Kentucky Oaks prep season | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race | Distance | Purse | Track | Date | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Ref |
Pocahontas | 1+1⁄16 miles | $200,000 | Churchill Downs | Sep 16, 2017 | Patrona Margarita | Kelly's Humor | Sunny Skies | Primo Extremo | [38] |
Chandelier | 1+1⁄16 miles | $300,000 | Santa Anita | Sep 30, 2017 | Moonshine Memories | Alluring Star | Piedi Bianchi | Dancing Belle | [31] |
Alcibiades | 1+1⁄16 miles | $400,000 | Keeneland | Oct 6, 2017 | Heavenly Love | Princess Warrior | Dancing | Sassy Sienna | [32] |
Frizette | 1 mile | $400,000 | Belmont | Oct 8, 2017 | Separationofpowers | Caledonia Road | Maya Malibu | Purrfect Miss | [27] |
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies | 1+1⁄16 miles | $2,000,000 | Santa Anita | Nov 4, 2017 | Caledonia Road | Alluring Star | Blonde Bomber | Separationofpowers | [39] |
Delta Downs Princess | 1 mile | $400,000 | Delta Downs | Nov 18, 2017 | cancelled | [3] | |||
Golden Rod | 1+1⁄16 miles | $200,000 | Churchill Downs | Nov 25, 2017 | Road to Victory | Monomoy Girl | Cash Out | Dessert Honey | [34] |
Demoiselle | 1+1⁄8 miles | $250,000 | Aqueduct | Dec 2, 2017 | Wonder Gadot | Maurer Power | Layla Noor | Daisy | [8] |
Starlet | 1+1⁄16 miles | $300,000 | Los Alamitos | Dec 9, 2017 | Dream Tree | Yesterdays News | Piedi Bianchi | Exuberance | [25] |
Santa Ynez | 6+1⁄2 furlongs | $125,000 | Santa Anita | Jan 7, 2018 | Midnight Bisou | Steph Being Steph | Win the War | Yesterday's News | [6] |
Silverbulletday | 1 mile 70 yards | $150,000 | Fair Grounds | Jan 13, 2018 | Stronger Than Ever | Wonder Gadot | Missive | Blonde Bomber | [35] |
Busanda | 1 mile 70 yards | $100,000 | Aqueduct | Jan 25, 2018 | Midnight Disguise | Oldfashioned Style | Hail | Wealth Effect | [40] |
Forward Gal | 7 furlongs | $200,000 | Gulfstream | Feb 3, 2018 | Take Charge Paula | Sultry | My Miss Lilly | Heavenhasmynikki | [9] |
Las Virgenes | 1 mile | $300,000 | Santa Anita | Feb 4, 2018 | Dream Tree | Exuberance | Steph Being Steph | Thirteen Squared | [22] |
Suncoast Stakes | 1 mile 40 yards | $150,000 | Tampa Bay | Feb 10, 2018 | C. S. Incharge | Daisy | Mihrab | So Refined | [36] |
Martha Washington | 1 mile | $125,000 | Oaklawn | Feb 10, 2018 | Red Ruby | Sassy Sienna | Cosmic Burst | Tyfosha | [30] |
Note: 1st=10 points; 2nd=4 points; 3rd=2 points; 4th=1 point, except the Juvenile Fillies, for which the points are doubled |
Kentucky Oaks Championship Series | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First leg of series | |||||||||
Race | Distance | Purse | Track | Date | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Ref |
UAE Oaks | 1,900 metres ~1+3⁄16 miles | $250,000 | Meydan | Mar 1, 2018 | Rayya | Expressly | Winter Lightning | Sa'Ada | [13] |
Rachel Alexandra | 1+1⁄16 miles | $200,000 | Fair Grounds | Feb 17, 2018 | Monomoy Girl | Classy Act | Wonder Gadot | Patrona Margarita | [7] |
Busher | 1+1⁄16 miles | $125,000 | Aqueduct | Mar 3, 2018 | Midnight Disguise | Sara Street | My Miss Lilly | Shamrock Rose | [15] |
Davona Dale | 1+1⁄16 miles | $200,000 | Gulfstream | Mar 3, 2018 | Fly So High | Take Charge Paula | Heavenhasmynikki | Sultry | [21] |
Santa Ysabel | 1+1⁄16 miles | $100,000 | Santa Anita | Mar 3, 2018 | Midnight Bisou | Thirteen Squared | Spring Lily | Sweetsongofthenile | [37] |
Honeybee | 1+1⁄16 miles | $200,000 | Oaklawn | Mar 10, 2018 | Cosmic Burst | Amy's Challenge | Sassy Siena | Red Ruby | [23] |
Sunland Park Oaks | 1+1⁄16 miles | $200,000 | Sunland | Mar 25, 2018 | Blamed | Kram | Charge Back | Bella Be Ready | [19] |
Note: 1st=50 points; 2nd=20 points; 3rd=10 points; 4th=5 points | |||||||||
Second leg of series | |||||||||
Race | Distance | Purse | Track | Date | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Ref |
Fair Grounds Oaks | 1+1⁄16 miles | $400,000 | Fair Grounds | Mar 24, 2018 | Chocolate Martini | Eskimo Kisses | Wonder Gadot | Classy Act | [10] |
Gulfstream Oaks | 1+1⁄16 miles | $250,000 | Gulfstream | Mar 31, 2018 | Coach Rocks | Take Charge Paula | Princess Warrior | Tell Your Mama | [11] |
Ashland | 1+1⁄16 miles | $500,000 | Keeneland | Apr 7, 2018 | Monomoy Girl | Eskimo Kisses | Patrona Margarita | Andina Del Sur | [33] |
Santa Anita Oaks | 1+1⁄16 miles | $400,000 | Santa Anita | Apr 7, 2018 | Midnight Bisou | Spectator | Thirteen Squared | Exuberance | [24] |
Gazelle | 1+1⁄8 miles | $300,000 | Aqueduct | Apr 7, 2018 | My Miss Lilly | Sara Street | Virginia Key | Midnight Disguise | [16] |
Fantasy | 1+1⁄16 miles | $400,000 | Oaklawn | Apr 13, 2018 | Sassy Siena | Wonder Gadot | Amy's Challenge | Cosmic Burst | [41] |
Note: 1st=100 points; 2nd=40 points; 3rd=20 points; 4th=10 points | |||||||||
"Wild Card" | |||||||||
Race | Distance | Purse | Track | Date | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Ref |
Bourbonette Oaks | 1 mile | $100,000 | Turfway | Mar 17, 2018 | Go Noni Go | In the Mood | Homemade Salsa | Hey Negrita | [29] |
Beaumont | 7 furlongs | $150,000 | Keeneland | Apr 8, 2018 | Gas Station Sushi | Kellys Humour | Uppercut | Happy Like A Fool | [42] |
Bourbonette Oaks: 1st=20 points; 2nd=8 points; 3rd=4 points; 4th=2 points Beaumont Stakes: 1st=10 points; 2nd=4 points; 3rd=2 points; 4th=1 points |
The Road to the Kentucky Oaks is a points system to qualify for the Kentucky Oaks, one of the most important races for three-year-old fillies and held the day before the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. It features roughly 30 stakes races for Thoroughbred fillies between September and April – the number and specific races have varied slightly over the years. The point system replaces the previous qualifying system which was based on graded stakes earnings.
The field for the Kentucky Derby is limited each year to 20 horses, with two 'also eligibles' in case of a late withdrawal from the field. To determine eligibility, Churchill Downs developed the Road to the Kentucky Derby, which gives points to the top four finishers in specified races. The 2016 season consists of 34 races, 19 races for the Kentucky Derby Prep Season and 15 races for the Kentucky Derby Championship Season. Earnings in non-restricted stakes act as a tie breaker. Gun Runner finished first in the standings thanks to wins in the Risen Star Stakes and Louisiana Derby, then finished third in the Kentucky Derby. Nyquist, who finished second in the qualification standings, won the Derby.
The 2017 Road to the Kentucky Derby was a series of races through which horses qualified for the 2017 Kentucky Derby, which was held on May 6. The field for the Derby was limited to 20 horses, with up to four 'also eligibles' in case of a late withdrawal from the field.
The 2016 Road to the Kentucky Oaks was a points system by which three-year-old fillies qualified for the 2016 Kentucky Oaks. The point system replaced a previous qualifying system which was based on graded stakes earnings.
The 2017 Road to the Kentucky Oaks is a points system by which three-year-old fillies qualified for the 2017 Kentucky Oaks, held on May 5. The point system replaced a previous qualifying system which was based on graded stakes earnings.
The 2018 Road to the Kentucky Derby was a series of races through which horses qualified for the 2018 Kentucky Derby, which was held on May 5. The field for the Derby was limited to 20 horses, with up to four 'also eligibles' in case of a late withdrawal from the field. There were three separate paths for horses to take to qualify for the Derby: the main Road consisting of 34 races in North America plus one in Dubai, the Japan Road consisting of three races in Japan, and a new European Road consisting of seven races in England, Ireland and France.
The 2018 Kentucky Derby was the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby, and took place on Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Louisville, Kentucky. The field was open to 20 horses, with a purse of US$2 million. The Derby is held annually in Louisville on the first Saturday in May, at the end of the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. It is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of 1+1⁄4 miles (2.0 km), and has been run at Churchill Downs racetrack since its inception in 1875.
Monomoy Girl is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly of 2018 and Champion Older Female Horse of 2020. She showed very promising form as a juvenile in 2017 when she won her first three races before being narrowly beaten in the Golden Rod Stakes. In the following spring, she took the Rachel Alexandra Stakes and the Ashland Stakes before winning the Kentucky Oaks, the filly equivalent of the Kentucky Derby. She followed this up with wins in the Acorn Stakes and Coaching Club American Oaks, but was disqualified to second for interference in the Cotillion Stakes. She then rebounded to win the Breeders' Cup Distaff while facing older horses for the first time.
Wonder Gadot is a Canadian Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the Queen's Plate and Prince of Wales Stakes, the first two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown, in 2018. As a two-year-old, she was named the Canadian Champion Two-Year-Old Filly after winning the Mazarine and Demoiselle Stakes. At age three, in addition to beating the colts twice in Canada, she was second in the Grade I Kentucky Oaks to Monomoy Girl. She was named the 2018 Canadian Horse of the Year and Champion Three-Year-Old Filly.
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 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, the Japan Road consisting of four races in Japan, and a European Road consisting of seven races in England, Ireland and France.
The 2018 Breeders' Cup World Championships was the 35th edition of the premier event of the North American thoroughbred horse racing year. The 14 races, all but one of which were Grade I, took place on November 2 and 3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The races were telecast by NBCSN on Friday and early Saturday, and by NBC later on Saturday. The Breeders' Cup is generally regarded as the end of the North American racing season, although a few Grade I events take place in later November and December. The event typically determines champions in many of the Eclipse Award divisions, although it was missing the eventual Horse of the Year, Triple Crown champion Justify, who was retired in July.
The 2019 Road to the Kentucky Oaks is a points system by which Thoroughbred fillies will qualify for the 2019 Kentucky Oaks, to be held on May 3. The field for the Kentucky Oaks, the filly equivalent of the Kentucky Derby, is limited to fourteen horses, with up to four "also eligible" horses in case of a late withdrawal from the field. The 29 races in the Road to the Kentucky Oaks will be held from September 2018 through April 2019. The top four finishers in the specified races earn points, with the highest point values awarded in the major preparatory races held in late March or early April. Earnings in non-restricted stakes act as a tie breaker.
The 2019 Kentucky Derby was the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby, and took place on Saturday, May 4, 2019, in Louisville, Kentucky. The field was open to 20 horses, who qualified for the race by earning points on the 2019 Road to the Kentucky Derby. The Derby is held annually on the first Saturday in May, at the end of the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. It is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of 1+1⁄4 miles (2.0 km), and has been run at Churchill Downs racetrack since its inception in 1875. The purse for 2019 was increased from US$2 million to US$3 million.
Midnight Bisou is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the Champion Older Female Horse of 2019 after being one of the top-ranked fillies of 2018. At age three, she won five stakes races including the Santa Anita Oaks, Mother Goose and Cotillion Stakes. She was also third in both the Kentucky Oaks and Breeders' Cup Distaff. In 2019 at age four, she won seven straight stakes races including the Grade I Apple Blossom, Ogden Phipps, and Personal Ensign.
The 2020 Road to the Kentucky Derby was a series of races through which horses qualified for the 2020 Kentucky Derby, which was held on September 5. 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, 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.
The 2020 Road to the Kentucky Oaks is a points system by which Thoroughbred fillies will qualify for the 2020 Kentucky Oaks, which will be held on September 4. The field for the Kentucky Oaks, the filly equivalent of the Kentucky Derby, is limited to fourteen horses, with up to four "also eligible" horses in case of a late withdrawal from the field.
The 2021 Road to the Kentucky Derby was a series of races through which horses qualified for the 2021 Kentucky Derby, which was held on May 1. 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 were three separate paths for horses to take to qualify for the Derby: the main Road consisting of races in North America, the Japan Road consisting of four races in Japan, and seven European races in England, Ireland and France. The top four finishers in the specified races received points, with higher points awarded in the major prep races in March and April. Earnings in non-restricted stakes races acted as a tie breaker.
The 2021 Road to the Kentucky Oaks is a points system by which Thoroughbred fillies qualified for the 2021 Kentucky Oaks held on April 30. The field for the Kentucky Oaks, the filly equivalent of the Kentucky Derby, is limited to fourteen horses, with up to four "also eligible" horses in case of a late withdrawal from the field. The 30 races in the Road to the Kentucky Oaks were held from September 2020 through April 2021. The top four finishers in the specified races earn points, with the highest point values awarded in the major preparatory races held in late March and early April. Earnings in non-restricted stakes act as a tie breaker.
The 2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby is a series of races through which horses qualified for the 2022 Kentucky Derby, which was held on May 7. 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, the Japan Road consisting of four races in Japan, and the European road consisting of seven 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 in March and April. Earnings in non-restricted stakes races act as a tie breaker.
The 2023 Road to the Kentucky Derby is a series of races through which horses qualified for the 2023 Kentucky Derby, which was held on May 6. The field for the Derby was limited to 20 horses, with up to four 'also eligibles' in case of a late withdrawal from the field. There were three separate paths for horses to take to qualify for the Derby: the main Road consisting of races in North America, the Japan Road consisting of four races in Japan, and the European road consisting of seven races in England, Ireland and France. The top five finishers in the specified races received points, with higher points awarded in the major prep races in March and April. Earnings in non-restricted stakes races acted as a tie breaker.