How Do Horses Qualify For The Kentucky Derby?
You may be wondering how horses qualify for the Kentucky Derby. It’s actually based on a point system, which has been in effect for several years now. Before the Kentucky Derby, there is a series of preparatory and qualifying races called the Road to the Kentucky Derby, which is held at various venues around the world. Competitors in these races earn points, and at the end of the series, the 18 horses with the most points get Kentucky Derby berths. Depending on the year, there are between 35 and 50 races in the Road to the Kentucky Derby series.
As the Kentucky Derby has a field of 20 horses, there are two other berths to account for. These spots are reserved for the winners of the “Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby” and the “European Road to the Kentucky Derby.”
The current point system was created in 2012. It breaks up the qualifying races into two halves, the Kentucky Derby Prep Season and the Kentucky Derby Championship Series. Prep season allows horses to get started early on dirt tracks and mile-long racetracks. The point system on these races is on a 10-4-2-1 sliding scale, rewarding the first four horses that cross the finish line. There is one race in this series that has a different scale, called the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile. That rewards horses on a 20-8-4-2 scale.
The second leg of qualifying races falls under the Kentucky Derby Championship Series. The races in this series are separated as minor prep races and major prep races. Minor races are rewarded on a 50-20-10-5 scale, while major prep races (usually Grade I events) get a 100-40-20-10 scale. A single wild-card race at the end of these reverts back to the smaller 10-4-2-1 scale. At the end of this second leg, points are totaled up, and the top 18 are added to the roster of the Derby.
Up to 24 horses may enter the Derby, however. This is to help in the event of a horse being scratched or dropping out. The four horses with the next highest point totals are listed as “also eligible”, and they may be added to the starting lineup after entries are taken but before betting has begun. If wagering has already started, “also eligible” horses cannot enter the race, even if a starter is scratched.
Qualifying races are held from September until mid-April. The Kentucky Derby Prep Season starts everything off, going from September to late February. Championship Series races begin right after that, ending just a few weeks before the Kentucky Derby is set to take place. The qualifying events vary from year to year, though most of the larger events have become series mainstays. Now that you know exactly how horses qualify for the Kentucky Derby each year, you should be more prepared than ever to follow the process for legal Kentucky Derby betting and place some savvy, winning wagers.