Churchill Makes Slight Changes To Kentucky Derby And Oaks Roads

[Wandering Eyes]

Churchill Downs Racetrack officials have made slight modifications to the upcoming Road to the Kentucky Derby, the series of select races that will determine the preference list for the 150th GI Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve on Saturday, May 4, 2024, the track said in a release Friday.

The Road to the Kentucky Derby, which debuted in 2013, annually awards a sliding scale of points to the top five finishing positions in select qualifying races. At the conclusion of the series, the leaderboard will determine the preference list for entries into the 20-horse Kentucky Derby.

Second-place points in all qualifying races have been increased to create added separation from second and third-place finishers. Additionally, third and fourth-place points in races that award 100 points to winner have been decreased.

Series Races:
Early Prep Season
Last Year: 10-4-3-2-1, This Year: 10-5-3-2-1

Breeders' Cup
Last Year: 30-12-9-6-3, This Year: 30-15-9-6-3

Late Prep Season
Last Year: 20-8-6-4-2, This Year: 20-10-6-4-2

Early Championship Series
Last Year: 50-20-15-10-5, This Year: 50-25-15-10-5

Late Championship Series
Last Year: 100-40-30-20-10, This Year: 100-50-25-15-10

In other changes:

• The GIII Street Sense S. scheduled for Oct. 29 at Churchill Downs has been added to the Early Prep Season;
• The GIII Sunland Park Derby has been decreased in value from 50-20-15-10-5 in 2023 to 20-10-6-4-2 in 2024.

Similar changes were made to the 32-race Road to the Kentucky Oaks series, which awards points to fillies to qualify for the 150th GI Longines Kentucky Oaks on Friday, May 3, 2024:

• The Rags to Riches S. to be run Oct. 29 at Churchill Downs has been added to the Early Prep Season;
• The Sunland Park Oaks has been decreased in value from 50-20-15-10-5 in 2023 to 20-10-6-4-2 in 2024; and
• The GII Beaumont S. at Keeneland has been removed from the Championship Series.

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