The 2021 Road to the Kentucky Derby was a series of races through which horses qualified for the 2021 Kentucky Derby, which was held on May 1. 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 were three separate paths for horses to take to qualify for the Derby: the main Road consisting of races in North America (plus one in Dubai), the Japan Road consisting of four races in Japan, and seven European races in England, Ireland and France. The top four finishers in the specified races received points, with higher points awarded in the major prep races in March and April. Earnings in non-restricted stakes races acted as a tie breaker.
The 2020 Road to the Kentucky Derby suffered major disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the postponement of the 2020 Derby itself to September. For 2021, the main Road to the Kentucky Derby will instead resemble the 2019 Road to the Kentucky Derby, consisting of 36 races, 20 races for the Kentucky Derby Prep Season and 16 races for the Kentucky Derby Championship Season except for the following changes:
For the 2021 Road to the Kentucky Derby, horses which ran in qualifying events with the medication furosemide (Lasix) did not receive any qualification points.
The following table shows the points earned in the eligible races for the main series and the leaderboard rank as of April 25. The Kentucky Derby was won by Mandaloun, who qualified in a Sixth place finished in the Louisiana Derby. He was new winner of the race after the original winner Medina Spirit was disqualified after testing positive for Betamethasone. The trainer of Medina Spirit Bob Baffert got suspended by Churchill Downs for two years.
<nowiki>*</nowiki>Mandaloun named was new winner of the race on February 12, 2022, after the original winner Medina Spirit was disqualified after testing positive for Betamethasone. The trainer of Medina Spirit, Bob Baffert got suspended by Churchill Downs for two years.
Legend: <br/> Winner of Kentucky Derby in bold
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Note: 1st=10 points; 2nd=4 points; 3rd=2 points; 4th=1 point (except the Breeders' Cup Juvenile: 1st=20 points; 2nd=8 points; 3rd=4 points; 4th=2 points)
The following events were included as part of the Championship series.
Note: 1st=50 points; 2nd=20 points; 3rd=10 points; 4th=5 points
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
Note: 1st=20 points; 2nd=8 points; 3rd=4 points; 4th=2 points
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 neither of the top four accept, this place in the starting gate reverts to the horses on the main road to the Derby.
Note: Cattleya Sho: 1st=10 points; 2nd=4 points; 3rd=2 points; 4th=1 point<br/> Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun: 1st=20 points; 2nd=8 points; 3rd=4 points; 4th=2 points<br/> Hyacinth: 1st=30 points; 2nd=12 points; 3rd=6 points; 4th=3 points<br/> Fukuyru : 1st=40 points; 2nd=16 points; 3rd=8 points; 4th=4 points
The top four horses (colored brown within the standings) are eligible to participate in the Kentucky Derby provided the horse is nominated.
Notes:
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 neither 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 â four run on the turf in late 2020 when the horses are age two, plus three races run on a synthetic surface in early 2021.
Note:
The top four horses (colored brown within the standings) are eligible to participate in the Kentucky Derby provided the horse is nominated.
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