Kentucky Derby Prep RacesKentucky Derby Prep Races

Betting Guide

2024 Kentucky Derby Prep Races

2024 Prep Race Schedule

By TVG Staff
Updated May 1, 2024


The 150th Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, May 4 at Churchill Downs! Contested every year since 1875, the $3 million race is one of the pillars of the horse racing year. The nation’s best three-year-old horses will line up for the most prestigious prizes in horse racing.

Though everyone hopes their horse can make it into the starting gate, only 20 can horses will actually earn a spot. Horses make it to the Kentucky Derby by earning points along the Road to the Kentucky Derby. As a horseplayer, it is to your advantage to watch the Road to the Kentucky Derby! Not only are the Derby preps often great betting races, but tracking the horses through the winter and spring means you will be even better prepared to handicap the Run for the Roses.


Kentucky Derby Point System

The Road to the Kentucky Derby races, in addition to offering purses and stakes-level glory in their own right, offer points to their top five finishers. The points are tiered, with the most points allotted to the winner, down to small amounts to fourth-place finishers. The top four finishers earned points between the 2012-13 and 2021-22 prep seasons, but points were expanded to the top five finishers for the 2023-24 prep season.

The 2024 Kentucky Derby also offers two Road to the Kentucky Derby series abroad, one in Japan and one in Europe. The leading points-getters in Japan and Europe are guaranteed a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate if they want to go. If they choose to skip the Derby, the spots open up to the next horses in line according to the American points system. Though the UAE Derby is abroad, at Meydan in Dubai, those points count toward the American tally.

Kentucky Derby Prep Race Groupings & Points Offered

The Road to Kentucky Derby prep races are divided into four main groupings, the Kentucky Derby Prep Season, Kentucky Derby Championship Series, Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, and the Europe Road to the Kentucky Derby. All four groupings feature high-stakes races and offer unique points to the overall Kentucky Derby point system. 

The first of the groupings is the Kentucky Derby Prep Season which consists of 21 races and kicked off with the Iroquois Stakes that took place on September 16th at Churchill Downs. The Kentucky Derby Prep Season continued until the John Battaglia Memorial took place on March 2nd at Turfway Park. Races through early January, as well as the El Camino Real Derby, offer 10-5-3-2-1 points to their top finishers; the only exception is the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, which offers 30-15-9-6-3 points. Later prep-season races, from mid-January through the Battaglia, offer 20-10-6-4-2 points. Even winners of races in the Prep Season either need to win multiple Prep Season races or do well in Championship Series races to earn a ticket to Kentucky.

The second grouping is the Kentucky Derby Championship Series, which features a total of 16 races. Seven of these races, including the Rebel Stakes and the Fountain of Youth, offer a 50-25-15-10-5 point split. The final prep races such as the Santa Anita Derby and the UAE Derby double the point offer with 100-50-25-15-10. The Lexington Stakes at Keeneland is the only exception and offers a split of 20-10-6-4-2, a final last-ditch chance for horses on the bubble to earn their way in.

The Japan Road to Kentucky Derby originally only consisted of two races. However, it now consists of four major races and provides an automatic bid into the Kentucky Derby for the horse with the most points. This series includes the Cattleya Sho, which offers 10-5-3-2-1 points, the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun with 20-10-6-4-2 points, the Hyacinth, which offers 30-15-9-6-3 points, and the Fukuryu, which offers 40-20-12-8-4 points.

The Europe Road to Kentucky Derby is the newest addition to the Road to Kentucky Derby and features seven races located in Great Britain, Ireland, and France. This series includes races such as the Patton Stakes and the Cardinal Condition Stakes and offers 10-5-3-2-1, 20-10-6-4-2, and 30-15-9-6-3 point splits.

Top Kentucky Derby Prep Races

These are the prep races that offer 50 or 100 points to their winners, meaning they have the most impact on the final field of the Kentucky Derby.

DateRaceTrackPointsWinner
February 17Risen Star Stakes (G2)Fair Grounds50-25-15-10-5Sierra Leone
February 24Rebel Stakes (G2)Oaklawn50-25-15-10-5Timberlake
March 2Fountain of Youth (G2)Gulfstream Park50-25-15-10-5Dornoch
March 2Gotham (G3)Aqueduct50-25-15-10-5Deterministic
March 2San Felipe (G3)Santa Anita Park50-25-15-10-5Imagination
March 9Tampa Bay Derby (G2)Tampa Bay Downs50-25-15-10-5Domestic Product
March 23Jeff Ruby SteaksTurfway Park100-50-25-15-10Endlessly
March 23Louisiana Derby (G2)Fair Grounds100-50-25-15-10Catching Freedom
March 30UAE Derby (G2)Meydan Racecourse100-50-25-15-10Fierceness
March 30Florida Derby (G1)Gulfstream Park100-50-25-15-10Forever Young
March 30Arkansas Derby (G1)Oaklawn Park100-50-25-15-10Muth
April 6Wood Memorial (G2)Aqueduct100-50-25-15-10Resilience
April 6Blue Grass (G1)Keeneland100-50-25-15-10Sierra Leone
April 6Santa Anita Derby (G1)Santa Anita Park100-50-25-15-10Stronghold


Road to the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard

This is the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard, featuring the 22 contenders who entered the Kentucky Derby. Encino defected on Tuesday morning after coming back from training with a soft-tissue issue, meaning Epic Ride has made it into the main field. If another horse scratches before the scratch deadline at 9 a.m. EDT on Friday, then Mugatu gets into the Kentucky Derby starting gate. Unlike the 20 originally in the main field, who were allocated starting gates by pill pull at the Kentucky Derby draw on Saturday, April 27, the also-eligible horses join the field from the outside: so far, Epic Ride will now get the 20 gate, and that goes to Mugatu if he ends up drawing in.

RankHorseTrainerJockeyPoints
1Sierra LeoneChad BrownTyler Gaffalione155
2FiercenessTodd PletcherJohn Velazque136
3Catching FreedomBrad CoxFlavien Prat125
4StrongholdPhil D’AmatoAntonio Fresu125
5ResilienceBill MottTBA110
6Forever YoungYoshito YahagiRyusei Sakai100
7EndlesslyMichael McCarthyUmberto Rispoli
100
8DornochDanny GarganLuis Saez75
9Just a TouchBrad CoxFlorent Geroux75
10Track PhantomSteve AsmussenJoel Rosario70
11West SaratogaLarry DemeritteJesus Castanon67
12Just SteelD. Wayne LukasKeith Asmussen65
13Honor MarieWhit BeckmanBen Curtis65
14Domestic ProductChad BrownIrad Ortiz, Jr.60
15CatalyticSaffie Joseph, Jr.Jose Ortiz50
16Society ManDanny GarganLuis Rivera, Jr.50
17Mystik DanKenny McPeekBrian Hernandez, Jr.46
18EncinoBrad CoxAbel ConcepcionSCR
20T O PasswordDaisuke TakayanagiKazushi KimuraJapan
21Epic RideJohn EnnisAdam Beschizza35
22Uncle HeavyButch ReidTBA30
23Seize the GreyD. Wayne LukasTBA27

* T O Password earned his spot in the Kentucky Derby via the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. No horse from the Europe Road to the Kentucky Derby chose to take a spot in the Kentucky Derby, so that spot reverted to the basic points system, ensuring Grand Mo the First a spot in the main field.


The number of points it actually takes to get into the Kentucky Derby varies sharply by year. In 2021, Brooklyn Strong got into the field with just 10 points. However, in 2019, Bodexpress was the last horse in—and he had 40 points! With more points available for the 2024 Kentucky Derby, however, the floor is expected to be on the high side: three and a half weeks before the race, some horses with 45 points are still on the outside looking in 2024 is 40.

Kentucky Derby Prep Race Betting With TVG

For in-depth analysis and expert picks all year long, including the Kentucky Derby and every prep race, make sure to keep it TVG, your convenient, trusted, up-to-date destination to watch and wager on horse racing! To take a look at our calendar for 2024 races, be sure to check out the schedule.

Live Derby Week Coverage on FanDuel TV+

Watch FanDuel Racing’s live, commercial-free, racing coverage of Derby Week on FanDuel TV+ beginning Saturday, 4/27 – Thursday 5/2. FanDuel TV will also be on-site at Churchill Downs providing comprehensive coverage, including the latest news, analysis, and handicapping insights in the days leading up to the Derby.

Get up to $100 Back

If you don't win your first single-horse win bet

By TVG Staff
Updated May 1, 2024


The 150th Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, May 4 at Churchill Downs! Contested every year since 1875, the $3 million race is one of the pillars of the horse racing year. The nation’s best three-year-old horses will line up for the most prestigious prizes in horse racing.

Though everyone hopes their horse can make it into the starting gate, only 20 can horses will actually earn a spot. Horses make it to the Kentucky Derby by earning points along the Road to the Kentucky Derby. As a horseplayer, it is to your advantage to watch the Road to the Kentucky Derby! Not only are the Derby preps often great betting races, but tracking the horses through the winter and spring means you will be even better prepared to handicap the Run for the Roses.


Kentucky Derby Point System

The Road to the Kentucky Derby races, in addition to offering purses and stakes-level glory in their own right, offer points to their top five finishers. The points are tiered, with the most points allotted to the winner, down to small amounts to fourth-place finishers. The top four finishers earned points between the 2012-13 and 2021-22 prep seasons, but points were expanded to the top five finishers for the 2023-24 prep season.

The 2024 Kentucky Derby also offers two Road to the Kentucky Derby series abroad, one in Japan and one in Europe. The leading points-getters in Japan and Europe are guaranteed a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate if they want to go. If they choose to skip the Derby, the spots open up to the next horses in line according to the American points system. Though the UAE Derby is abroad, at Meydan in Dubai, those points count toward the American tally.

Kentucky Derby Prep Race Groupings & Points Offered

The Road to Kentucky Derby prep races are divided into four main groupings, the Kentucky Derby Prep Season, Kentucky Derby Championship Series, Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, and the Europe Road to the Kentucky Derby. All four groupings feature high-stakes races and offer unique points to the overall Kentucky Derby point system. 

The first of the groupings is the Kentucky Derby Prep Season which consists of 21 races and kicked off with the Iroquois Stakes that took place on September 16th at Churchill Downs. The Kentucky Derby Prep Season continued until the John Battaglia Memorial took place on March 2nd at Turfway Park. Races through early January, as well as the El Camino Real Derby, offer 10-5-3-2-1 points to their top finishers; the only exception is the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, which offers 30-15-9-6-3 points. Later prep-season races, from mid-January through the Battaglia, offer 20-10-6-4-2 points. Even winners of races in the Prep Season either need to win multiple Prep Season races or do well in Championship Series races to earn a ticket to Kentucky.

The second grouping is the Kentucky Derby Championship Series, which features a total of 16 races. Seven of these races, including the Rebel Stakes and the Fountain of Youth, offer a 50-25-15-10-5 point split. The final prep races such as the Santa Anita Derby and the UAE Derby double the point offer with 100-50-25-15-10. The Lexington Stakes at Keeneland is the only exception and offers a split of 20-10-6-4-2, a final last-ditch chance for horses on the bubble to earn their way in.

The Japan Road to Kentucky Derby originally only consisted of two races. However, it now consists of four major races and provides an automatic bid into the Kentucky Derby for the horse with the most points. This series includes the Cattleya Sho, which offers 10-5-3-2-1 points, the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun with 20-10-6-4-2 points, the Hyacinth, which offers 30-15-9-6-3 points, and the Fukuryu, which offers 40-20-12-8-4 points.

The Europe Road to Kentucky Derby is the newest addition to the Road to Kentucky Derby and features seven races located in Great Britain, Ireland, and France. This series includes races such as the Patton Stakes and the Cardinal Condition Stakes and offers 10-5-3-2-1, 20-10-6-4-2, and 30-15-9-6-3 point splits.

Top Kentucky Derby Prep Races

These are the prep races that offer 50 or 100 points to their winners, meaning they have the most impact on the final field of the Kentucky Derby.

DateRaceTrackPointsWinner
February 17Risen Star Stakes (G2)Fair Grounds50-25-15-10-5Sierra Leone
February 24Rebel Stakes (G2)Oaklawn50-25-15-10-5Timberlake
March 2Fountain of Youth (G2)Gulfstream Park50-25-15-10-5Dornoch
March 2Gotham (G3)Aqueduct50-25-15-10-5Deterministic
March 2San Felipe (G3)Santa Anita Park50-25-15-10-5Imagination
March 9Tampa Bay Derby (G2)Tampa Bay Downs50-25-15-10-5Domestic Product
March 23Jeff Ruby SteaksTurfway Park100-50-25-15-10Endlessly
March 23Louisiana Derby (G2)Fair Grounds100-50-25-15-10Catching Freedom
March 30UAE Derby (G2)Meydan Racecourse100-50-25-15-10Fierceness
March 30Florida Derby (G1)Gulfstream Park100-50-25-15-10Forever Young
March 30Arkansas Derby (G1)Oaklawn Park100-50-25-15-10Muth
April 6Wood Memorial (G2)Aqueduct100-50-25-15-10Resilience
April 6Blue Grass (G1)Keeneland100-50-25-15-10Sierra Leone
April 6Santa Anita Derby (G1)Santa Anita Park100-50-25-15-10Stronghold


Road to the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard

This is the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard, featuring the 22 contenders who entered the Kentucky Derby. Encino defected on Tuesday morning after coming back from training with a soft-tissue issue, meaning Epic Ride has made it into the main field. If another horse scratches before the scratch deadline at 9 a.m. EDT on Friday, then Mugatu gets into the Kentucky Derby starting gate. Unlike the 20 originally in the main field, who were allocated starting gates by pill pull at the Kentucky Derby draw on Saturday, April 27, the also-eligible horses join the field from the outside: so far, Epic Ride will now get the 20 gate, and that goes to Mugatu if he ends up drawing in.

RankHorseTrainerJockeyPoints
1Sierra LeoneChad BrownTyler Gaffalione155
2FiercenessTodd PletcherJohn Velazque136
3Catching FreedomBrad CoxFlavien Prat125
4StrongholdPhil D’AmatoAntonio Fresu125
5ResilienceBill MottTBA110
6Forever YoungYoshito YahagiRyusei Sakai100
7EndlesslyMichael McCarthyUmberto Rispoli
100
8DornochDanny GarganLuis Saez75
9Just a TouchBrad CoxFlorent Geroux75
10Track PhantomSteve AsmussenJoel Rosario70
11West SaratogaLarry DemeritteJesus Castanon67
12Just SteelD. Wayne LukasKeith Asmussen65
13Honor MarieWhit BeckmanBen Curtis65
14Domestic ProductChad BrownIrad Ortiz, Jr.60
15CatalyticSaffie Joseph, Jr.Jose Ortiz50
16Society ManDanny GarganLuis Rivera, Jr.50
17Mystik DanKenny McPeekBrian Hernandez, Jr.46
18EncinoBrad CoxAbel ConcepcionSCR
20T O PasswordDaisuke TakayanagiKazushi KimuraJapan
21Epic RideJohn EnnisAdam Beschizza35
22Uncle HeavyButch ReidTBA30
23Seize the GreyD. Wayne LukasTBA27

* T O Password earned his spot in the Kentucky Derby via the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. No horse from the Europe Road to the Kentucky Derby chose to take a spot in the Kentucky Derby, so that spot reverted to the basic points system, ensuring Grand Mo the First a spot in the main field.


The number of points it actually takes to get into the Kentucky Derby varies sharply by year. In 2021, Brooklyn Strong got into the field with just 10 points. However, in 2019, Bodexpress was the last horse in—and he had 40 points! With more points available for the 2024 Kentucky Derby, however, the floor is expected to be on the high side: three and a half weeks before the race, some horses with 45 points are still on the outside looking in 2024 is 40.

Kentucky Derby Prep Race Betting With TVG

For in-depth analysis and expert picks all year long, including the Kentucky Derby and every prep race, make sure to keep it TVG, your convenient, trusted, up-to-date destination to watch and wager on horse racing! To take a look at our calendar for 2024 races, be sure to check out the schedule.

Live Derby Week Coverage on FanDuel TV+

Watch FanDuel Racing’s live, commercial-free, racing coverage of Derby Week on FanDuel TV+ beginning Saturday, 4/27 – Thursday 5/2. FanDuel TV will also be on-site at Churchill Downs providing comprehensive coverage, including the latest news, analysis, and handicapping insights in the days leading up to the Derby.