Sierra Leone gained 50 points on the Road to Kentucky Derby 151 with a win in 2025 Risen Star. Sierra Leone finished a close Derby second. (Hodges Photography)
Road To The Kentucky Derby Championship Series Kicks Off With $500,000 Risen Star At Fair Grounds
Derby Dispatch/Edited
LOUISVILLE, Ky.– The race to the $5 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade I) heats up Saturday as the Championship Series on the Road to the Kentucky Derby gets underway with the $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes (GII) at Fair Grounds.
The Risen Star Stakes is the first of 16 Championship Series races contested at 10 different racetracks across North America. Saturday’s event will award 50 points to the winner, with 25 points to the runner-up and the third-through fifth-place finishers earning points on a 15-10-5 scale.
Sunday’s action will feature another key stop on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, the $400,000 Sunland Derby at Sunland Park. The 1 1/8-mile event will award 20-10-6-4-2 points to the Top 5 finishers.
To date in the Road to the Kentucky Derby Prep Season, champion 2-year-old Citizen Bull established himself as the early Derby favorite, racking up 60 points with victories in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI), American Pharoah (GI) and Robert B. Lewis (GIII).
A major update to this year’s series is the rebranding of the Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby. The seven-race series will culminate in the April 5 UAE Derby (GII) at Meydan Racecourse, which was previously part of the traditional Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series.
For the 2025 Kentucky Derby, two invitations will be extended to compete in the Derby, with preference given to the top two-point earners from the Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Interest in the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby remains strong, with a record 69 horses nominated to the Triple Crown. Many of those connections are weighing their next starts in either the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby or the Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby, with several possibly targeting the UAE Derby.
The next race on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby is the Feb. 29 Hyacinth Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse.
With only 11 weeks remaining until the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby, the path to Churchill Downs is taking shape. The Championship Series will determine which 3-year-olds emerge as the top contenders for the Run for the Roses on Saturday, May 3.
How To Watch The Risen Star
- FanDuel TV featuring live, on-site coverage from Matt Bernier, Andie Biancone, Scott Hazelton, Joaquin Jaime, Todd Schrupp and Joe Talamo.
- Churchill Downs LIVE app/TwinSpires.com will feature the simulcast show at Fair Ground with chief analyst Joe Kristufek leading the coverage.
Key Races To Watch To Watch
This weekend there are several races around the world that could have implications on the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. Here are some of the key races:
Friday
- AQU, R1 (1:10 p.m.), OC 100000n1x, 3yo, 6 ½ F
- AQU, R6 (3:34 p.m.), OC 50000, 3yo, 1 M
- SA, R4 (5 p.m.), MSW, 3yo F, 1 M
- SA, R6 (6 p.m.), MSW, 3yo, 1 M
Saturday
- GP, R4 (1:47 p.m.), MSW, 3yo, 1 M
- FG, R4 (2:30 p.m.), MSW, 3yo F, 6 F
- FG, R6 (3:30 p.m.), MSW, 3yo F, 6 F
- FG, R7 (4 p.m.), MSW, 3yo, 6 F
- FG, R9 (5 p.m.), MSW, 3yo, 1 1/16 M
- OP, R9 (5:51 p.m.), $150,000 Dixie Belle Stakes, 3yo F, 6 F
- FG, R13 (7 p.m.), $300,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes (GII), 3yo F, 1 1/16 M
- FG, R14 (7:30 p.m.), $500,000 Risen Star (GII), 3yo, 1 1/8 M
- TP, R5 (7:55 p.m.), MSW, 3yo, 1 M
Sunday
- SUN, R7 (5:13 p.m.), $250,000 Sunland Park Oaks, 3yo F, 1 M
- SUN, R9 (6:17 p.m.), $400,000 Sunland Park Derby, 3yo, 1 1/16 M
