2024 Kentucky Derby Prep Races Schedule

The Kentucky Derby prep races offer points for entry

The Road to the Kentucky Derby is a captivating journey that intersects equine athleticism, statistical analysis, and historical continuity. This road comprises a sequence of races with points as a currency of distinction. The Top 5 finishers in each race accumulate points toward a chance to compete on the first Saturday in May. Throughout the season, racing performances are scrutinized, dissected, and quantified through handicapping analysis, a process that mirrors the scientific method.

But what of the top 20 point earners? These statistical outliers, akin to significant results in an experiment, secure coveted positions in the starting gate. Their trajectories—shaped by speed, stamina, and tactical finesse—become part of the Derby’s grand narrative.

Beyond the rolling hills of Kentucky, the European Road to the Kentucky Derby beckons. Like a cross-continental collaboration in scientific research, it extends an invitation—one that transcends borders and enriches the Derby’s pool of potential victors. The finest steeds from distant lands converge, their pedigrees interwoven with their American brethren like strands of DNA.

And across the Pacific, the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby unfurls. Here, the principles of equine genetics and selective breeding intersect on another premier stage. The top point earners from Japan—a nation with its own storied racing heritage—earn their chance at Derby glory. It’s a transpacific dialogue, where data flows like currents across the ocean.

Since 1975, the Derby field has adhered to a strict limit: 20 starters. This constraint, akin to experimental parameters, shapes the race's dynamics. In 22 of the last 25 years, the field has swelled to this maximum—a statistical anomaly that defies assumptions.

So, fellow scientists and aficionados, let us raise our beakers (or mint juleps) to this empirical odyssey. For the Road to the Kentucky Derby, like a well-designed experiment, yields insights, challenges assumptions, and perpetuates the legacy of equine inquiry.

How might Kentucky native Jesse Stuart describe the Road to the Kentucky Derby?

In the rolling hills of Kentucky, where the earth yields its secrets to the plow and the sun dances upon the fields like a golden fiddler, there exists a path—a winding, dust-kissed road that leads to the heart of horse country and Thoroughbred racing. This road, my friends, is no ordinary thoroughfare; it is the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

And so, let us traverse this road, our hooves echoing against the limestone cliffs, our eyes fixed on the distant spires of Churchill Downs. Here, the Thoroughbreds gallop, their sinewy muscles taut as fiddle strings, their breaths a symphony of anticipation. They race not merely for glory but for the very essence of their being—the pulse of the Bluegrass, the rhythm of generations.

The points system, like the seasons, weaves its tapestry. Stakes races unfold—a ballet of speed and stamina. Each stride, they inch closer to that hallowed gate, where roses bloom and dreams ignite.

And oh, the Kentucky Oaks, a sister race, where fillies dance like dandelions in a sun-kissed meadow. Their manes, like spun gold, catch the breeze as they chase the wind, their hearts aflame with the promise of spring lilies.

In the shadow of Jesse Stuart’s memory, we raise our mint juleps and cheer. For this road, my friends, is more than dirt and gravel; it is a pilgrimage—a hymn sung by the wind, a tale etched upon the rolling hills. And as the sun dips low, casting long shadows across the track, we know that here, in this sacred soil, legends are born, and the echoes of hooves reverberate through time. 🌿🐎🌹

2023-24 ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY SCHEDULE (37 races)

Refer to the Kentucky Derby prep-race calendar below. Learn more about the point system and point values of Derby prep-races here.

Kentucky Derby Prep Season (21 races)

Kentucky Derby Championship Series (15 races)

2023-24 Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby Schedule (4 races)

2023-24 Europe Road to the Kentucky Derby Schedule (7 races)

(T) = Turf
(AW) = Synthetic

Note: Schedule dates subject to change.