The 2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby is a series of races through which horses qualified for the 2022 Kentucky Derby, which was held on May 7. Background 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 (plus one in Dubai), the Japan Road consisting of four races in Japan, and the European road consisting of seven races in England, Ireland and France. The top four finishers in the specified races receive points, with higher points awarded in the major prep races in March and April. Earnings in non-restricted stakes races act as a tie breaker.
For 2022, the main Road to the Kentucky Derby resembled the 2021 Road to the Kentucky Derby, consisting of 37 races, one more event than in 2021, with 21 races for the Kentucky Derby Prep Season and 16 races for the Kentucky Derby Championship Season with the following changes:
The inaugural Gun Runner Stakes at the Fair Grounds was added as part of the Prep season Qualification points were not awarded to any horse trained by any individual who was suspended from racing in the 2022 Kentucky Derby or any trainer directly or indirectly employed, supervised, or advised by a suspended trainer. This rule was introduced in response to Churchill Down's suspension of trainer Bob Baffert following a positive drug test by one of his horses in the 2021 Kentucky Derby.
Standings
The following table shows the points earned in the eligible races for the main series. As none of the offers on the Japan Road or European Road were accepted, all twenty positions in the Derby starting gate will qualify via the main series. The rankings are from the April 25 update of the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, updated for the May 1 announcement that Early Voting would bypass the race.
RankHorsePointsEarningsTrainerOwnerRef 1 Epicenter 164 $940,000 Steven Asmussen Winchell Thoroughbreds 2 Zandon 114 $663,500 Chad C. Brown Jeff Drown 3 White Abarrio 112 $769,650 Saffie Joseph Jr. Racing Stable & La Milagrosa Stable 4 Mo Donegal 112 $561,500 Todd A. Pletcher Donegal Racing 5 Tiz the Bomb 110 $1,012,210 Kenneth G. McPeek Magdelena Racing 6 Cyberknife 100 $752,000 Brad H. Cox Gold Square 7 Crown Pride (JPN) 100 $671,544 Koichi Shintani Teruya Yoshida 8 Taiba 100 $450,000 Tim Yakteen Zedan Racing 9 Simplification 74 $482,150 Antonio Sano Tami Bobo 10 Smile Happy 70 $499,410 Kenneth G. McPeek Lucky Seven Stable 11 Classic Causeway 66 $466,100 Brian A. Lynch Kentucky West Racing & Clarke M. Cooper ill Slow Down Andy 60 $475,000 Doug F. O'Neill Reddam Racing 12 Tawny Port 60 $351,400 Brad H. Cox Peachtree Stable 13 Barber Road 58 $589,700 John Ortiz WSS Racing injured Un Ojo 54 $661,250 Ricky Courville Cypress Creek Equine withdrawn Forbidden Kingdom 50 $392,000 Richard E. Mandella MyRacehorse & Spendthrift Farm bypass Early Voting 50 $277,500 Chad C. Brown Klaravich Stables injured Morello 50 $242,500 Steven Asmussen Blue Lion Thoroughbreds, Craig Taylor & Diamond T Racing 14 Messier 40 $390,000 Tim Yakteen SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables et al. 15 Zozos 40 $200,000 Brad H. Cox Barry & Joni Butzow 16 Summer Is Tomorrow 40 $200,000 Bhupat Seemar Michael Hilary & Negar Burke 17 Charge It 40 $188,000 Todd A. Pletcher Whisper Hill Farm 18 Happy Jack 30 $142,000 Doug F. O'Neill Calumet Farm 19 Pioneer of Medina 25 $116,000 Todd A. Pletcher Sumaya U.S. Stable bypass Emmanuel 25 $111,700 Todd A. Pletcher WinStar Farm & Siena Farm bypass Pappacap 24 $609,000 Mark E. Casse Rustlewood Farm bypass In Due Time 24 $113,800 Kelly Breen Edge Racing, Medallion Racing & Parkland Thoroughbreds 20 Ethereal Road 22 $231,000 D. Wayne Lukas Aaron Sones bypass Grantham 21 $85,000 Michael J. Maker Three Diamonds Farm 21 Rich Strike 21 $74,500 Eric Reed RED TR-Racing bypass ƒ Secret Oath 20 $436,707 D. Wayne Lukas Briland Farm 22 Rattle N Roll 20 $344,000 Kenneth G. McPeek Lucky Seven Stable 23 Bye Bye Bobby 20 $176,700 Todd Fincher B4 Farms bypass Island Falcon (IRE) 20 $100,000 Saeed bin Suroor Godolphin 24Skippylongstocking 20 $86,350 Saffie Joseph Jr. Daniel Alonso bypass Dean's List 20 $72,000 Todd A. Pletcher WinStar Farm & Siena Farm 25 Major General 18 $251,525 Todd A. Pletcher WinStar Farm & Siena Farm 26 Golden Glider 15 $87,250 Mark E. Casse Gary Barber, Penny & Manfred Conrad inactive Shipsational 14 $75,000 Edward Barker Iris Smith Stable inactive Jack Christopher 10 $275,000 Chad C. Brown Jim Bakke, Gerald Isbister, Coolmore Stud & Peter M. Brant inactive Make It Big 10 $240,000 Saffie Joseph Jr. Red Oak Stable bypass Dash Attack 10 $180,834 Kenneth G. McPeek Catalyst Stable, Magdalena Racing, Kevin J. Pollard & Patty Slevin bypass Doppelganger 10 $154,500 Tim Yakteen SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, et al. not nominated Pepper Spray 10 $144,956 Edward J. Kereluk Roys Mansur bypass Call Me Midnight 10 $138,500 J. Keith Desormeaux Peter L. Cantrell bypass Courvoisier 10 $93,750 Kelly Breen Hill 'n' Dale & James Spry bypass Dowagiac Chief 10 $93,150 Thomas M. Amoss Michael McLoughlin bypass O Captain 10 $76,500 Gustavo Delgado OGMA Investments & Towell & Jack Hardin Jr. not nominated Bendoog 10 $74,500 Bhupat Seemar Mohammed Khaleel Ahmed bypass Golden Code 10 $36,000 Todd A. Pletcher Calumet Farm bypass Kavod 7 $286,500 Chris Hartman James Rogers & Michael Robinson bypass Commandperformance 6 $200,000 Todd A. Pletcher Repole Stable & St. Elias Stable inactive Mackinnon 5 $296,000 Doug F. O'Neill ERJ Racing, Madaket Stables & Dave Kenney bypass Life Is Great 5 $48,000 Robert Klesaris E.V. Racing Stable bypass Fowler Blue 5 $29,250 Luis Mendez William A. Branch & Arnold R. Hill not nominated Beautiful Art 5 $24,000 Simon Callaghan Kaleem Shah not nominated Double Thunder 4 $320,350 Todd A. Pletcher Phoenix Thoroughbred bypassing Giant Game 4 $180,000 Dale L. Romans West Point Thoroughbreds & Albaugh Family Stables not nominated Tejano Twist 4 $177,070 W. Bret Calhoun Tom R. Durant bypassing Cabo Spirit 4 $125,300 George Papaprodromou Kretz Racing bypassing Stolen Base 4 $101,400 Michael J. Maker Three Diamonds Farm & Duece Greathouse not nominated Oviatt Class 4 $98,000 J. Keith Desormeaux James E. Downe not nominated Osbourne 4 $82,143 Ron Moquett Southern Springs Stables, The Estate of Floyd Sagely, Mark Tauber & Keith Johnston bypassing Tough to Tame 4 $57,750 Christopher Davis Rittdiculous Gazmanian Stables bypassing Smarten Up 4 $31,250 Alfredo Velazquez Happy Tenth Stable bypassing Ben Diesel 3 $104,233 Dallas Stewart Willis Horton Racing inactive Wit 2 $312,500 Todd A. Pletcher Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable & Gainesway Stable inactive Cooke Creek 2 $79,250 Jeremiah O'Dwyer Cheyenne Stable bypassing Red Knobs 2 $53,075 Dale L. Romans Jim Bakke & Gerald Isbister bypassing Midnight Chrome 2 $32,500 Tyler Servis Alexandria Stable bypassing Gilded Age 2 $30,000 William I. Mott Grandview Equine & Don Alberto Stable bypassing Ignitis 2 $29,643 D. Wayne Lukas Holy Cow Stable bypassing Volcanic 2 $34,000 Mark E. Casse Breeze Easy not nominated Grael 2 $13,465 Brendan Walsh Godolphin not nominated Surfer Dude 2 $12,000 Dallas Stewart Mark H. & Nancy W. Stanley not nominated Del Mo 2 $12,000 Doug F. O'Neill Glenn Sorgenstein, WC Racing, Train Wreck Al Racing Stables & William Strauss bypassing My Prankster 1 $121,380 Todd A. Pletcher Lawana L. & Robert E. Low bypassing American Sanctuary 1 $104,600 Christopher Davis Dare To Dream Stable bypassing Strike Hard 1 $42,500 Matthew Williams Miracle's International Trading not nominated Kevin's Folly 1 $41,250 Thomas M. Amoss Michael McLoughlin bypassing Galt 1 $32,000 William I. Mott OXO Equine not nominated Durante 1 $24,000 Doug F. O'Neill Roadrunner Racing & William Strauss not nominated Mr Jefferson 1 $17,750 Michael J. Trombetta R. Larry Johnson bypassing Bourbon Heist 1 $14,438 Ian R. Wilkes Bourbon Lane Stable bypassing Trafalgar 1 $12,000 Albert Stall Jr. Columbine Stable inactive Sir London 1 $12,000 Simon Callaghan AMO Racing USA & Qatar Racing Limited bypassingUnbridled Bomber 1 $10,250 Jim Ryerson Edward C. Potash, Brad Yankanich & James T. Ryerson bypassing Il Bellator 1 $6,000 Jose Bautista Edward A. & Theresa DeNike
Legend:
ƒ – Filly
Prep season
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)
RaceDistancePurseTrackDate1st2nd3rd4thRefIroquois miles$300,000Churchill DownsSep 18 2021 Major General Tough to Tame Red Knobs Bourbon HeistAmerican Pharoah miles$301,000Santa AnitaOct 1 2021 Corniche Pappacap Oviatt Class RockefellerChampagne1 mile$500,000BelmontOct 2 2021 Jack Christopher Commandperformance Wit My Prankster Breeders' Futurity miles$500,000KeenelandOct 9 2021 Rattle N Roll Double Thunder Classic Causeway American Sanctuary Breeders' Cup Juvenile miles$2,000,000Del MarNov 5 2021 Corniche Pappacap Giant Game CommandperformanceKentucky Jockey Club miles$400,000Churchill DownsNov 27 2021 Smile Happy Classic Causeway White Abarrio Ben Diesel Remsen miles$250,000AqueductDec 4 2021 Mo Donegal Zandon Midnight Chrome Mr Jefferson Los Alamitos Futurity miles$300,000Los AlamitosDec 11 2021 Slow Down Andy Messier Barossa Durante Springboard Mile1 mile$401,200RemingtonDec 17 2021 Make It Big Osbourne Concept Classic Moment Gun Runner Stakes miles$98,000Fair GroundsDec 26 2021 Epicenter Tejano Twist Surfer Dude Kevin's Folly Jerome1 mile$150,000AqueductJan 1 2022 Courvoisier Smarten Up Cooke Creek Unbridled Bomber Smarty Jones1 mile$250,000OaklawnJan 1 2022 Dash Attack Barber Road Ignitis Kavod Sham1 mile$100,000Santa AnitaJan 1 2022 Newgrange Rockefeller Oviatt Class Mackinnon Lecomte miles$200,000Fair GroundsJan 22 2022 Call Me Midnight Epicenter Pappacap Trafalgar Southwest miles$750,000OaklawnJan 29 2022 Newgrange Barber Road Ben Diesel Kavod Withers miles$250,000AqueductFeb 5 2022 Early Voting Un Ojo Gilded Age Grantham Holy Bull miles$250,000GulfstreamFeb 5 2022 White Abarrio Simplification Mo Donegal Galt Robert B. Lewis miles$200,000Santa AnitaFeb 6 2022 Messier Cabo Spirit Wharton Sir London Sam F. Davis Stakes miles$200,000Tampa BayFeb 12 2022 Classic Causeway Shipsational Volcanic Strike HardEl Camino Real Derby miles$102,700Golden GateFeb 12 2022 Blackadder Mackinnon Del Mo Il Bellator John Battaglia Memorial Stakes miles$125,000Turfway ParkMar 5 2022 Tiz the Bomb Stolen Base Grael Rich Strike
Championship series events
First leg of series Note: 1st=50 points; 2nd=20 points; 3rd=10 points; 4th=5 points RaceDistancePurseGradeTrackDate1st2nd3rd4thRefRisen Star miles$400,0002Fair GroundsFeb 19 2022 Epicenter Smile Happy Zandon Pioneer of Medina Rebel miles$1,000,0002OaklawnFeb 26 2022Un OjoEthereal RoadBarber RoadKavodGotham1 mile$300,0003AqueductMar 5 2022 Morello Dean's List Golden Code Life Is Great San Felipe miles$401,0002Santa AnitaMar 5 2022Forbidden Kingdom Doppelganger Happy Jack Beautiful Art Fountain of Youth miles$400,0002GulfstreamMar 5 2022 Simplification In Due Time O Captain Emmanuel Tampa Bay Derby miles$350,0002Tampa BayMar 12 2022 Classic Causeway Grantham Shipsational Golden Glider Sunland Derby miles$500,0003Sunland ParkMar 27 2022 Slow Down Andy Bye Bye Bobby Pepper Spray Fowler Blue
Second leg of series Theses 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