The 2020 Road to the Kentucky Derby was a series of races through which horses qualified for the

2020 Kentucky Derby The 2020 Kentucky Derby (officially, the 2020 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve) was the 146th Kentucky Derby, and took place on Saturday, September 5, 2020, in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is one of the three legs of the American T ...

, which was held on September 5 (rescheduled from the traditional first Saturday in May due to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

). The field for the Derby is limited to 20 horses, with up to four 'also eligibles' in case of a late withdrawal from the field. There are three separate paths for horses to take to qualify for the Derby: the main Road consisting of races in North America (plus one in Dubai), the Japan Road consisting of four races in Japan, and the European Road with seven European races in England, Ireland and France. The top four finishers in the specified races receive points, with higher points awarded in the major prep races. Earnings in non-restricted stakes races act as a tie breaker. When originally announced in September 2019, the main

Road to the Kentucky Derby The Road to the Kentucky Derby is a points system by which horses qualify for a position in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby. It features dozens of stakes races for 2 and 3-year-old Thoroughbreds – the number and specific races have chang ...

would have remained substantially the same as the

2019 Road to the Kentucky Derby The 2019 Road to the Kentucky Derby was a series of races through which horses qualified for the 2019 Kentucky Derby, which was held on May 4, 2019. The field for the Derby is limited to 20 horses, with up to four 'also eligibles' in case of a late ...

, consisting of 35 races, 19 races for the Kentucky Derby Prep Season and 16 races for the Kentucky Derby Championship Season.

Fair Grounds Race Course Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC. As early as 1838 Bernard de Marigny, Ju ...

subsequently made minor changes to the length of the three qualifying races that it hosts: the Lecomte Stakes goes from a mile and 70 yards to miles, the Risen Star from to miles, and the Louisiana Derby goes from to miles. However in March 2020, the growing coronavirus pandemic prompted the cancellation of several prep races, and the rescheduling of the Derby itself. Churchill Downs added more qualifying races to the series in May which became known as the Extended Series.

Main Road to the Kentucky Derby

Standings

The following table shows the points earned in the eligible races for the main series. The ranking is for horses that are still pointing towards the race, as shown on the Derby Leaderboard published by Churchill Downs on August 22, updated for subsequently announced withdrawals from the field.

Authentic Authenticity or authentic may refer to: * Authentication, the act of confirming the truth of an attribute Arts and entertainment * Authenticity in art, ways in which a work of art or an artistic performance may be considered authentic Music * A ...

, who was the eventual winner of the Kentucky Derby, qualified for the race in second place by winning the Haskell, Sham and San Felipe, plus finishing second in the Santa Anita Derby. * ''Winner of Kentucky Derby in bold'' * ''Sidelined/Inactive/No longer under Derby Consideration/Not nominated in gray''

Prep season

''Note: 1st=10 points; 2nd=4 points; 3rd=2 points; 4th=1 point (except the Breeders' Cup Juvenile: 1st=20 points; 2nd=8 points; 3rd=4 points; 4th=2 points)''

Championship series events

First leg of series

''Note: 1st=50 points; 2nd=20 points; 3rd=10 points; 4th=5 points''

Second leg of series

These races are the major preps for the Kentucky Derby, and are thus weighted more heavily. Additional races are scheduled to be added in the summer as to make up for cancelled races towards the September 5 Derby. ''Note: 1st=100 points; 2nd=40 points; 3rd=20 points; 4th=10 points''

'Wild Card' events

''Note: 1st=20 points; 2nd=8 points; 3rd=4 points; 4th=2 points''

Extended series events

The following races were announced for the extension of the Road to the Kentucky Derby as a result of the Derby being run in September instead of May. ''Note:''
''

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

: 1st=150 points; 2nd=60 points; 3rd=30 points; 4th=15 points''
''

Blue Grass Stakes The Blue Grass Stakes, currently the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes due to sponsorship by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is a horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. The race is run ...

Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is currently run at a distance of miles on the dirt and carries a purse of $400,000. It is on ...

Haskell Invitational The Haskell Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run over a distance of miles on the dirt held annually in July at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. The event is a signature event at Monmouth P ...

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds according to internation ...

: 1st=100 points; 2nd=40 points; 3rd=20 points; 4th=10 points''
'' Matt Winn Stakes, Ellis Park Derby, Shared Belief Stakes,

Peter Pan Stakes The Peter Pan Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds over a distance of miles (nine furlongs) run annually during the second week of May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. History The race is run in honor o ...

: 1st=50 points; 2nd=20 points; 3rd=10 points; 4th=5 points''
''

Pegasus Stakes The Pegasus Stakes is a Listed American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in June at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. An event for three-year-olds of either gender, it is contested at a mile and an sixteenth (eight and a half ...

Indiana Derby The Indiana Derby is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run over a distance of miles on the dirt held annually in July at Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville, Indiana. It is the racetrack's signature event offering ...

Los Alamitos Derby The Los Alamitos Derby (formerly the Swaps Stakes) is a race for Thoroughbred horses run annually at Los Alamitos Race Course in Los Alamitos, California. The race is open to three-year-old horses and is contested at one and one-eighth miles on the ...

Ohio Derby The Ohio Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid-to-late June at Thistledown in North Randall, Ohio. The Grade III stakes for three-year-olds is run on dirt over a distance of 1 miles. The race currently offers a purs ...

: 1st=20 points; 2nd=8 points; 3rd=4 points; 4th=2 points''

Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby

The Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby is intended to provide a place in the Derby starting gate to the top finisher in the series. If the connections of that horse decline the invitation, their place is offered to the second-place finisher and so on through the top four finishers. If neither of the top four accept, this place in the starting gate reverts to the horses on the main road to the Derby. The top point earners were Café Pharoah(70 points), Danon Pharoah (40 points), Herrschaft (40 points) and Dieu du Vin (26 points). None of the invitations were accepted. ;Races ''Note:'' ''Cattleya Sho: 1st=10 points; 2nd=4 points; 3rd=2 points; 4th=1 point''
''Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun: 1st=20 points; 2nd=8 points; 3rd=4 points; 4th=2 points''
''Hyacinth: 1st=30 points; 2nd=12 points; 3rd=6 points; 4th=3 points''
''Other 3 races : 1st=40 points; 2nd=16 points; 3rd=8 points; 4th=4 points'' ;Qualification Table The top four horses (colored brown within the standings) are eligible to participate in the Kentucky Derby provided the horse is nominated. ''Notes:''
* brown highlight – qualified on points but declined offer * grey highlight – did not qualify

European Road to the Kentucky Derby

The European Road to the Kentucky Derby is designed on a similar basis to the Japan Road and is intended to provide a place in the Derby starting gate to the top finisher in the series. If the connections of that horse decline the invitation, their place is offered to the second-place finisher and so on. If none of the top four accept, this place in the starting gate reverts to the horses on the main road to the Derby. The series was supposed to consist of seven races – four run on the turf in late 2019 when the horses were age two, plus three races run on a synthetic surface in early 2020. The last race in the series, the Cardinal Stakes, was postponed when horse racing in Britain was suspended from mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The top point earners were Nobel Prize (30 points), Crossfirehurricane (20 points), Chares (20 points) and Kameko (14 points). None of the invitations were accepted. ;Races ''Note:'' * ''the four races in 2019 for two-year-olds: 1st=10 points; 2nd=4 points; 3rd=2 points; 4th=1 point'' * ''the first two races in 2020: 1st=20 points; 2nd=8 points; 3rd=4 points; 4th=2 points'' * ''The Cardinal Stakes: 1st=30 points; 2nd=12 points; 3rd=6 points; 4th=3 points'' ;Qualification Table The top four horses (colored brown within the standings) are eligible to participate in the Kentucky Derby provided the horse is nominated. ''Notes:''
* brown highlight – qualified on points but declined offer * grey highlight – did not qualify

Notes

References

External links

{{Road to the Kentucky Derby Road to the Kentucky Derby, 2020