The Road to the Kentucky Derby is a 34-race series that awards points to the Top 4 finishers in each race. The Top 20 point earners will earn a spot in the starting gate for the 142nd running of the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade 1) on Saturday, May 7, 2016. Earnings in non-restricted stakes races serve as a tie-breaker. The Kentucky Derby field has been limited to 20 starters since 1975. At least 20 horses have entered the 1 1⁄4-mile race for 3-year-olds every year since 2004, and 15 of the last 17 years.
Below is the updated Road to the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard following a meeting with Director of Racing Ben Huffman to discuss possible participants and an audit of points and non-restricted stakes earnings for both races.
| Rank | Horse | Trainer | Points | Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gun Runner | Steve Asmussen | 151 | $849,200 |
| 2 | Nyquist | Doug O'Neill | 130 | $3,289,000 |
| 3 | Exaggerator | Keith Desormeaux | 126 | $1,628,000 |
| 4 | Outwork | Todd Pletcher | 120 | $660,000 |
| 5 | Brody's Cause | Dale Romans | 114 | $1,100,000 |
| 6 | Creator | Steve Asmussen | 110 | $690,000 |
| 7 | Lani | Mikio Matsunaga | 100 | $1,300,119 |
| 8 | Mor Spirit | Bob Baffert | 84 | $616,800 |
| 9 | Mohaymen | Kiaran McLaughlin | 80 | $807,750 |
| 10 | Danzing Candy | Cliff Sise Jr. | 60 | $290,000 |
| 11 | Destin | Todd Pletcher | 51 | $338,000 |
| 12 | Suddenbreakingnews | Donnie Von Hemel | 50 | $637,000 |
| 13 | $+ Oscar Nominated | Mike Maker | 50 | $321,360 |
| 14 | Shagaf | Chad Brown | 50 | $270,000 |
| 15 | Whitmore | Ron Moquett | 44 | $400,000 |
| 16 | Tom's Ready | Dallas Stewart | 44 | $270,670 |
| 17 | My Man Sam | Chad Brown | 40 | $200,000 |
| 18 | Majesto | Gustavo Delgado | 40 | $190,000 (Career: $239,500) |
| 19 | Trojan Nation | Paddy Gallagher | 40 | $190,000 (Career: $213,290) |
| 20 | Mo Tom | Tom Amoss | 32 | $268,326 |
| 21 | Fellowship | Mark Casse | 32 | $206,590 |
| 22 | Adventist | Leah Gyarmati | 32 | $155,000 |
| 23 | Laoban | Eric Guillot | 32 | $142,000 |
| 24 | Dazzling Gem | Brad Cox | 30 | $150,000 |
| 25 | Cherry Wine | Dale Romans | 25 | $145,000 |
| 26 | Discreetness | Williams Fires | 10 | $251,011 |
+ = Not Triple Crown Nominated
$+ = Not Triple Crown nominated but owner intends to pay $200,000 supplemental nomination at time of entry
Sidelined, inactive or appears to be no longer under serious Kentucky Derby consideration have been removed
