With only the two “wild-card” Derby prep races left for determining the horses that will race in the May 4 Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs’ new points system used to determine the field of 20 on May 4 seems to have accomplished what it set out to do: Horses who have shown talent, ability, form and fit to make it the Derby distance get into the Derby field.
| Rank | Horse | Trainer | Points | Non-restricted Stakes Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orb | Shug McGaughey III | 150 | $840,000 |
| 2 | Verrazano | Todd Pletcher | 150 | $810,000 |
| 3 | Goldencents | Doug O’Neill | 129 | $1,208,000 |
| 4 | Java’s War | Ken McPeek | 122 | $651,772 |
| 5 | Overanalyze | Todd Pletcher | 110 | $908,831 |
| 6 | Revolutionary | Todd Pletcher | 110 | $720,000 |
| 7 | Lines of Battle | Aidan O’Brien | 100 | $1,261,089 |
| 8 | Vyjack | Rudy Rodriguez | 70 | $505,000 |
| 9 | Will Take Charge | D. Wayne Lukas | 60 | $512,971 |
| 10 | Itsmyluckyday | Eddie Plesa, Jr. | 50 | $593,600 |
| 11 | Govenor Charlie | Bob Baffert | 50 | $400,000 |
| 12 | Black Onyx | Kelly Breen | 50 | $317,130 |
| 13 | Palace Malice | Todd Pletcher | 50 | $200,000 |
| 14 | Normandy Invasion | Chad Brown | 44 | $258,000 |
| 15 | Frac Daddy | Ken McPeek | 44 | $240,596 |
| 16 | Mylute | Tom Amoss | 42 | $363,365 |
| 17 | Oxbow | D. Wayne Lukas | 36 | $346,000 |
| 18 | Super Ninety Nine | Bob Baffert | 30 | $308,000 |
| 19 | Falling Sky | John Terranova II | 30 | $207,500 |
| 20 | Den’s Legacy | Bob Baffert | 20 | $329,000 |
| 21 | Charming Kitten | Todd Pletcher | 20 | $206,000 |
| 22 | Code West | Bob Baffert | 20 | $90,000 |
| 23 | Tiz a Minister | Paul Aguirre | 20 | $81,000 |
| 24 | Golden Soul | Dallas Stewart | 14 | $84,000 |
| 25 | Dynamic Sky | Mark Casse | 13 | $290,835 |
| 26 | Power Broker | Bob Baffert | 10 | $245,000 |
| 27 | Rydilluc | Gary Contessa | 10 | $127,500 |
| 28 | Abraham | Todd Pletcher | 10 | $80,000 |
| 29 | Elnaawi | Kiaran McLaughlin | 10 | $70,000 |
| 30 | Giant Finish | Tony Dutrow | 10 | $65,250 |
| 31 | Narvaez | Agustin Bezara | 10 | $50,000 |
| 32 | Texas Bling | Danele Durham | 9 | $245,200 |
| 33 | Siete de Oros | Ramon Preciado | 7 | $80,000 |
| 34 | He’s Had Enough | Doug O’Neill | 6 | $442,000 |
| 35 | Fear The Kitten | Mike Maker | 6 | $122,735 |
| 36 | Shakin It Up | Bob Baffert | 5 | $150,000 |
| 37 | Tesseron | Josie Carroll | 5 | $50,684 |
| 38 | Taken by the Storm | Ken McPeek | 5 | $25,575 |
| 39 | Capo Bastone | Todd Pletcher | 4 | $251,500 |
| 40 | Heaven’s Runway | Joseph Martin | 2 | $115,198 |
| 41 | My Name Is Michael | Bill Mott | 2 | $55,671 |
| 42 | Always in a Tiz | Domenick Schettino | 2 | $43,000 |
| 43 | Dewey Square | Dale Romans | 2 | $16,298 |
| 44 | Manando | Bob Baffert | 2 | $12,000 |
| 45 | Dry Summer | Joel Marr | 1 | $150,000 |
| 46 | Amerigo Vespucci | Timothy Tullock Jr. | 1 | $71,334 |
| 47 | Joshua’s Comprise | Barry Rose | 1 | $56,000 |
| 48 | Quinzieme Monarque | Tom Albertrani | 1 | $31,500 |
| 49 | Channel Isle | D. Wayne Lukas | 1 | $22,167 |
| 50 | Little Jerry | Richard Baltas | 1 | $16,308 |
Two Derby preps remain – the Coolmore Lexington Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland, and the Derby Trial at Churchill Downs on April 27. Both offer 20 points for first and the winners could earn starting berths in the Derby if their connections desire.
Coolmore Lexington Stakes
Probables: Cerro, Examen, Hip Four Sixtynine, Johnny Handsome, Pick Of The Litter, Pure Fun, Taken By The Storm (5), Where’s Dominic and Winning Cause.
Derby Trial
Probables: Titletown Five, Sunbean
Note: Points only come into play if more than the maximum 20 horses enter the Derby. If there are 20 or fewer, all entrants run. Under the new system, fillies can earn points only if they run in open races, not races restricted to fillies. So, if the race doesn’t fill, a horse such as Dreaming of Julia could make the Derby field.
Only 20 spots to fill, with plenty on the Derby bubble. Who’s in? Who’s out? These remaining three weeks will give us the answer!
