Prior to 2013 the traditional qualifying factor for horses wanting to participate in the Kentucky Derby was total Graded Stakes purse earnings- the more money an eligible horse Won, the increased chance of entering the starting gate.

But beginning in 2013 Churchill Downs refined the classic earnings method in favor of a points based system which revamped the traditional prep races.

These prep races were officially bundled under the banner of The Road to the Kentucky Derby– which quickly began to be referred to as the Derby Trail as well.

The introduction of the prep series brought much easier guidelines for both horsemen and horse racing fans.

The Derby Trail also allows for more focused promotion of hopefuls targeting the Triple Crown.

In the United States there are two groups that make up the Kentucky Derby Prep Races:

The first is the Kentucky Derby Prep Season with 20 races.  Beginning with the Iroquois Stakes in mid-September and running through the John Battaglia Memorial in early March, most of the initial prep events award 10-5-3-2-1 points to the first five finishers respectively.

Churchill Downs awards 20-10-6-4-2 points to the top five finishers at select prep races, including the Lecomte Stakes, Southwest Stakes, Withers Stakes, Holy Bull Stakes, Robert B. Lewis Stakes, Sam F. Davis Stakes, Sunland Park Derby, and the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes.

Lastly, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile awards 30-15-9-6-3 points to the top five horses.

The next sequence of races is the Kentucky Derby Championship Series which offers 16 races total. Six of these races deliver a 50-25-15-10-5 point split.

The final prep races double the reward with an offering of 100-50-25-15-10.

The exception being the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland with a split of 20-10-6-4-2.

The races of highest value include the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park; Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds; Wood Memorial at Aqueduct; Santa Anita Derby; Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park; the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, and the Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park.

The Championship Series places a significant value on the most important prep races of the Kentucky Derby season overall, as the Run For The Roses gets closer.

These cornerstone prep races attract significant handle as bettors sort out Kentucky Derby contenders and the points system enables the casual fan to understand how horses come to be eligible to participate as opposed to the former Graded Earnings System.

Kentucky Derby Winners tend to excel in the Championship Series where races are worth the most points.

In 2017 Japanese & European Roads to the Kentucky Derby were introduced. To date, the qualifiers from those races have yet to Win the Kentucky Derby.