The Road to the Kentucky Derby Conditions Stakes
- Location: Kempton Park, England
- Inaugural Race: 2018
- Distance: One mile
- Track Type: Left-Handed Artificial Track
- Age Qualifications: Left-Handed Artificial Track
- 2021 Purse: £70,000
- 2021 Race Date: Thursday, March 4th
2020 Road to the Kentucky Derby Conditions Stakes Entries, Odds, and Results
Entrants listed by order of finish.
| POST | HORSE | JOCKEY | TRAINER | ODDS | RTKD POINTS EARNED |
|---|
3 | Chares | J. F. Egan | Jane Chapple-hyam | 2-1 | 20 |
2 | Berlin Tango | O. Murphy | Andrew Balding | 7-5 | 8 |
5 | New World Tapestry | R. L. Moore | Aidan O'Brien | 5-2 | 4 |
4 | Naval Commander | K. O'Neill | Robyn Brisland | 30-1 | 2 |
1 | Ayr Harbour | A. Rawlinson | Michael Appleby | 15-1 |
Exotic Payouts:
| Exacta (3-2) |
$5.10 |
| Trifecta (3-2-5) |
$11.60 |
The History of the Road to the Kentucky Derby Condition Stakes
The inaugural European Road to the Kentucky Derby series, staged in 2017-18, includes seven races. Four are traditional turf features for 2-year-olds, while the other three are on artificial tracks in March.
One of those races is new: the one-mile Road to the Kentucky Derby Conditions Stakes, held at Kempton Park in outer London. The first four finishers earn points in the European series on a 20-8-4-2 basis. The overall winner of the series will earn a spot in the Derby field.
The race may be a new one, but it’s not the first time Kempton Park has held a race with Kentucky Derby relevance. Back in 2009, Churchill Downs and Kempton Park staged the Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes, worth total prizemoney of $150,000, and guaranteed the winner a place in the Kentucky Derby. If the winner ran in the Derby, they would get an extra $100,000 and an automatic spot in the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.
The winner in 2009, Mafaaz, did come to Kentucky, but after finishing eighth of 11 in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland in April, connections decided not to run in the Kentucky Derby.
The race wasn’t held again, but Churchill Downs officials said they would keep their options open, which led to the new race in 2018. It will be interesting to see the horses it attracts.