Road to the 2023 Kentucky Derby Prep Races 

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Last updated: May 6, 2023 at 1:15 p.m. EDT

2023 Kentucky Derby Prep Races

How to Qualify for Kentucky Derby Points

The traditional qualifying factor for horses participating in the Kentucky Derby was total graded stakes purse earnings. Churchill Downs refined the classic earnings method in favor of a points based system on the traditional prep races.

When and Why points?

Beginning in 2013, the Kentucky Derby prep races were officially bundled under the banner of The Road to the Kentucky Derby. Known fondly as the “Derby Trail,” the introduction of the prep series has led to a much easier guideline for both horsemen and horse racing fans. The Derby Trail also allows for more focused promotion of hopefuls targeting the Triple Crown.

There are four groupings that make up the Kentucky Derby prep races.

  • The first is the Kentucky Derby Prep Season with 21 races. 
    • Beginning with the Iroquois Stakes in mid-September and running through the John Battaglia Memorial in early March, most of the initial prep events award 10-4-3-2-1 points to the first five finishers respectively. Starting in 2022, Churchill Downs will start awarding 20-8-6-4-2 points to the top five finishers at select prep races, including the Lecomte Stakes, Southwest Stakes, Withers Stakes, Holy Bull Stakes, Robert B. Lewis Stakes, Sam F. Davis Stakes and the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes. Lastly, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile awards 30-12-9-6-3 points to the top five horses.
  • The next series is the Kentucky Derby Championship Series which offers 16 races total. Seven of these races deliver a 50-20-15-10-5 point split. The final prep races double the reward with an offering of 100-40-30-20-10. The exception is the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland with a split of 20-8-6-4-2.
    • The races of highest value include the UAE Derby at Meydan in Dubai, the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park; Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds; Wood Memorial at Aqueduct; Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park; Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park; the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, and the Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park.
       
    • This race series design places a significant value on the most important prep races of the Kentucky Derby overall, as the Fastest Two Minutes In Sports inches closer. The cornerstone prep races attract significant handle as bettors sort out Kentucky Derby contenders and the points system enables the casual fan to understand how horses come to be eligible to participate as opposed to the former graded earnings system.
       
    • Kentucky Derby winners tend to excel in the “Championship Series” where races are worth the most points, but one notable exception is the 2009 Derby winner and 50-1 longshot Mine That Bird, who was able to qualify for the Kentucky Derby based largely upon graded earnings accrued earlier in his career.
  • Beginning in 2017, the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby was introduced. This two-race series has expanded to three races for 2018 and further to four races in 2019 and consists of the Cattleya Sho (10-4-3-2-1 points), Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun (20-8-6-4-2), the Hyacinth (30-12-9-6-3) and the Fukuryu (40-16-12-8-4). The horse with the most points is granted automatic entry into the Kentucky Derby.
  • The newest addition was the introduction of the Europe Road to the Kentucky Derby in 2017 that featured seven races in Ireland, Great Britain and France. Europe Road to the Kentucky Derby prep races include points splits of 10-4-3-2-1, 20-8-6-4-2 and 30-12-9-6-3.

2022-23 USA ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY SCHEDULE (37 races)

Kentucky Derby Prep Season (21 races)

DateRaceRacetrack Points
Sep 17, 2022
Churchill Downs | 1 1/16 Miles
10-4-3-2-1
Oct 1, 2022
Aqueduct | 1 Mile
10-4-3-2-1
Oct 8, 2022
Keeneland | 1 1/16 Miles
10-4-3-2-1
Oct 8, 2022
Santa Anita | 1 1/16 Miles
10-4-3-2-1
Nov 4, 2022
Keeneland | 1 1/16 Miles
30-12-9-6-3
Nov 26, 2022
Churchill Downs | 1 1/16 Miles
10-4-3-2-1
Dec 3, 2022
Aqueduct | 1 1/8 Miles
10-4-3-2-1
Dec 17, 2022
Los Alamitos | 1 1/16 Miles
10-4-3-2-1
Dec 17, 2022
Remington Park | 1 Mile
10-4-3-2-1
Dec 26, 2022
Fair Grounds | 1 1/16 Miles
10-4-3-2-1
Jan 1, 2023
Oaklawn Park | 1 Mile
10-4-3-2-1
Jan 7, 2023
Aqueduct | 1 Mile
10-4-3-2-1
Jan 8, 2023
Santa Anita | 1 Mile
10-4-3-2-1
Jan 21, 2023
Fair Grounds | 1 1/16 Miles
20-8-6-4-2
Jan 28, 2023
Oaklawn Park | 1 1/16 Miles
20-8-6-4-2
Feb 4, 2023
Gulfstream Park | 1 1/16 Miles
20-8-6-4-2
Feb 4, 2023
Santa Anita | 1 1/16 Miles
20-8-6-4-2
Feb 11, 2023
Aqueduct | 1 1/8 Miles
20-8-6-4-2
Feb 11, 2023
Tampa Bay Downs | 1 1/16 Miles
20-8-6-4-2
Feb 11, 2023
Golden Gate Fields | 1 1/8 Miles (AW)
10-4-3-2-1
Mar 4, 2023
Turfway Park | 1 1/16 Miles (AW)
20-8-6-4-2

Kentucky Derby Championship Series (16 races)

DateRaceRacetrack | DistancePoints
Feb 18, 2023
Fair Grounds | 1 1/8 Miles
50-20-15-10-5
Feb 25, 2023
Oaklawn Park | 1 1/16 Miles
50-20-15-10-5
Mar 4, 2023
Gulfstream Park | 1 1/16 Miles
50-20-15-10-5
Mar 4, 2023
Aqueduct | 1 Mile
50-20-15-10-5
Mar 4, 2023
Santa Anita | 1 1/16 Miles
50-20-15-10-5
Mar 11, 2023
Tampa Bay Downs | 1 1/16 Miles
50-20-15-10-5
Mar 25, 2023
Meydan Racecourse | 1 3/16 Miles
100-40-30-20-10
Mar 25, 2023
Fair Grounds | 1 3/16 Miles
100-40-30-20-10
Mar 25, 2023
Turfway Park | 1 1/8 Miles (AW)
100-40-30-20-10
Mar 26, 2023
Sunland Park | 1 1/8 Miles
50-20-15-10-5
Apr 1, 2023
Oaklawn Park | 1 1/8 Miles
100-40-30-20-10
Apr 1, 2023
Gulfstream Park | 1 1/8 Miles
100-40-30-20-10
Apr 8, 2023
Aqueduct | 1 1/8 Miles
100-40-30-20-10
Apr 8, 2023
Keeneland | 1 1/8 Miles
100-40-30-20-10
Apr 8, 2023
Santa Anita | 1 1/8 Miles
100-40-30-20-10
Apr 15, 2023
Keeneland | 1 1/16 Miles
20-8-6-4-2

2022-23 Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby Schedule (4 races)

DateRaceRacetrack | DistancePoints
Nov 26, 2022
Tokyo Racecourse (JRA) | 1 Mile
10-4-3-2-1
Dec 14, 2022
Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun
Kawasaki Racecourse (NAR) | 1 Mile
20-8-6-4-2
Feb 19, 2023
Tokyo Racecourse (JRA)| 1 Mile
30-12-9-6-3
Mar 25, 2023
Nakayama (JRA) | 1 1/8 Miles
40-16-12-8-4

2022-23 EUROPE ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY SCHEDULE (7 races)

DateRaceRacetrack1st
Sep 24, 2022
Juddmonte Royal Lodge
Newmarket (GB) | 1 Mile (T)
10-4-3-2-1
Sep 24, 2022
Alan Smurfit Memorial Beresford
Curragh (IRE) | 1 Mile (T)
10-4-3-2-1
Oct 2, 2022
Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère
Longchamp (FR) | 7 F (T)
10-4-3-2-1
Oct 22, 2022
Vertem Futurity Trophy
Doncaster (GB) | 1 Mile (T)
10-4-3-2-1
Mar 3, 2023
Patton Stakes
Dundalk (IRE) | 1 Mile (AW)
20-8-6-4-2
Mar 15, 2023
Road to the Kentucky Derby Condition Stakes
Kempton Park (GB) | 1 Mile (AW)
20-8-6-4-2
Mar 30, 2023
Cardinal Stakes
Chelmsford City (GB) | 1 Mile (AW)
30-12-9-6-3

(T) = Turf
(AW) = Synthetic

Note: Schedule dates subject to change.