Kentucky Derby Horses & Contenders Leaderboard

2026–2027 Horse Leaderboard: The Road to the Kentucky Derby

The 2026–2027 Horse Leaderboard tracks Kentucky Derby contenders as they earn points through designated prep races around the world. Use the leaderboard to follow each horse’s standing, compare points and earnings, place bets on specific horses, and explore horse profiles to learn more about the runners shaping the path to the Kentucky Derby. Find more performance data on TwinSpires.

Get more information about the three paths to the Kentucky Derby and how horses earn a spot at the starting gate here.

Golden Tempo wins the 152nd Kentucky Derby (Photo by Doug Beigie)

What is the Road to the Kentucky Derby?

Each year, 20 Thoroughbred horses have a once in a lifetime chance to run in the Kentucky Derby. The Road to the Kentucky Derby, sponsored by Woodford Reserve, is a series of races where the top five horses in each race earn points. The 18 horses with the most points will get a spot in the starting gate for the 153rd Kentucky Derby, which will take place on Saturday, May 1, 2027.

There are three paths to the Kentucky Derby: the American Road, the Japan Road, and the European/Middle East Road. The Derby prep races start in September and go through mid-April. These races are split into two parts: the Prep Season and the Championship Series. Horses earn points for finishing in the top five, and the Championship Series races give the most points. The horses with the most points in the American Road and those who win their international series in the Japan and European/Middle East Road, will earn a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate.

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Fierceness illustrates his laid-back personality (Photo by Alys Emson/Lane's End Farms)

General Kentucky Derby Horse Info

The only horses eligible to compete in the Kentucky Derby are Thoroughbreds, which are exclusively bred naturally. The foundation sires for Thoroughbred horses, or founding fathers, are Darley Arabian (1700), Godolphin Arabian (1724) and Byerly Turk (1679).

No matter when a Thoroughbred horse is born, every Thoroughbred shares the same birthday of January 1st! Horses in the Kentucky Derby must be exactly three years old by the first Saturday in May in order to be eligible to compete

Derby contenders may be geldings, colts, or fillies and each horse can have an affinity to certain track surfaces and conditions. There are horses who thrive on grassy turf and others who may dominate on dirt. Track conditions matter just as much with certain horses gaining an advantage depending on whether the track is good, wet fast, muddy, or sloppy.

Horses who run in the Kentucky Derby are often purchased at horse auctions by their current owners. These sales, such as Keeneland, OBS, or Fasig-Tipton, can conduct horse sales for a specific age or context of the horses; like breeding stock versus two-year-olds in training and mixed age or sex.