2024 Road to the Kentucky Derby
The 2024 Road to the Kentucky Derby is a series of races through which horses qualified for the 2024 Kentucky Derby, which will be held on May 4. The field for the Derby was limited to 20 horses, with up to four 'also eligibles' in case of a late withdrawal from the field. There were three separate paths for horses to take to qualify for the Derby: the main Road consisting of races in North America (plus one in Dubai), the Japan Road consisting of four races in Japan, and the European road consisting of seven races in England, Ireland and France. The top five finishers in the specified races received points, with higher points awarded in the major prep races in March and April. Earnings in non-restricted stakes races acted as a tie breaker.
For 2024, the main Road to the Kentucky Derby resembled the 2023 Road to the Kentucky Derby, consisting of 37 races, with 22 races for the Kentucky Derby Prep Season and 15 races for the Kentucky Derby Championship Season with the following changes:[lower-alpha 1]
- Second-place points in all qualifying races have been increased to create added separation from second and third-place finishers
- Third- and fourth-place points in races that award 100 points to winner have been decreased from 100-40-30-20-10 to 100-50-25-15-10
- The Grade III Street Sense Stakes to be held on October 29 at Churchill Downs has been added to the Early Prep Season
- The El Camino Real Derby has been removed from the Early Prep Season
- The Sunland Derby at Sunland Park has been decreased in value from 50-20-15-10-5 to 20-10-6-4-2
Standings
The following table shows the points earned in the eligible races for the main series.
| Rank | Horse | Points | Earnings[lower-alpha 2] | Trainer | Owner | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Saratoga | 11 | $197,640 | Larry Demeritte | Harry L. Veruchi | [2] |
| 2 | Locked | 10 | $358,050 | Todd A. Pletcher | Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & Walmac Farm | [3] |
| 3 | Timberlake | 10 | $335,000 | Brad H. Cox | Siena Farm & WinStar Farm | [4] |
| 4 | The Wine Steward | 5 | $180,510 | Michael J. Maker | Paradise Farms & David Staudacher | [3] |
| 5 | General Partner | 5 | $100,000 | Chad C. Brown | Klaravich Stables | [4] |
| 6 | Risk It | 5 | $58,650 | Steven M. Asmussen | Winchell Thoroughbreds & Three Chimneys Farm | [2] |
| 7 | Dancing Groom | 3 | $60,000 | Antonio Sano | Eduardo Soto | [4] |
| 8 | Generous Tipper | 3 | $57,750 | Kenneth G. McPeek | Walking L Thoroughbreds | [3] |
| 9 | Be You | 3 | $54,000 | Todd A. Pletcher | Repole Stable | [5] |
| 10 | Liberal Arts | 3 | $29,325 | Robert Medina | Evan & Stephen Ferraro | [2] |
| 11 | Gold Sweep | 2 | $104,300 | Steven M. Asmussen | Mike McCarty | [4] |
| 12 | Raging Torrent | 2 | $60,000 | Doug F. O'Neill | Great Friends Stables & Mark Davis | [5] |
| 13 | Seize the Grey | 2 | $33,663 | D. Wayne Lukas | MyRacehorse | [2] |
| 14 | Northern Flame | 2 | $28,875 | Kenneth G. McPeek | John C. Oxley, Harold Lerner & AWC Stables | [3] |
| 15 | Air Cav | 1 | $20,000 | Brad H. Cox | Calumet Farm | [4] |
| 16 | Edified | 1 | $16,397 | Steven M. Asmussen | Courtlandt Farms | [2] |
| 17 | Rothschild | 1 | $6,500 | Tim Yakteen | SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Dianne Bashor, Robert E. Masterson, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan & Tom Ryan | [5] |
Legend:
Prep season
Initial prep events
Note: 1st=10 points; 2nd=5 points; 3rd=3 points; 4th=2 points; 5th=1 point (except the Breeders' Cup Juvenile: 1st=30 points; 2nd=15 points; 3rd=9 points; 4th=6 points; 5th=3 points)
The dates for most races shown below are based on the placement in the racing calendar from 2022/2023. Similarly, the purses shown below are based on the amounts from the previous year and will be updated when finalized.
| Race | Distance | Purse | Track | Date | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iroquois | 1 mile | $300,000 | Churchill Downs | Sep 16 2023 | West Saratoga | Risk It | Liberal Arts | Seize the Grey | Edified | [2] |
| Champagne | 1 mile | $500,000 | Aqueduct | Oct 7 2023 | Timberlake | General Partner | Dancing Groom | Gold Sweep | Air Cav | [4] |
| American Pharoah | 1+1⁄16 miles | $301,500 | Santa Anita | Oct 7 2023 | Muth[lower-alpha 3] | Wine Me Up[lower-alpha 3] | Be You | Raging Torrent | Rothschild | [5] |
| Breeders' Futurity | 1+1⁄16 miles | $580,750 | Keeneland | Oct 7 2023 | Locked | The Wine Steward | Generous Tipper | Northern Flame | West Saratoga | [3] |
| Street Sense | 1+1⁄16 miles | $200,000 | Churchill Downs | Oct 29 2023 | ||||||
| Breeders' Cup Juvenile | 1+1⁄16 miles | $2,000,000 | Santa Anita | Nov 3 2023 | ||||||
| Kentucky Jockey Club | 1+1⁄16 miles | $400,000 | Churchill Downs | Nov 25 2023 | ||||||
| Remsen | 1+1⁄8 miles | $250,000 | Aqueduct | Dec 2 2023 | ||||||
| Los Alamitos Futurity | 1+1⁄16 miles | $200,000 | Los Alamitos | Dec 9 2023 | ||||||
| Springboard Mile | 1 mile | $300,000 | Remington | Dec 15 2023 | ||||||
| Gun Runner Stakes | 1+1⁄16 miles | $100,000 | Fair Grounds | Dec 23 2023 | ||||||
| Smarty Jones | 1 mile | $300,000 | Oaklawn | Jan 1 2024 | ||||||
| Jerome | 1 mile | $150,000 | Aqueduct | Jan 6 2024 | ||||||
| Sham | 1 mile | $100,000 | Santa Anita | Jan 7 2024 |
Select prep events
Note: 1st=20 points; 2nd=10 points; 3rd=6 points; 4th=4 points; 5th=2 points
| Race | Distance | Purse | Track | Date | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lecomte | 1+1⁄16 miles | $200,000 | Fair Grounds | Jan 20 2024 | ||||||
| Southwest | 1+1⁄16 miles | $800,000 | Oaklawn | Jan 27 2024 | ||||||
| Holy Bull | 1 mile | $250,000 | Gulfstream | Feb 3 2024 | ||||||
| Robert B. Lewis | 1+1⁄16 miles | $150,000 | Santa Anita | Feb 3 2024 | ||||||
| Withers | 1+1⁄8 miles | $250,000 | Aqueduct | Feb 10 2024 | ||||||
| Sam F. Davis Stakes | 1+1⁄16 miles | $250,000 | Tampa Bay | Feb 10 2024 | ||||||
| Sunland Derby | 1+1⁄8 miles | $500,000 | Sunland Park | Feb 18 2024 | ||||||
| John Battaglia Memorial Stakes | 1+1⁄16 miles | $150,000 | Turfway | Mar 2 2024 | ||||||
Championship series events
First leg of series
Note: 1st=50 points; 2nd=25 points; 3rd=15 points; 4th=10 points; 5th=5 points
| Race | Distance | Purse | Grade | Track | Date | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risen Star | 1+1⁄8 miles | $400,000 | 2 | Fair Grounds | Feb 17 2024 | ||||||
| Rebel | 1+1⁄16 miles | $1,250,000 | 2 | Oaklawn | Feb 24 2024 | ||||||
| Fountain of Youth | 1+1⁄16 miles | $400,000 | 2 | Gulfstream | Mar 2 2024 | ||||||
| Gotham | 1 mile | $300,000 | 3 | Aqueduct | Mar 2 2024 | ||||||
| San Felipe | 1+1⁄16 miles | $400,000 | 2 | Santa Anita | Mar 2 2024 | ||||||
| Tampa Bay Derby | 1+1⁄16 miles | $350,000 | 2 | Tampa Bay | Mar 9 2024 |
Second leg of series
These races are the major preps for the Kentucky Derby, and are thus weighted more heavily. Note: 1st=100 points; 2nd=50 points; 3rd=25 points; 4th=15 points; 5th=10 points
| Race | Distance | Purse | Grade | Track | Date | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Derby | 1+3⁄16 miles | $1,000,000 | 2 | Fair Grounds | Mar 23 2024 | ||||||
| Jeff Ruby | 1+1⁄8 miles | $700,000 | 3 | Turfway | Mar 23 2024 | ||||||
| UAE Derby | 1,900 metres (~1+3⁄16 miles) |
$1,000,000 | 2 | Meydan | Mar 30 2024 | ||||||
| Florida Derby | 1+1⁄8 miles | $1,000,000 | 1 | Gulfstream | Mar 30 2024 | ||||||
| Arkansas Derby | 1+1⁄8 miles | $1,500,000 | 1 | Oaklawn Park | Mar 30 2024 | ||||||
| Blue Grass Stakes | 1+1⁄8 miles | $1,000,000 | 1 | Keeneland | Apr 6 2024 | ||||||
| Santa Anita Derby | 1+1⁄8 miles | $750,000 | 1 | Santa Anita | Apr 6 2024 | ||||||
| Wood Memorial | 1+1⁄8 miles | $750,000 | 2 | Aqueduct | Apr 6 2024 |
"Wild Card" events
Note: 1st=20 points; 2nd=10 points; 3rd=6 points; 4th=4 points; 5th=2 points
| Race | Distance | Purse | Track | Date | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington | 1+1⁄8 miles | $400,000 | Keeneland | Apr 13 2024 |
European Road to the Kentucky Derby
The European Road to the Kentucky Derby is designed on a similar basis to the Japan Road and is intended to provide a place in the Derby starting gate to the top finisher in the series. If the connections of that horse decline the invitation, their place is offered to the second-place finisher and so on. If neither of the top four accept, this place in the starting gate reverts to the horses on the main road to the Derby.
The series consists of seven races – four run on the turf in late 2023 when the horses are age two, plus three races run on a synthetic surface in early 2024.
| Race | Distance | Track | Date | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beresford Stakes | 1 mile | The Curragh | Sep 23 2023 | Deepone | Chief Little Rock | Grosvenor Square | Navy Seal | Stromberg | [7] |
| Royal Lodge Stakes | 1 mile | Newmarket | Sep 30 2023 | Ghostwriter | Al Musmak | Capulet | Macduff | Son | [8] |
| Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère | 1,400 metres (about 7 furlongs) |
Longchamp | Oct 1 2023 | Rosallion | Unquestionable | Beauvatier | Henry Adams | Zabiari | [9] |
| Kameko Futurity Trophy | 1 mile | Doncaster | Oct 28 2023 | ||||||
| Patton Stakes | 1 mile | Dundalk | Mar 1 2024 | ||||||
| Road to the Kentucky Derby Conditions Stakes | 1 mile | Kempton Park | Mar 13 2024 | ||||||
| Cardinal Stakes | 1 mile | Chelmsford City | Mar 30 2024 | ||||||
Note:
- the four races in 2023 for two-year-olds: 1st=10 points; 2nd=5 points; 3rd=3 points; 4th=2 points; 5th=1 point
- the first two races in 2023: 1st=20 points; 2nd=10 points; 3rd=6 points; 4th=4 points; 5th=2 points
- The Cardinal Condition Stakes: 1st=30 points; 2nd=15 points; 3rd=9 points; 4th=6 points 5th=3 points
Notes
- See the following list[1] for details
- Earnings from non-restricted stakes prior to the running of the Kentucky Derby serve as a tie-breaker.
- Horse trained by an individual suspended from the 2024 Kentucky Derby does not receive any qualification points. Muth and Wine Me Up are trained by Bob Baffert who is suspended by Churchill Downs Inc. through 2024.[6]
References
- "2023/24 Kentucky Derby Prep Races" (PDF). Churchill Downs Inc. September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- "2023 Iroquois Stakes Grade 3 – (race 9)". Equibase. 16 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- "2023 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity Grade 1 – (race 9)". Equibase. 7 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
- "2023 Champagne Stakes Grade 1 – (race 8)". Equibase. 7 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- "2023 American Pharoah Stakes Grade 1 – (race 9)". Equibase. 7 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- Willman, Mike (7 October 2023). "Muth Beats Baffert Stablemate Wine Me Up In American Pharoah". Paulick Report. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
- "Alan Smurfit Memorial Beresford Stakes (Group 2)". racingpost.com. 23 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- "Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes (Group 2)". 30 September 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- "Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (Grand Criterium) (Group 1)". 1 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.