2020 Road to the Kentucky Derby

rdf:langString 2020 Road to the Kentucky Derby

rdf:langString The 2020 Road to the Kentucky Derby was a series of races through which horses qualified for the 2020 Kentucky Derby, which was held on September 5 (rescheduled from the traditional first Saturday in May due to the coronavirus pandemic). 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 with seven European 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. Earnings in non-restricted stakes races act as a tie breaker. When originally announced in September 2019, the main Road to the Kentucky Derby would have remained substantially the same as the 2019 Road to the Kentucky Derby, consisting of 35 races, 19 races for the Kentucky Derby Prep Season and 16 races for the Kentucky Derby Championship Season. Fair Grounds Race Course subsequently made minor changes to the length of the three qualifying races that it hosts: the Lecomte Stakes goes from a mile and 70 yards to 1+1⁄16 miles, the Risen Star from 1+1⁄16 to 1+1⁄8 miles, and the Louisiana Derby goes from 1+1⁄8 to 1+3⁄16 miles. However in March 2020, the growing coronavirus pandemic prompted the cancellation of several prep races, and the rescheduling of the Derby itself. Churchill Downs added more qualifying races to the series in May which became known as the Extended Series.