How the Kentucky Derby leaderboard has changed since Jan. 1

Things can change fast on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Horses rise to prominence, then fall out of favor, as new stars arrive on the scene.

Following Monday’s announcement that the 2020 Kentucky Derby (G1) will be postponed from May 2 to Sept. 5, it’s anyone’s guess how this will eventually impact the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. There’s a strong chance the horses currently ranked near the top won’t be the names everyone is talking about 5 1/2 months from now.

Just look at how much the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard has changed since Jan. 1. Only six horses ranked in the top 20 at the start of the start of the year — Storm the Court (#1), Tiz the Law (#3), Silver Prospector (#7), Shotski (#8), Thousand Words (#10), and Enforceable (#19) — remain in the top 20. Fourteen others have fallen down the list for one reason or another, and they include:

Anneau d’Or (#2): The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) runner-up entered 2020 with 12 points, but failed to increase his total when he finished off the board in the second division of the Risen Star (G2). He’ll attempt to rejoin the top 10 with a strong effort in the April 4 Santa Anita Derby (G1).

Shoplifted (#4): Although the Remington Springboard Mile winner has picked up three points in 2020, his total of 13 isn't enough to keep him in the top 20.

Maxfield (#5): Because of injury, the runaway Breeders’ Futurity (G1) winner has yet to race in 2020, and the 10 points he earned last year are insufficient to maintain a high ranking on the leaderboard. But with the postponement of the Derby, Maxfield could reemerge as a major player this summer.

Eight Rings (#6): Like Maxfield, Eight Rings hasn’t run in 2020, so the 10 points he secured for his win in the American Pharoah (G1) remain the only points to his credit. But the postponement of the Derby will buy Eight Rings some time to regain his peak form.

Dennis’ Moment (#9): A disappointing comeback run in the Fountain of Youth (G2) prompted Dennis’ Moment to slip outside the top 20, though he retains the 10 points he earned in the Iroquois (G3) last year.

Scabbard (#11): Though he accumulated six points when he hit the board in the Iroquois and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Scabbard failed to earn additional points in the Lecomte (G3) and Risen Star (G2) this winter and sits well outside the top 20.

Wrecking Crew (#12): Placing third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile hasn’t translated to further success. He entered 2020 with five points, and his total remains unchanged, following an off-the-board effort in the San Felipe (G2).

Ajaaweed (#13): He’s upped his points total slightly this season, from five to seven through a third-place finish in the Sam F. Davis (G3), but he’ll need a significantly larger boost if he’s going to reclaim a spot in the top 20.

Green Light Go (#14): Last year’s Champagne (G1) runner-up has yet to compete in a 2020 Road to the Kentucky Derby prep race, which leaves him with the same four points he had at the start of the season.

Gouverneur Morris (#15): Although the Breeders’ Futurity runner-up has fallen outside the top 20, with just four points, an encouraging allowance win at Tampa Bay Downs has positioned him to rejoin the rankings with a strong effort in the Florida Derby (G1) or Wood Memorial (G2).

Answer In (#16): He entered the year with four points and raised his total to six with a third-place finish in the Southwest (G3), but he’ll need a stronger effort next time to rejoin the top 20.

American Theorem (#17): He got burned up in a fast pace when he returned from a layoff in the Rebel (G2), and this off-the-board effort left the 2019 American Pharoah runner-up with an unchanged total of four points.

Finnick the Fierce (#18): The Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) runner-up climbed from four points to five with a fourth-place effort in the Lecomte.

Embolden (#20): He hasn’t run since a third in the Springboard Mile, so with just two points, he has a lot of work to do.

The current leaderboard can be viewed on the Kentucky Derby website. Which horses do you think have the staying power to stick around and challenge for victory on the first Saturday in September?