With the 2022 Kentucky Derby approaching, see the latest top 2022 Kentucky Derby contenders here. Find the points leaders in this year’s Road to the Kentucky Derby and latest info on the top 20 horses below.
You can also visit our Kentucky Derby page for loads of information, including the latest news, rankings, prep race schedules, the Kentucky Derby point standings, and much more!
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2022 TOP 20 KENTUCKY DERBY CONTENDERS
Check out the latest contenders who are hopeful to start the 2022 Kentucky Derby.
| Rank | Horse | Trainers | Last Start | Possible Next Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Epicenter | Steve Asmussen | 1st, Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 2 | Zandon | Chad Brown | 1st, Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 3 | Messier | Tim Yakteen | 2nd, Santa Anita Derby (G1) at Santa Anita | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 4 | Taiba | Tim Yakteen | 1st, Santa Anita Derby (G1) at Santa Anita | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 5 | White Abarrio | Saffie Joseph Jr. | 1st, Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 6 | Simplification | Antonio Sano | 3rd, Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 7 | Mo Donegal | Todd Pletcher | 1st, Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 8 | Smile Happy | Kenny McPeek | 2nd, Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 9 | Cyberknife | Brad Cox | 1st, Arkansas Derby (G1) | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 10 | Charge It | Todd Pletcher | 2nd, Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 11 | Zozos | Brad Cox | 2nd, Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 12 | Tiz the Bomb | Kenny McPeek | 1st, Jeff Ruby Stakes at Turfway Park | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 13 | Crown Pride | Koichi Shintani | 1st, UAE Derby at Meydan Race Course | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 14 | Pioneer of Medina | Todd Pletcher | 3rd, Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 15 | Tawny Port | Brad Cox | 2nd, Jeff Ruby Stakes at Turfway Park | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 16 | Classic Causeway | Brian Lynch | 11th, Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 17 | Barber Road | John Ortiz | 2nd, Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 18 | Happy Jack | Doug O'Neill | 3rd, Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 19 | Ethereal Road | D Wayne Lukas | 4th, Lexington Stakes (G3) at Keeneland | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
| 20 | Summer Is Tomorrow | Bhupat Seemar | 2nd, UAE Derby at Meydan Race Course | Kentucky Derby (G1) |
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2022 KENTUCKY DERBY POINT LEADERS
Leaderboard for qualifying points to the 2022 Kentucky Derby. Points are earned by the top four finishers in designated qualifying Kentucky Derby prep races listed here. The Kentucky Derby field is reserved for the top 20 point earners. Two positions in the Kentucky Derby starting gate – one from Japan and one from Europe – will be extended to the horse that accrues the most points in their respective series.
America Road to the Kentucky Derby
| RANK | HORSE | POINTS | TRAINER | OWNER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forte | 190 | Todd Pletcher | Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable |
| 2 | Practical Move | 160 | Tim Yakteen | Amestoy, Jr., Pierre Jean, Amestoy, Leslie A. and Beasley, Roger K. |
| 3 | Angel of Empire | 154 | Brad Cox | Albaugh Family Stables LLC (Dennis Albaugh) |
| 4 | Tapit Trice | 150 | Todd Pletcher | Whisper Hill Farm (Amanda Pope) & Gainesway Stable (Antony Beck) |
| 5 | Two Phil's | 123 | Larry Rivelli | Patricia’s Hope LLC & Phillip Sagan |
| 6 | Lord Miles | 105 | Saffie Joseph, Jr. | Vegso Racing Stable |
| 7 | Derma Sotogake | 100 | Hidetaka Otonashi | Hiroyuki Asanuma |
| 8 | Kingsbarns | 100 | Todd Pletcher | Spendthrift Farm LLC |
| 9 | Raise Cain | 64 | Ben Colebrook | Andrew N. Warren & Rania Warren |
| 10 | Rocket Can | 60 | Bill Mott | Frank Fletcher Racing Operations Inc. |
| 11 | Hit Show | 60 | Brad Cox | Gary & Mary West |
| 12 | Confidence Game | 57 | Keith Desormeaux | Don't Tell My Wife Stables |
| 13 | Verifying | 54 | Brad Cox | Poulin, Jonathan, Westerberg, Magnier, Mrs. John, Smith, Derrick and Tabor, Michael B. |
| 14 | Sun Thunder | 54 | Kenny McPeek | R.T Racing Stable & Cypress Creek Equine |
| 15 | Mage | 50 | Gustavo Delgado | OGMA Investments LLC, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing LLC & CMNWLTH |
| 16 | Disarm | 46 | Steve Asmussen | Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC |
| 17 | Reincarnate | 45 | Tim Yakteen | SF Racing LLC (Gavin Murphy), Starlight Racing (Jack Wolf), Madaket Stables LLC (Sol Kumin & Jason Monteleone), Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC (Barbara Banke), Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC (W. Gregg Slager) & Catherine Donovan |
| 18 | Jace's Road | 45 | Brad Cox | West Point Thoroughbreds and Albaugh Family Stables LLC |
| 19 | Skinner | 45 | John Shirreffs | C R K Stable LLC |
| 20 | Continuar | Japan RTKD Invite | Yoshito Yahagi | Lion Race Horse Co. Ltd. |
| 21 | Cyclone Mischief | 45 | Dale Romans | Albaugh Family Stables LLC |
| 22 | Major Dude | 40 | Todd Pletcher | Spendthrift Farm LLC |
| 23 | Mandarin Hero | 40 | Terunobu Fujita | Hiroaki Arai |
| 24 | King Russell | 40 | Ron Moquett | Brereton C. Jones & Naber Racing LLC (Roger Naber) |
European Road to the Kentucky Derby
| RANK | HORSE | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brave Emperor | 32 |
| 2 | Cairo | 20 |
| 3 | Stormy Entry | 6 |
| 4 | Greenland (IRE) | 2 |
Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby
| RANK | HORSE | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cotinuar | 40 |
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