The 2024 Road to the Kentucky Derby is a series of races through which horses qualified for the 2024 Kentucky Derby, which was 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, there are several changes in the

Road to the Kentucky Derby The Road to the Kentucky Derby is a points system by which horses qualify for a position in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby. It features dozens of stakes races for 2 and 3-year-old Thoroughbreds – the number and specific races have chang ...

. In the

2023 Road to the Kentucky Derby The 2023 Road to the Kentucky Derby is a series of races through which horses qualified for the 2023 Kentucky Derby, which was held on May 6. The field for the Derby was limited to 20 horses, with up to four 'also eligibles' in case of a late withd ...

, there were of 37 races, with 22 races for the Kentucky Derby Prep Season and 15 races for the Kentucky Derby Championship Season. In 2024, the following changes were introduced: * 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, held on October 29 at Churchill Downs was added to the Early Prep Season * The Grade III

Sham Stakes The Sham Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old over the distance of one mile on the dirt scheduled annually in January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The event currently carries a pu ...

was included in the original list of events, but Santa Anita Park did not schedule the event in 2024 * Santa Anita Park decreased the distance of the

Robert B. Lewis Stakes The Robert B. Lewis Stakes is a Graded stakes race, Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three year old horses at the distance of one mile on the dirt held annually in late January or early February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Califor ...

from miles to one mile * The

El Camino Real Derby The El Camino Real Derby is a Listed American Thoroughbred horse race held in February at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, California. The race is open to three-year-olds willing to race one and one-eighth miles (9 furlongs) on Tapeta, a synthetic r ...

was removed from the Early Prep Season * For the

Sunland Park Derby The Sunland Park Derby is a Listed American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds over a distance of miles on the dirt scheduled annually in February at Sunland Park Racetrack in Sunland Park, New Mexico. The event currently offers a purse o ...

at Sunland Park, the qualification points were decreased from 50-20-15-10-5 to 20-10-6-4-2 and the distance of the event was decreased from to miles

Standings

The following table shows the points earned in the eligible races for the main series. Entrants that have been nominated are ranked in the standings. ''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)''

Select prep events

''Note: 1st=20 points; 2nd=10 points; 3rd=6 points; 4th=4 points; 5th=2 points ''

Championship series events

First leg of series

''Note: 1st=50 points; 2nd=25 points; 3rd=15 points; 4th=10 points; 5th=5 points''

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''

"Wild Card" events

''Note: 1st=20 points; 2nd=10 points; 3rd=6 points; 4th=4 points; 5th=2 points''

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. ''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 2024: 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'' ;Qualification Table The top four horses (colored brown within the standings) are eligible to participate in the Kentucky Derby provided the horse is nominated. ''Notes:'' * brown highlight – qualified * grey highlight – did not qualify

Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby

The Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby 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 through the top five finishers. ''Note:''
ƒ Filly
''Cattleya Sho: 1st=10 points; 2nd=5 points; 3rd=3 points; 4th=2 points; 5th=1 point''
''Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun: 1st=20 points; 2nd=10 points; 3rd=6 points; 4th=4 points; 5th=2 points''
''Hyacinth: 1st=30 points; 2nd=15 points; 3rd=9 points; 4th=6 points; 5th=3 points''
''Fukuyru : 1st=40 points; 2nd=20 points; 3rd=12 points; 4th=8 points; 5th=4 points'' ;Qualification Table The top five horses (colored brown within the standings) are eligible to participate in the Kentucky Derby provided the horse is nominated. ''Notes:'' * brown highlight – qualified * grey highlight – did not qualify

Controversy

Owner

Amr Zedan Amr F. Zedan (; born 17 September 1974) is a Saudi Arabian businessman, a serial venture capital investor, thoroughbred horse breeder, and the Chairman of the Saudi Polo Federation. Education Zedan obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in ind ...

of Grade 1

Arkansas Derby The Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. In 2004, t ...

winner Muth, on April 3, filed a temporary injunction that would require Churchill Downs to allow his horse into the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby (G1) field. Muth is trained by Hall of Famer

Bob Baffert Robert A. Baffert (born January 13, 1953) is an American racehorse trainer. He has trained two Triple Crown winners: American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018. Baffert's horses have won the Kentucky Derby six times, tying the record with ...

, who is suspended from entering and racing horses at tracks owned by Churchill Downs. The suspension was extended last summer. On April 18,

Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer) * Jefferson (singer) or Geoff Turton (born 1944), British s ...

Circuit Judge Mitch Perry denied Zedan's temporary injunction motion after three hearings to schedule matters and hear arguments. Perry's ruling was appealed to the Kentucky Court of Appeals on April 24, but the order was upheld.

Notes

References

{{Road to the Kentucky Derby

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...