The Kentucky Derby remains one of the most important races on the horse racing schedule, as it forms the opening leg of the Triple Crown in the United States. Every year, horses aged three will compete in the prestigious race at Churchill Downs, looking to join the likes of American Pharoah, Secretariat, and Justify in winning the illustrious contest.

However, the work to get into the field is almost as important as the race itself, with only the top point scorers on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard making up the runners that will have their shot at history.

Kentucky Derby Prep Races

The Road to the Kentucky Derby gets underway with prep races when runners are aged two, with the feature being the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, which is staged on the opening day of the prestigious two-day world championship meet. Overall, there are 37 races staged in the United States, with further races offering points in Europe and Japan.

Typically, the top 20 point scorers will earn their race in the field, with usually between 30 and 40 points securing a berth. However, a rare exception to that rule occurred in 2022 when Rich Strike found himself in the Derby field with just 21 points. The eventual Derby winner wasn’t among the qualified horses but was offered a place following the late scratch of Ethereal Road.

Find more info about wagering on these races here: https://www.twinspires.com/edge/racing/wagering/

Most Important Kentucky Derby Prep Races

Florida Derby

The Florida Derby is one of the most important prep races on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, with this race for three-year-olds being staged annually at Gulfstream Park. It is run just five weeks before the Derby, and the Grade 1 offers a purse of $1 million.

There have been some famous named throughout history that have won the Florida Derby before landing success in one of the Triple Crown races, including Barbaro, Always Dreaming, and Orb.

Santa Anita Derby

The Santa Anita Derby is another of the major prep races that is staged before the Kentucky Derby, with the race offering a purse of $400,000. This race is staged at Santa Anita, with a total distance of 1 1/8 miles being covered by the field.

A number of winners of the race have later landed success in the Derby, including Winning Colors, who remains the only filly to have both derbies. Affirmed also landed success in the race in 1978 on his way to winning the Triple Crown.

Blue Grass Stakes

The Blue Grass Stakes remains a prominent race on the calendar in the U.S., despite the fact that no winner of the race has gone on to win the Kentucky Derby since 1991.

However, it offers a high-quality race over 1 1/8 miles at Keeneland, with the purse being set at $1 million since 2015. It has been a Grade 1 on the calendar since 2022, with one of the most famous winners in recent years being Essential Quality, who later landed victory in the Belmont Stakes.

Wood Memorial Stakes

The Wood Memorial Stakes is one of the final prep races on the calendar before the Kentucky Derby, and it has been staged at Aqueduct since 1925. This race offers a purse of $750,000, and despite the quality fields that have lined up in the Wood Memorial, it still remains a Grade 2.

Between 1930 and 2000 it was a hugely successful prep race, with eleven winners later landing success at Churchill Downs. However, no winner of the race has followed up in the Kentucky Derby since 2000, with two notable winners missing out on their shot through injury.

Louisiana Derby

The Louisiana Derby is staged at Fair Grounds annually in late March, with the field competing for vital Kentucky Derby points as well as $1 million from the purse. It is contested by runners aged three over a distance of 1 3/16 miles, with two previous winners of the prep later landing success at Churchill Downs.

The first to achieve the double was Black Gold in 1924, before Grindstone emulated the feat in 1996. Epicenter was close to ending that wait in 2022 for Steven Asmussen, before finishing second in the Derby.

UAE Derby

As we mentioned previously, there are also international races on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, with the standout coming in the form of the UAE Derby. This race is staged annually in Meydan, UAE, with the field competing for a share of the $2.5 million purse as well as vital Derby points.

A total distance of 1 3/16 miles is covered by the field, but it is yet to discover a Derby winner. Derma Sotogake won the most recent edition of the race, but he could only finish sixth in the Derby before later finishing as a respectable runner-up in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic.