The Road to the Kentucky Derby is underway. See the full qualifying schedule.
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- Spice Runner won the 44th running of the Iroquois Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs.
- The Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes is the first race on the road to next year’s Kentucky Derby.
- Spice Runner now has 10 qualifying points toward a spot in the 2026 Kentucky Derby.
There are still more than 230 days until the starting gate is filled for next year’s 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby, but the process toward earning a spot in the Run for the Roses has already begun.
The first qualifying race as part of the Road to the 2026 Kentucky Derby took place Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs in Louisville, with Spice Runner prevailing in the 44th edition of the Grade 3, $300,000 Iroquois Stakes. Spice Runner, who went off at 5-1 odds, scored a photo-finish victory from a field of 10 horses, with Comport the horse that was beaten at the wire.
The Iroquois was contested as part of the opening weekend of Churchill Downs’ 14-day September Meet.
Spice Runner took home 10 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby with the win. Qualifying points were also awarded for second place, Comport (five); third place, Vost (three); fourth place, Nothing Personal (two); and fifth place, Maximus Prime (one).
Comport was the 6-5 post-time favorite in the Iroquois.
Ridden by Jose Ortiz, trained by Steve Asmussen and owned and bred by Winchell Thoroughbreds, Spice Runner has two wins from four career starts.
This was Asmussen’s fourth Iroquois victory. Notably, Asmussen is 0-for-28 in the Kentucky Derby.
The 1-mile Iroquois is the first of 36 races that are part of the American qualifying pathway to the Derby, a 1 1/4-mile race which features a 20-horse field of 3-year-old thoroughbreds. The Derby will be May 2 at Churchill Downs.
Next up will be a trio of Derby prep races taking place on Oct. 4: the Champagne Stakes at Aqueduct, the American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita and the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland as part of the opening weekend for the Lexington track’s Fall Meet.
The American Road to the Derby will feature 21 races as part of “prep season,” which award a small amount of qualifying points. None of the “prep season” races offer more than 30 points to the winner.
The major points and qualifying races of consequence are the 15 races that are part of the “championship series.” The first of those qualifiers is expected to be the Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 14 at Fair Grounds in New Orleans. All but one of the “championship series” qualifiers offer at least 50 points to the race winner, as long as the field size is sufficient.
The top 17 points earners from the American Road to the Derby will have a starting spot secured in the Run for the Roses.
How much does posting a good Derby qualifying campaign matter on the first Saturday in May? The last time the top Derby qualifying points earner went on to win the Run for the Roses was California Chrome in 2014.
It’s never too early to begin tracking potential Classic horses.
Last year’s Iroquois winner, Ohio-bred Jonathan’s Way, only ran two more races after his triumph in the Iroquois before retiring. But you only have to go back to 2023 to find an Iroquois winner who went on to make the Kentucky Derby starting gate. That was West Saratoga, a 12th-place finisher in the 2024 Kentucky Derby for the late trainer Larry Demeritte.
No horse has won the Kentucky Derby after winning the Iroquois Stakes. Furthermore, no Iroquois Stakes winner has finished in the money in the Run for the Roses. The best Derby showing by a horse that previously won the Iroquois Stakes was a fourth-place effort by Dansil in 1989.
Qualifying for 2026 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks both underway
The qualifying pathway for next year’s Kentucky Oaks — the companion race to the Derby for 3-year-old fillies — also began Saturday afternoon as part of an 11-race card at Churchill Downs.
The first prep race on the Road to the Oaks was the 57th running of the Grade 3, $300,000 Pocahontas Stakes, which was won by Taken by the Wind at 6-1 odds from a field of seven. The horse was ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., trained by Kenny McPeek and owned by Magdalena Racing, Terry Bradshaw and Graham Leveston.
Yes, NFL legend and four-time Super Bowl winner Terry Bradshaw is part of Taken by the Wind’s ownership group.
Taken by the Wind, a winner in the Pocahontas by 5 1/4 lengths, is now 2-for-2 in her career.
Like the Derby, the Kentucky Oaks is also celebrating its 152nd edition this year. The Oaks, which is contested over 1 1/8 miles, will be run the day before the Derby on May 1 at Churchill Downs.
Taken by the Wind earned 10 qualifying points toward the Oaks as a result of winning the 1-mile Pocahontas. Also earning Oaks qualifying points were second-place Miss Complicated (five), third-place Joke Maker (three), fourth-place Dazzling Dame (two) and fifth-place Our Two Girls (one).
Our Two Girls is also a McPeek trainee and was the well-beaten favorite (5-2 odds) in the Pocahontas. In 2024, McPeek trained the winners of the 150th runnings of both the Kentucky Derby (Mystik Dan) and Kentucky Oaks (Thorpedo Anna).
Like the American Road to the Derby, the Kentucky Oaks qualifying pathway is split between 19 “prep season” races that only award a handful of qualifying points and 14 “championship series” races that boast much larger point totals. None of the “prep season” races offer more than 30 points to the winner. Each of the “championship series” qualifiers awards at least 50 points to the winner, as long as the field size is sufficient.
The next Oaks qualifier will be the Alcibiades, which is to be run Oct. 3 on the opening day of the Keeneland Fall Meet. The first major prep for the Oaks will be the Rachel Alexandra on Feb. 14 at Fair Grounds.
The top 14 points earners will have a starting spot reserved for the Kentucky Oaks. The last filly to win the Oaks after topping the qualifying points leaderboard was Untapable in 2014.
Since 1976, three fillies have turned a win in the Pocahontas into future success in the Kentucky Oaks. The most recent filly to pull off this prestiguous Churchill Downs double was Serengeti Empress in 2019.
Kentucky Derby also to include international qualifying pathways
The American Road to the Kentucky Derby isn’t the only way to secure a spot in the starting gate, though.
As many as three spots in the Kentucky Derby can go to horses that qualify internationally. Up to two horses can get a Derby starting spot from finishes in the Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby series. The Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby can produce one Derby runner.
There has been a distinct international flavor to the Kentucky Derby since these qualifying pathways became available. Since 2019, eight horses based in Japan have run in the Derby. Japanese participant Forever Young finished in third place in the 2024 Derby as part of a memorable three-horse photo finish at the wire.
All time, 10 horses based in Japan have contested the Kentucky Derby, with the first being Ski Captain in 1995.
This year’s Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby includes four races, highlighted by the Fukuryu Stakes in March. Last year’s winner of the Fukuryu Stakes, Luxor Cafe, finished 12th in the Kentucky Derby.
This year’s Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby includes seven races, highlighted by the Grade 2 UAE Derby in March. The UAE Derby is a 100-point Derby qualifier and will determine which horses make the Derby gate from this qualifying pathway. Last year’s UAE Derby winner, Admire Daytona, finished last in the Kentucky Derby. Forever Young triumphed in the 2024 UAE Derby before his in-the-money finish at Churchill Downs.
Since 1967, a total of 57 horses have competed in the Derby after previously racing outside North America. Canonero II (Venezuela) in 1971 and Bold Forbes (Puerto Rico) in 1976 are the only winners from this group.
This story was originally published September 13, 2025 at 4:35 PM.
