Jace’s Road with Florent Geroux aboard wins the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds Dec. 26, 2022. (Hodges Photography/Lou Hodges, Jr.)
Darren Rogers/Churchill Downs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The 37-race Road to the Kentucky Derby will conclude Saturday where 11 3-year-olds will have their final opportunity to garner qualifying points for the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade I).
The drama-filled series, which began in September, now has owners and trainers sitting on the edge of their seats hoping their horse can have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to qualify for the Kentucky Derby.
While Saturday’s $400,000 Lexington Stakes (GIII) at Keeneland will only offer 40 points to the top five finishers, Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Disarm (40 points) can qualify for a spot in the Derby field with a top three finish. Points will be awarded in the Lexington on a 20-8-6-4-2 scale and Jace’s Road (45 points) is the last horse currently qualified in the Derby field.
There will be a lot of moving parts throughout the next three weeks until the Kentucky Derby is run on May 6, but Saturday’s Lexington is a major part of deciding who’s in and who’s out of this year’s field.
