27 and run in the Ashland on April 3.  Neither Nichols nor Pletcher ruled out running against colts at some point. In fact, Nichols said he would have loved to run Malathaat in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. In 2007, Pletcher’s Oaks winner, Rags to Riches, won the Belmont Stakes.