Horse Racing: Road To The Kentucky Derby 2023 Races, Dates, Leaderboard & Winners
- Kentucky Derby 2023 set for Saturday, May 6, 2023, at Churchill Downs
- Prep races on the Road To The Kentucky Derby get underway in September, and are staged until April
There is nothing like the Kentucky Derby, and horse racing fans will already be counting down the days to the special occasion at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. However, the build-up to the opening Triple Crown race of 2023 gets underway in 2022, as the Road to the Kentucky Derby 2023 gets underway. You can learn more about the prep races and keep up to date with the recent winners here.
Kentucky Derby 2023 Schedule
- When: Saturday, May 6, 2023, at 6:24 p.m ET
- Where: Churchill Downs, Kentucky
- How To Watch: NBC
Kentucky Derby 2023 Vegas Odds
| Horse | Vegas Odds |
|---|---|
| Forte | +700 |
| Arabian Knight | +800 |
| Tapit Trice | +1800 |
| Cave Rock | +2500 |
| Instant Coffee | +2500 |
| Verifying | +2500 |
| Litigate | +2500 |
| Faustin | +2500 |
| Angel of Empire | +2500 |
Road To The Kentucky Derby Information
As horse racing fans would be aware, the field for the Kentucky Derby 2023 will be determined based on the results of the Road to the Kentucky Derby 2023 races staged throughout the season. In total, over 40 prep races are set for horses eligible to run in the Triple Crown opener.
The number of points varies depending on the grade of the race, with some of the most lucrative being the Santa Anita Derby, Wood Memorial, and Blue Grass Stakes, which will take place early in 2023. Only eight races on the Road to the Kentucky Derby 2023 schedule offer 100 points, which will almost certainly assure a runner of a spot in the race at Churchill Downs.
However, the majority of races taking place in 2022 will offer just ten points, while the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile offers 20 points. Three different routes are available on the Road to the Kentucky Derby 2023: the Prep Season, Championship Series, and the European Road. Below, you can find out the races, dates, and points available for each.
ALSO SEE: Horse Racing: Breeders’ Cup 2022 Schedule, Challenge Series, Vegas Odds & How To Watch
Road To The Kentucky Derby 2023- Prep Season
The vast majority of the Prep Season races are run by Kentucky Derby hopefuls when they are aged two. However, eleven races are run by this year’s crop after they turn three. The races involved in this section can be found below.
| Race | Date | Points | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iroquois | September 17, 2022 | 10-4-3-2-1 | Curly Jack |
| Champagne | October 1, 2022 | 10-4-3-2-1 | Blazing Sevens |
| American Pharoah | October 8, 2022 | 10-4-3-2-1 | Cave Rock |
| Breeders’ Futurity | October 8, 2022 | 10-4-3-2-1 | Forte |
| Breeders’ Cup Juvenile | November 4, 2022 | 30-12-9-6-3 | Forte |
| Kentucky Jockey Club | November 26, 2022 | 10-4-3-2-1 | Instant Coffee |
| Remsen | December 3, 2022 | 10-4-3-2-1 | Dubyuhnell |
| Los Alamitos Futurity | December 10, 2022 | 10-4-3-2-1 | Practical Move |
| Springboard Mile | December 17, 2022 | 10-4-3-2-1 | Wildatlanticstorm |
| Gun Runner Stakes | December 26, 2022 | 10-4-3-2-1 | Jace’s Road |
| Jerome | January 7, 2023 | 10-4-3-2-1 | Lugan Knight |
| Smarty Jones | January 1, 2023 | 10-4-3-2-1 | Victory Formation |
| Sham | January 8, 2023 | 10-4-3-2-1 | Reincarnate |
| Lecomte | January 21, 2023 | 20-8-6-4-2 | Instant Coffee |
| Southwest | January 28, 2023 | 20-8-6-4-2 | Arabian Knight |
| Withers | February 4, 2023 | 20-8-6-4-2 | Hit Show |
| Holy Bull | February 4, 2023 | 20-8-6-4-2 | Rocket Can |
| Robert B. Lewis | February 4, 2023 | 20-8-6-4-2 | Newgate |
| Sam F. Davis Stakes | February 11, 2023 | 20-8-6-4-2 | Litigate |
| El Camino Real Derby | February 11, 2023 | 10-4-3-2-1 | Chase The Chaos |
| John Battaglia Memorial Stakes | February 25, 2023 | 20-8-6-4-2 | Congruent |
Road To The Kentucky Derby 2023- Championship Series Events
The big races on the Road to the Kentucky Derby come in the Championship Series events, with even the smallest races offering 50 points to the winner. Races during this leg can be found below.
| Race | Date | Points | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Risen Star | February 18, 2023 | 50-20-15-10-5 | Angel of Empire |
| Rebel | February 25, 2023 | 50-20-15-10-5 | Confidence Game |
| Fountain of Youth | March 4, 2023 | 50-20-15-10-5 | Forte |
| Gotham | March 4, 2023 | 50-20-15-10-5 | Raise Cain |
| San Felipe | March 4, 2023 | 50-20-15-10-5 | Practical Move |
| Tampa Bay Derby | March 11, 2023 | 50-20-15-10-5 | Tapit Trice |
| Louisiana Derby | March 25, 2023 | 100-40-30-20-10 | Kingsbarns |
| UAE Derby | March 25, 2023 | 100-40-30-20-10 | Derma Sotogake |
| Jeff Ruby | March 25, 2023 | 100-40-30-20-10 | Two Phil’s |
| Sunland Derby | March 26, 2023 | 50-20-15-10-5 | |
| Florida Derby | April 1, 2023 | 100-40-30-20-10 | |
| Arkansas Derby | April 1, 2023 | 100-40-30-20-10 | |
| Blue Grass Stakes | April 8, 2023 | 100-40-30-20-10 | |
| Santa Anita Derby | April 8, 2023 | 100-40-30-20-10 | |
| Wood Memorial | April 8, 2023 | 100-40-30-20-10 | |
| Lexington | April 15, 2023 | 20-8-6-4-2 |
Road To The Kentucky Derby 2023- European Road
While the vast majority of races on the Road to the Kentucky Derby are staged in the U.S., there are also several opportunities for European-trained runners. However, these races very rarely point towards likely runners at Churchill Downs.
| Race | Date | Points | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Lodge Stakes | September 24, 2022 | 10-4-3-2-1 | The Foxes |
| Beresford Stakes | September 24, 2022 | 10-4-3-2-1 | Crypto Force |
| Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere | October 2, 2022 | 10-4-3-2-1 | Belbek |
| Vertem Futurity Trophy | October 22, 2022 | 10-4-3-2-1 | Auguste Rodin |
| Road to the Kentucky Derby Conditions Stakes | March 1, 2023 | 20-8-6-4-2 | |
| Patton Stakes | March 3, 2023 | 20-8-6-4-2 | |
| Cardinal Stakes | March 30, 2023 | 30-12-9-6-3 |
Road To The Kentucky Derby 2023- Prep Race Trends
The biggest Kentucky Derby contenders won’t be seen until the biggest races are staged in early 2023. However, some races that may be worth examining have proved to be solid prep races with Derby winners emerging. For example, the Florida Derby has seen 20 Kentucky Derby winners pass through that race, while Santa Anita Derby has produced three winners of the opening Triple Crown race in the previous six years.
However, some of the most illustrious races have poor records in the Derby. Those include the Blue Grass and Wood Memorial, which have yet to produce a Derby winner in over ten years.
Previous Kentucky Derby Winners & Prep Races
Before finding the selection to make your Kentucky Derby 2023 wager, it could be worth examining the path some recent winners took. It is also worth mentioning that the +8200 winner from the Kentucky Derby 2022 Rich Strike, passed through prep races that no previous Derby winner has gone through.
| Year | Winning Horse | Final Prep Run |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Rich Strike | 3rd Jeff Ruby Stakes |
| 2021 | Medina Spirit | 2nd Santa Anita Derby |
| 2020 | Authentic | 2nd Santa Anita Derby (1st Haskell Stakes) |
| 2019 | Country House | 3rd Arkansas Derby |
| 2018 | Justify | 1st Santa Anita Derby |
| 2017 | Always Dreaming | 1st Florida Derby |
Early Kentucky Derby 2023 Pick & Prediction
It’s very early to be making Kentucky Derby 2023 predictions, but two horses that have caught my attention are Forte and Arabian Knight. The latter is trained by Bob Baffert, and was exceptional on Breeders’ Cup weekend. Forte has also passed every test to this point, and could excel as a three-year-old in 2023.
Free Picks:
Comments are closed here.