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2006 Kentucky Derby Prep Races
The Road to the Triple Crown, or the Road to the Kentucky Derby as it is also commonly referred to, is a series of prep races that lead up to the Kentucky Derby.
Each January marks the beginning of the Road to The Triple Crown. The Road to the Triple Crown,
or the Road to the Kentucky Derby as it is also commonly referred to, is a series of prep races
that lead up to the Kentucky Derby. In order to run in the Kentucky Derby, a horse must be
nominated for the Triple Crown. Many horses are nominated each year, but few make it all
the way to the Kentucky Derby. Besides a nomination, a horse must also earn money in Graded
Stakes races. Should more than twenty horses, the maximum number of entries, attempt to enter
the Kentucky Derby, the slots are determined by the amount of money won in Graded Stakes races.
The Kentucky Derby prep races, all of them of the stakes race variety, soon begin separating
the pretenders from the true Kentucky Derby contenders. In order to make it all the way to
the starting gate in Louisville, a horse must have a combination of luck, experienced connections
(owner, trainer and jockey), remain injury free, and above all, be a talented racehorse.
The below list of Kentucky Derby prep races is by no means exhaustive. In fact, there are
many so-call Kentucky Derby prep races that do not appear on our list. We believe that to
be included on the Road to the Triple Crown a race should meet the following conditions.
- The race must be contested at a distance of at least one mile (8.0 furlongs). The Kentucky Derby is run at the classic 1 ¼ mile distance. It is not a race for sprinters. Kentucky Derby prep race should condition a horse to run a long distance.
- The race must not be on the turf. The Kentucky Derby is run on the dirt. Some horses have better turf breeding than others. Some horses are good on turf while others are good on dirt. It is the rare horse that runs well on both surfaces.
- The race must be run at a Class A or Class B track. Kentucky Derby contenders need to run against good competition. This means they need to run in stakes races at major tracks against good competition.
List of Kentucky Derby Prep Races
January - Kentucky Derby Prep Races
The Road to the Triple Crown begins in January. The Tropical Park Derby, run at Calder,
is the first official Kentucky Derby prep race. It does not, however, meet our criteria
along with several other races. The January prep races introduce the newly turned three-year
old horses to running longer distances. Many of the Triple Crown nominees have not yet
run a route race, thus, the one-mile distance by itself weeds out many pretenders.
| Aventura Stakes | Gulfstream | 8.0 furlongs |
| Count Fleet Stakes | Aqueduct | 8.3 furlongs |
| Lecomte Handicap | Fair Grounds | 8.0 furlongs |
| San Rafael Stakes | Santa Anita | 8.0 furlongs |
February - Kentucky Derby Prep Races
The February Kentucky Derby prep races feature the first 1-1/8 mile races. Both the
Holy Bull and Sham Stakes are run at these longer distances on the East and West coasts
respectively. The winners of these races, as well as the Whirlaway Stakes, Risen Star
Stakes, and Southwest Stakes cement themselves as early Kentucky Derby contenders.
| Holy Bull Stakes | Gulfstream | 9.0 furlongs |
| Sham Stakes | Santa Anita | 9.0 furlongs |
| Whirlaway Stakes | Aqueduct | 8.5 furlongs |
| Risen Star Stakes | Fair Grounds | 8.5 furlongs |
| Southwest Stakes | Oaklawn Park | 8.0 furlongs |
March - Kentucky Derby Prep Races
The Road to the Triple Crown really begins to pick up steam with the March Kentucky Derby
prep races. By March, many horses are off the Derby Trail due to illness, frailty, or
just lack of talent. Why get pummeled running against solid Triple Crown contenders when
you can run a horse against lesser talent and win? The March Derby prep races are also
interesting because sometimes horses emerge that were heretofore anonymous on the Derby
Trail. Some trainers like to keep their horses away from the best competition until
later down the Derby Trail, opting instead to run their horses in allowance races or
minor stakes at various tracks.
| Fountain of Youth | Gulfstream | 9.0 furlongs |
| Santa Catalina | Santa Anita | 8.5 furlongs |
| Louisiana Derby | Fair Grounds | 8.5 furlongs |
| The Gotham | Aqueduct | 8.0 furlongs |
| The Rebel | Oaklawn Park | 8.5 furlongs |
| San Felipe Stakes | Santa Anita | 8.5 furlongs |
| Lane's End Spiral Stakes | Turfway | 9.0 furlongs |
April - Kentucky Derby Prep Races
The most important Kentucky Derby prep races are run in April. The so-called Big Six
Kentucky Derby Prep Races are run in April. The Big Six preps are: the Florida Derby,
the Wood Memorial, the Illinois Derby, the Santa Anita Derby, the Arkansas Derby,
and the Blue Grass Stakes. It is very rare that the eventual Kentucky Derby winner
does not win one of these races. The later stakes races, the Lexington Stakes and
the Federico Tesio Stakes, are last chance races of sorts as they are run just two
weeks before the Kentucky Derby. As hard as it is to believe, the final two official
Kentucky Derby prep races, the Withers and the Derby Trial, are held just one week
before the Kentucky Derby. It is very unrealistic that any thoroughbred racehorse
of today's era could win one of those two races and then safely or successfully contend
in the Run for the Roses.
| Florida Derby | Gulfstream | 9.0 furlongs |
| Wood Memorial | Aqueduct | 9.0 furlongs |
| Illinois Derby | Hawthorne | 9.0 furlongs |
| Santa Anita Derby | Santa Anita | 9.0 furlongs |
| Arkansas Derby | Oaklawn Park | 9.0 furlongs |
| Blue Grass | Keeneland | 9.0 furlongs |
| Lexington Stakes | Keeneland | 8.5 furlongs |
| Federico Tesio Stakes | Pimlico | 9.0 furlongs |
May - Triple Crown Races
In May, the contenders have risen to the top and the pretenders have faded away. The
first Saturday in May marks the beginning of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby,
also known as the Run for the Roses. The Triple Crown is a grueling endurance test
for the horses that participate. It is so difficult for a horse to win all three
of the Triple Crown races that only eleven horses have ever done it, with the last
time being 1978 (Affirmed)
| Kentucky Derby | Churchill Downs | 10.0 furlongs |
| Preakness Stakes | Pimlico | 9.5 furlongs |
June - Triple Crown Races
The final jewel in the Triple Crown is the Belmont Stakes. The Belmont is run three
weeks after the Preakness, which in turn, is run two weeks after the Kentucky Derby.
The Belmont is by far the most difficult leg in the Triple Crown, as the horses must
run 1-1/2 miles around the Belmont oval. This is both an unusual and demanding distance
for a racehorse. Many horses, forty-four in all, have come into the Belmont having
won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, but only eleven have captured
the Triple Crown.
| Belmont Stakes | Belmont | 12.0 furlongs |
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