2015-16 Road To The Derby Series Announced

2015-16 Road To The Derby Series Announced

The 2015-16 Road to the Derby Series was announced on Wednesday with a few tweaks. The Road to the Derby series will determine which horses can enter the Kentucky Derby via a points system. There are two separate categories for the races with the first 19 races comprising the Kentucky Derby Prep Season. Those races will award 10 points to first, 4 points to second, 2 points to third, and 1 point to fourth.

There tweak comes in for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile where the points are doubled. The winner receives 20 points, second place receives 8 points, 4 points will go to third, and 2 points to the fourth place finishers. It is also the same for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies where the points are doubled.

The 2015 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies will take place at Keeneland this year on October 31.

The final 16 races of the Road to the Derby series is called the Kentucky Derby Championship Series. Here, the points are even greater with wins going for 50 or 100 points. There is one wild card race, the Lexington Stakes, that will award only 10, 4, 2, and 1 points to the top four finishers respectively.

The table below is the schedule for the 2015-16 Road to the Derby. Please note that the dates for the stakes races beyond the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile are tentative and subject to change. The same is true for the grade of the races, which are subject to change near the end of the year.

The 2015-16 Road to the Oaks is comprised of 31 races. The first 16 races are called the Kentucky Oaks Prep Season and award 10 points to the winner, 4 points to second place, 2 points to third, and 1 point to the fourth place finisher, except for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (20-8-4-2).

The final 15 races are called the Kentucky Oaks Championship Series and awards 50 or 100 points to the winner, depending on the race. The Beaumont at Keeneland is the wild card race with a 10-4-2-1 points payout.

Below is the 2015-16 Road to the Oaks schedule. As with the Derby, the dates are tentative and subject to change. The graded status can also change prior to the end of the year.

As with the 2015 Road to the Derby, previews and recaps of each race can be found here on Sports Enthusiasts.