2019 Road to the Kentucky Derby
The 2019 Road to the Kentucky Derby was a series of races through which horses qualified for the 2019 Kentucky Derby, which was held on May 4, 2019. The field for the Derby is limited to 20 horses, with up to four 'also eligibles' in case of a late withdrawal from the field. There are three separate paths for horses to take to qualify for the Derby: the main Road consisting of races in North America, the Japan Road consisting of four races in Japan, and a European Road consisting of seven races in England, Ireland and France.
The main Road to the Kentucky Derby gives points to the top four finishers in specified races. The 2019 season was supposed to remain the same as the 2018 Road to the Kentucky Derby, consisting of 35 races broken down into 19 races for the Kentucky Derby Prep Season and 16 races for the Kentucky Derby Championship Season. Earnings in non-restricted stakes act as a tie breaker. However, the San Felipe Stakes was not run in 2019 due to difficulties with the track surface at Santa Anita Park in the wake of heavy winter rains, while the Rebel Stakes was run in two divisions with the posts adjusted to 37.5-15-7.5-3.75 for each division.
For 2019, some small changes were made from 2018 for the other series:
- Race changes: In the European Road, the Cardinal Stakes replaced the Burradon Stakes. Added a fourth race to the Japan series - the Fukuryu Stakes.
- Points system changes: Fukuryu Stakes in Japan was set at 40-16-8-4 points to the top four placings. The Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun points were doubled to 20-8-4-2.
Main Road to the Kentucky Derby
Standings
The following table shows the points earned in the eligible races for the main series. Entries for the 2019 Kentucky Derby were taken on April 30. Omaha Beach was originally entered but was scratched on May 1 due to an entrapped epiglottis. Haikal subsequently scratched as well. As a result, Bodexpress drew into the race.Country House, who qualified by finishing second in the Risen Star and third in the Arkansas Derby, was declared the winner after Maximum Security was disqualified for interference.
- Winner of Kentucky Derby in bold
- Entrants for Kentucky Derby in blue
- "Also eligible" for Kentucky Derby in green
- Did not qualify/Not nominated/No longer under Derby consideration/Sidelined in gray-->
Prep season results
| Race | Distance | Purse | Track | Date | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Ref |
| Iroquois | miles | $150,000 | Churchill Downs | Sep 15 2018 | Cairo Cat | Tight Ten | Pole Setter | Tobacco Road | |
| American Pharoah | miles | $300,000 | Santa Anita | Sep 29 2018 | Game Winner | Gunmetal Gray | Rowayton | Jefe | |
| Champagne | 1 mile | $500,000 | Belmont | Oct 6 2018 | Complexity | Code of Honor | Call Paul | Aurelius Maximus | |
| Breeders' Futurity | miles | $500,000 | Keeneland | Oct 6 2018 | Knicks Go | Signalman | Standard Deviation | Sombeyay | |
| Breeders' Cup Juvenile | miles | $2,000,000 | Churchill Downs | Nov 2 2018 | Game Winner | Knicks Go | Signalman | Mr. Money | |
| Kentucky Jockey Club | miles | $200,000 | Churchill Downs | Nov 24 2018 | Signalman | Plus Que Parfait | Limonite | King for a Day | |
| Remsen | miles | $250,000 | Aqueduct | Dec 1 2018 | Maximus Mischief | Network Effect | Tax | Bourbon War | |
| Los Alamitos Futurity | miles | $300,345 | Los Alamitos | Dec 8 2018 | Improbable | Mucho Gusto | Extra Hope | Dueling | |
| Springboard Mile | 1 mile | $400,000 | Remington | Dec 16 2018 | Long Range Toddy | Bankit | Dunph | Tone Broke | |
| Jerome | 1 mile | $150,900 | Aqueduct | Jan 1 2019 | Mind Control | Our Braintrust | Family Biz | Gates of Dawn | |
| Sham | 1 mile | $100,702 | Santa Anita | Jan 5 2019 | Gunmetal Gray | Sueno | Much Better | Gray Magician | |
| LeComte | $200,000 | Fair Grounds | Jan 19 2018 | War of Will | Hog Creek Hustle | Manny Wah | Wicked Indeed | ||
| Smarty Jones | 1 mile | $150,000 | Oaklawn | Jan 25 2018 | Gray Attempt | Long Range Toddy | Boldor | Six Shooter | |
| Holy Bull | miles | $350,000 | Gulfstream | Feb 2 2019 | Harvey Wallbanger | Everfast | Maximus Mischief | Epic Dreamer | |
| Withers | miles | $250,000 | Aqueduct | Feb 2 2019 | Tax | Not That Brady | Our Braintrust | Sir Winston | |
| Robert B. Lewis | miles | $147,351 | Santa Anita | Feb 2 2019 | Mucho Gusto | Gunmetal Gray | Easy Shot | Magnificent McCool | |
| Sam F. Davis Stakes | miles | $250,000 | Tampa Bay | Feb 9 2019 | Well Defined | Kentucky Wildcat | So Alive | Counter Offer | |
| El Camino Real Derby | miles | $101,800 | Golden Gate | Feb 16 2019 | Anothertwistafate | Kingly | More Ice | Angelo's Pride | |
| Southwest | miles | $500,000 | Oaklawn | Feb 18 2019 | Super Steed | Sueno | Long Range Toddy | Six Shooter |
Championship series results
First leg of series
Note: 1st=50 points; 2nd=20 points; 3rd=10 points; 4th=5 points except for the Rebel StakesRebel Stakes 1st=37.5 points; 2nd=15 points; 3rd=7.5 points; 4th=3.75 points
Second leg of series
These races are the major preps for the Kentucky Derby, and are thus weighted more heavily.Note: 1st=100 points; 2nd=40 points; 3rd=20 points; 4th=10 points
| Race | Distance | Purse | Grade | Track | Date | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Ref |
| Louisiana Derby | miles | $1,000,000 | 2 | Fair Grounds | Mar 23 2019 | By My Standards | Spinoff | Sueno | Country House | |
| UAE Derby | 1,900 metres | $2,500,000 | 2 | Meydan | Mar 30 2019 | Plus Que Parfait | Gray Magician | Manguzi | Derma Louvre | |
| Florida Derby | miles | $1,000,000 | 1 | Gulfstream | Mar 30 2019 | Maximum Security | Bodexpress | Code of Honor | Bourbon War | |
| Wood Memorial | miles | $750,000 | 2 | Aqueduct | Apr 6 2019 | Tacitus | Tax | Haikal | Math Wizard | |
| Blue Grass Stakes | miles | $1,000,000 | 2 | Keeneland | Apr 6 2019 | Vekoma | Win Win Win | Signalman | Somelikeithotbrown | |
| Santa Anita Derby | miles | $1,000,351 | 1 | Santa Anita | Apr 6 2019 | Roadster | Game Winner | Instagrand | Nolo Contesto | |
| Arkansas Derby | miles | $1,000,000 | 1 | Oaklawn Park | Apr 13 2019 | Omaha Beach | Improbable | Country House | Laughing Fox |
"Wild Card" events
Note: 1st=20 points; 2nd=8 points; 3rd=4 points; 4th=2 points| Race | Distance | Purse | Track | Date | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Ref |
| Jeff Ruby | miles | $200,000 | Turfway | Mar 9 2019 | Somelikeithotbrown | Dynamic Racer | Moonster | Five Star General | |
| Lexington | miles | $200,000 | Keeneland | Apr 13 2019 | Owendale | Anothertwistafate | Sueno | Knicks Go |
Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby
The Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby is intended to provide a place in the Derby starting gate to the top finisher in the series. If the connections of that horse decline the invitation, their place is offered to the second-place finisher and so on through the top four finishers. If none of the top four accept, this place in the starting gate reverts to the horses on the main road to the Derby.In 2019, the top three finishers in the Japan Road declined the invitation as they had not been nominated to the Derby. The connections of the fourth place finisher, Master Fencer, decided to accept the offer, marking the first time that a Japanese-bred horse will enter the Derby.
Qualification Table
The top four horses are eligible to participate in the Kentucky Derby provided the horse is nominated.| Rank | Horse | Points | Eligible Earnings | Trainer | Owner | Ref |
| not nominated | Der Flug | 40 | $157,187 | Nobuiro Suzuki | Tsuru Nishimori | |
| not nominated | Oval Ace | 30 | $326,720 | Takagi Noboru | Tsuru Nishimori | |
| not nominated | Nova Lenda | 20 | $446,285 | Takashi Saito | U Carrot Farm | |
| 1 | Master Fencer | 19 | $168,979 | Koichi Tsunoda | Katsumi Yoshizawa | |
| 2 | Derma Louvre | 14 | $616,402 | Toda Hirofumi | Hiroyuki Asanuma | |
| not nominated | Weitblick | 12 | $195,593 | Shoichiro Wada | U Carrot Farm | |
| not nominated | Make Happy | 12 | $184,181 | Koichi Shinka | Kazuko Yoshida | |
| not nominated | Rhein Carina | 8 | $22,813 | Yoshinori Muto | Shigemasa Osawa | |
| not nominated | Black Warrior | 4 | $216,271 | Masayuki Nishimura | Norio Sato | |
| not nominated | Gal Vihara | 4 | $216,271 | Kiyoshi Hagiwara | U Carrot Farm | |
| not nominated | Kingen | 4 | $179,479 | Kunihide Matsuda | Godolphin | |
| not nominated | Johann | 2 | $72,900 | Yasuyuki Takahashi | Cypress Holdings LLC | |
| 3 | Romanitco | 1 | $101,200 | Kazuo Fujisawa | Nobutaka Tada |
Notes:
- blue highlight – accepted offer to enter the Kentucky Derby
- brown highlight – qualified on points but declined offer
- grey highlight – did not qualify
Events
| Race | Distance | Track | Date | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Ref |
| Cattleya Sho | 1,600 metres | Tokyo Racecourse | Nov 24 2018 | Make Happy | Kingen | Johann | Romantico | |
| Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun | 1,600 metres | Kawasaki Racecourse | Dec 19 2018 | Nova Lenda | Derma Louvre | Gal Vihara | Make Happy | |
| Hyacinth | 1,600 metres | Tokyo Racecourse | Feb 17 2019 | Oval Ace | Weitblick | Derma Louvre | Master Fencer | |
| Fukuryu | 1,800 metres | Nakayama Racecourse | Mar 31 2019 | Der Flug | Master Fencer | Rhein Carina | Black Warrior |
Notes:
Cattleya Sho: 1st=10 points; 2nd=4 points; 3rd=2 points; 4th=1 point
Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun: 1st=20 points; 2nd=8 points; 3rd=4 points; 4th=2 points
Hyacinth: 1st=30 points; 2nd=12 points; 3rd=6 points; 4th=3 points
Fukuryu : 1st=40 points; 2nd=16 points; 3rd=8 points; 4th=4 points
European Road to the Kentucky Derby
The European Road to the Kentucky Derby is designed on a similar basis to the Japan Road and is intended to provide a place in the Derby starting gate to the top finisher in the series. If the connections of that horse decline the invitation, their place is offered to the second-place finisher and so on. If none of the top four accept, this place in the starting gate reverts to the horses on the main road to the Derby.The series consists of seven races – four run on the turf in late 2018 when the horses are age two, plus three races run on a synthetic surface in early 2018.
Qualification Table
The top four horses were eligible to participate in the Kentucky Derby provided the horse is nominated. However, none of the connections accepted the invitation, so this position in the starting gate reverted to horses on the main Road.| Rank | Horse | Points | Eligible Earnings | Trainer | Owner | Ref |
| 1 | Bye Bye Hong Kong | 30 | $16,792 | Andrew Balding | King Power Racing | |
| 2 | Playa Del Puente | 20 | $50,047 | Michael Halford | Huang Kai Wen | |
| 3 | Jahbath | 20 | $0 | William Haggas | Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum | |
| 4 | Antilles | 12 | $0 | Aidan O'Brien | Tabor, Smith, Magnier & Flaxman Stables | |
| Royal Marine | 10 | $264,968 | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | ||
| Magna Grecia | 10 | $185,000 | Aidan O'Brien | Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Flaxman Stables | ||
| Mohawk | 10 | $129,702 | Aidan O'Brien | Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier & Michael Tabor | ||
| Japan | 10 | $75,316 | Aidan O'Brien | Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier & Michael Tabor | ||
| Western Australia | 10 | $43,084 | Aidan O'Brien | Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier & Michael Tabor | ||
| Getchagetchagetcha | 8 | $14,079 | Clive Cox | Paul & Clare Rooney | ||
| Phoenix of Spain | 4 | $157,944 | Charlie Hills | Tony Wechsler & Ann Plummer | ||
| Broome | 4 | $140,871 | Aidan O'Brien | Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier & Michael Tabor | ||
| Sydney Opera House | 4 | $40,956 | Aidan O'Brien | Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier & Michael Tabor | ||
| Mount Everest | 4 | $25,254 | Aidan O'Brien | Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Flaxman Stables | ||
| Numerian | 4 | $7,634 | Joseph O'Brien | Long Wait Two Partnership | ||
| Target Zone | 4 | $0 | David Elsworth | G B Partnership | ||
| Anodor | 2 | $99,215 | Freddie Head | Ecurie Jean-Louis Bouchard | ||
| Cape Of Good Hope | 2 | $41,515 | Aidan O'Brien | Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier & Michael Tabor | ||
| Power Of Now | 2 | $11,489 | Michael O'Callaghan | Michael O'Callaghan | ||
| Van Beethoven | 2 | $114,655 | Aidan O'Brien | Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor | ||
| Chairmanoftheboard | 2 | $693 | Mick Channon | David Kilburn, David Hudd & Chris Wright | ||
| Boitron | 1 | $44,917 | Richard Hannon | Augustin-Normand & Middleham Park | ||
| Victory Command | 1 | $35,108 | Mark Johnston | Kingsley Park | ||
| Circus Maximus | 1 | $24,368 | Aidan O'Brien | Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Flaxman Stables | ||
| Sovereign | 1 | $5,106 | Aidan O'Brien | Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier & Michael Tabor |
Events
| Race | Distance | Track | Date | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Ref |
| Royal Lodge Stakes | 1 mile | Newmarket | Sep 29 2018 | Mohawk | Sydney Opera House | Cape Of Good Hope | Victory Command | |
| Beresford Stakes | 1 mile | Naas | Sep 30 2018 | Japan | Mount Everest | Power Of Now | Sovereign | |
| Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère | 1,600 m | ParisLongchamp | Oct 7 2018 | Royal Marine | Broome | Anodor | Biotron | |
| Vertem Futurity Trophy | 1 mile | Doncaster | Oct 27 2018 | Magna Grecia | Phoenix of Spain | Western Australia | Circus Maximus | |
| Road to the Kentucky Derby Conditions Stakes | 1 mile | Kempton Park | Mar 6 2019 | Jahbath | Getchagetchagetcha | Target Zone | Chairmanoftheboard | |
| Patton Stakes | 1 mile | Dundalk | Mar 6 2019 | Playa Del Puente | Western Australia | Numerian | Van Beethoven | |
| Cardinal Stakes | 1 mile | Chelmsford City | Apr 11 2019 | Bye Bye Hong Kong | Antilles | Dark Vision | U S S Michigan |
Note:
- the four races in 2018 for two-year-olds: 1st=10 points; 2nd=4 points; 3rd=2 points; 4th=1 point
- the first two races in 2019: 1st=20 points; 2nd=8 points; 3rd=4 points; 4th=2 points
- The Cardinal Stakes: 1st=30 points; 2nd=12 points; 3rd=6 points; 4th=3 points