Road to the Kentucky Derby Begins Saturday with Iroquois at Churchill Downs

Sep 12, 2018 Darren Rogers

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018) – The official “Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve” will begin Saturday at the home of America’s greatest race as Churchill Downs stages the 37 ^th running of the Grade III, $150,000 Iroquois for 2 year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on opening weekend of its 11-day September Meet.

The “Road to the Kentucky Derby,” a series of select races that award a sliding scale of points to the Top 4 finishers, has determined preference for its 20-horse Kentucky Derby (Grade I) field since 2013. The 1 ¼-mile classic for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds will be run at the historic Louisville, Ky. racetrack for the 145 ^th consecutive year on Saturday, May 4, 2019.

The total number of races in the primary “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series is unchanged from last year’s lineup with 35 marquee races scheduled. Saturday’s Iroquois kicks off the 19-race “Prep Season,” which features foundation-building races over a minimum of one mile between mid-September and mid-February. Points awarded during the “Prep Season” are worth 10-4-2-1 to the top four placings, respectively, except for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI), which is worth twice as much (20-8-4-2). This year’s 1 1/16-mile Breeders’ Cup Juvenile will be held at Churchill Downs for a ninth time on Future Stars Friday, Nov. 2.

The 16-race “Championship Series,” which comprise springboard events that often bring the 3-year-old picture into sharper focus, is the same as it was in 2018. Most first leg races offer 50-20-10-5 points to the Top 4 finishers while the most meaningful races – the UAE Derby (GII), Louisiana Derby (GII), Florida Derby (GI), Wood Memorial (GII), Blue Grass (GII), Santa Anita Derby (GI) and Arkansas Derby (GI) – are worth 100-40-20-10.  

Some tweaks were made to the second-year European Road to the Kentucky Derby and third-year Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, which are separate series that each carve out one spot for a potential horse from Europe and Japan.

The new Cardinal Condition Stakes, to be run April 11 over one mile on Polytrack at England’s Chelmsford City Racecourse, will replace Newcastle’s Burradon as the final race of the seven-race European series.

A fourth race has been added to the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby.  The series will now culminate with the 1 1/8-mile Fukuyru on March 31 at Nakayama Racecourse and is worth 40-16-8-4 points to the top four placings. Also, points for the Dec. 19 Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun at Kawasaki Racecourse – the race that often decides Japan’s champion 2-year-old dirt horse – were raised from 10-4-2-1 to 20-8-4-2.

This is the seventh consecutive year that Churchill Downs has used a point system to determine entrants for its famed Kentucky Derby. At least 20 horses have entered the “Run for the Roses” every year since 2014, and 18 of the last 20 years.

A similar series remains in place to qualify for the Kentucky Derby’s sister race, the Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI) for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on Friday, May 3, 2019. As was the case in 2018, there will be 30 races for the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” series – 15 “Prep Season” races, which starts with Saturday’s 50 ^th running of the $200,000 Pocahontas (GII) at Churchill Downs, and 15 “Championship Series” races.

Churchill Downs’ 11-day September Meet opens Friday with a 10-race program at 12:45 p.m. ET and will continue for three weeks through Sunday, Sept. 30. Following a 17-day run at Keeneland (Oct. 5-27) in Lexington, racing on the Kentucky circuit will return to Churchill Downs for the 21-day Fall Meet from Oct. 28-Nov. 25, which includes the two-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Friday, Nov. 2 and Saturday, Nov. 3.

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2018-19 ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY SCHEDULE

35 Races

Kentucky Derby Prep Season (19 races)

Date	Race	Racetrack	Distance	1st (Points)	2nd (Points)	3rd (Points)	4th (Points)
Sept. 15	Iroquois	Churchill Downs	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Sept. 29	American Pharoah	Santa Anita	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Oct. 6	Champagne	Belmont Park	1 Mile	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Oct. 6	Breeders’ Futurity	Keeneland	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Nov. 2	Breeders’ Cup Juvenile	Churchill Downs	1 1/16 Miles	(20)	(8)	(4)	(2)
Nov. 24	Kentucky Jockey Club	Churchill Downs	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Dec. 1	Remsen	Aqueduct	1 1/8 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Dec. 8*	Los Alamitos Futurity	Los Alamitos	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Dec. 16	Springboard Mile	Remington Park	1 Mile	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Jan. 1*	Jerome	Aqueduct	1 Mile	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Jan. 5*	Sham	Santa Anita	1 Mile	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Jan. 12*	Lecomte	Fair Grounds	1 Mile 70 Yards	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Jan. 25	Smarty Jones	Oaklawn Park	1 Mile	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 2*	Withers	Aqueduct	1 1/8 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 2*	Robert B. Lewis	Santa Anita	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 2*	Holy Bull	Gulfstream Park	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 9*	Sam F. Davis	Tampa Bay Downs	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 16*	El Camino Real Derby	Golden Gate	1 1/8 Miles (S)	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 18	Southwest	Oaklawn Park	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)

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Kentucky Derby Championship Series (16 races)  

Date	Race	Racetrack	Distance	1st (Points)	2nd (Points)	3rd (Points)	4th (Points)
Feb. 16*	Risen Star	Fair Grounds	1 1/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 2*	Fountain of Youth	Gulfstream Park	1 1/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 9*	Tampa Bay Derby	Tampa Bay Downs	1 1/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 9*	Gotham	Aqueduct	1 Mile	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 9*	San Felipe	Santa Anita	1 1/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 16*	Jeff Ruby Steaks	Turfway Park	1 1/8 Miles (S)	(20)	(8)	(4)	(2)
March 16	Rebel	Oaklawn Park	1 1/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 23*	Louisiana Derby	Fair Grounds	1 1/8 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
March 24*	Sunland Derby	Sunland Park	1 1/8 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 30*	UAE Derby	Meydan Racecourse	1 3/16 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
March 30*	Florida Derby	Gulfstream Park	1 1/8 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
April 6*	Wood Memorial	Aqueduct	1 1/8 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
*April 6*	Blue Grass	Keeneland	1 1/8 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
April 6*	Santa Anita Derby	Santa Anita	1 1/8 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
*April 13*	Lexington	Keeneland	1 1/16 Miles	(20)	(8)	(4)	(2)
April 13	Arkansas Derby	Oaklawn Park	1 1/8 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)

Schedule subject to change. … (T) = Turf … (S) = Synthetic … * = race dates and distances to be announced by host track; date based on recent historical placement.

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2018-19 EUROPEAN ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY SCHEDULE

7 Races  

Date	Race	Racetrack	Distance	1st (Points)	2nd (Points)	3rd (Points)	4th (Points)
Sept. 29	Juddmonte Royal Lodge	Newmarket (GB)	1 Mile (T)	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Sept. 30	Juddmonte Beresford	Naas (Ire)	1 Mile (T)	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Oct. 7	Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère	Chantilly (Fr)	1 Mile (T)	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Oct. 27	October Trophy	Doncaster (GB)	1 Mile (T)	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
March 6	Road to the Kentucky Derby Condition Stakes	Kempton Park (GB)	1 Mile (S)	(20)	(8)	(4)	(2)
March 8	Patton (Listed)	Dundalk (Ire)	1 Mile (S)	(20)	(8)	(4)	(2)
April 11	Cardinal Condition Stakes	Chelmsford City (GB)	1 Mile (S)	(30)	(12)	(6)	(3)

Schedule subject to change. … (T) = Turf … (S) = Synthetic … * = race dates and distances to be announced by host track; date based on recent historical placement.

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2018-19 JAPAN ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY SCHEDULE

3 Races

Date	Race	Racetrack	Distance	1st (Points)	2nd (Points)	3rd (Points)	4th (Points)
Nov. 24	Cattleya Sho	Tokyo Racecourse	1 Mile	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Dec. 19	Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun	Kawasaki Racecourse	1 Mile	(20)	(8)	(4)	(2)
Feb. 17*	Hyacinth	Tokyo Racecourse	1 Mile	(30)	(12)	(6)	(3)
March 31*	Fukuyru	Nakayama Racecourse	1 1/8 Miles	(40)	(16)	(8)	(4)

Schedule subject to change. … (T) = Turf … (S) = Synthetic … * = race dates and distances to be announced by host track; date based on recent historical placement.

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2018-19 ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY OAKS SCHEDULE 

30 Races

Kentucky Oaks Prep Season (15 races)  

Date	Race	Racetrack	Distance	1st	2nd	3rd	4th
Sept. 15	Pocahontas	Churchill Downs	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Sept. 29	Chandelier	Santa Anita	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Oct. 5	Alcibiades	Keeneland	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Oct. 7	Frizette	Belmont Park	1 Mile	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Nov. 2	BC Juvenile Fillies	Churchill Downs	1 1/16 Miles	(20)	(8)	(4)	(2)
Nov. 24	Golden Rod	Churchill Downs	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Dec. 1	Demoiselle	Aqueduct	1 1/8 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Dec. 8*	Starlet	Los Alamitos	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Jan. 6*	Santa Ynez	Santa Anita	7 Furlongs	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Jan. 12*	Silverbulletday	Fair Grounds	1 Mile 70 Yards	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Jan. 20*	Busanda	Aqueduct	1 1/8 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 2*	Forward Gal	Gulfstream Park	7 Furlongs	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 2	Martha Washington	Oaklawn Park	1 Mile	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 3*	Las Virgenes	Santa Anita	1 Mile	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 9*	Suncoast	Tampa Bay Downs	1 Mile 40 Yards	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)

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Kentucky Oaks Championship Series (15 races)  

Date	Race	Racetrack	Distance	1st	2nd	3rd	4th
Feb. 16*	Rachel Alexandra	Fair Grounds	1 1/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
Feb. 28*	UAE Oaks	Meydan Racecourse	1 3/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 2*	Davona Dale	Gulfstream Park	1 Mile	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 2*	Busher	Aqueduct	1 Mile	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 2*	Santa Ysabel	Santa Anita	1 1/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 9	Honeybee	Oaklawn Park	1 1/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 16*	Bourbonette Oaks	Turfway Park	1 Mile (S)	(20)	(8)	(4)	(2)
March 23*	Fair Grounds Oaks	Fair Grounds	1 1/16 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
March 24*	Sunland Park Oaks	Sunland Park	1 1/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 30*	Gulfstream Park Oaks	Gulfstream Park	1 1/16 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
April 6*	Gazelle	Aqueduct	1 1/8 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
April 6*	Ashland	Keeneland	1 1/16 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
April 6*	Santa Anita Oaks	Santa Anita	1 1/16 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
April 7*	Beaumont	Keeneland	7 Furlongs	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
April 12	Fantasy	Oaklawn Park	1 1/16 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)

Schedule subject to change. … (T) = Turf … (S) = Synthetic … * = race dates and distances to be announced by host track; date based on recent historical placement.

Churchill Downs, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN) offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 145 ^th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 4, 2019. The track’s 2018 September Meet is set for Sept. 14-30 and its fall Meet will run from Oct. 28-Nov. 25. An eight-time host to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Churchill Downs will again be the site of that event on Nov. 2-3, 2018. Information is available at www.ChurchillDowns.com.

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