While the 2012 Kentucky Derby is not until May 5th, hopeful Derby qualifiers are hard at work. For those who may be unfamiliar with horse racing, the following are some important things to know about the Kentucky Derby, which is traditionally held on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs Racecourse in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Kentucky Derby field consists of twenty horses and is limited to three year olds, either male or female. The horses allowed to enter are determined by the total amount of earnings they’ve collected in graded stakes prior to the Derby. Graded stakes races are the highest level of horse racing in the country. They are assigned three grades: Grade 1, Grade 2 or Grade 3 with Grade 1 being the most prestigious and usually carries with it the largest purse. For the Derby, earnings from any stakes race is treated equally. The grade of the race in which it is earned does not matter.
Because of the importance grades stakes earnings play in determining which horses are allowed to race in the Kentucky Derby, aspiring Derby qualifiers must perform in all of the stakes races they enter prior to the Derby. Every year, horses are eliminated from Derby participation due to the inability to collect enough earnings during their pre-derby stakes races.
With more than 30 prep races available with grades stakes earnings ranging from $100,000 to $1,000,000, there are more than ample opportunities for those hoping to enter the Kentucky Derby. Typically, a win at one of the more prestigious prep races, which carry purses of $750,000 to $1,000,000 is more than adequate to guarantee the winner a spot in the Derby field.
As of February 5, 2012, the top 5 2012 Kentucky Derby contenders ranked by graded stakes earners are:
1. Hansen trained by Michael Maker with earnings of $1,160,000.
2. Union Rags trained by Michael Matz with earnings of $830,000.
3. Sabercat trained by Steve Asmussen with earnings of $600,000.
4. Wrote, from Ireland, trained by Aidan O’Brien with earnings of $556,630.
5. Creative Cause trained by Mike Harrington with earnings of $488,000.
The total purse for this years Kentucky Derby is $2,180,000. The purse is divided among the top five horses in the following manner: $1,240,000 to the winner, $400,000 to second, $200,000 to third, $100,000 to fourth and $60,000 to the fifth place finisher. In addition to winning more than a million dollars in purse money, the winner of the Kentucky Derby earns the right to vie for the Triple Crown, the most prestigious title in all of horseracing.
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