In The Know : Derby and Oaks Contenders
Who Are the Contenders?
At around three months prior to the race, a list of Kentucky Derby contenders is released, so stay tuned! To be the first to know, sign up for our newsletter, The Thoroughbred. For updates on the contenders, and timely news from Churchill Downs, "Like Us" on facebook and "Follow Us" on Twitter!
The contenders list contains many potential Kentucky Derby horses but only a small portion of them will actually run the race. Horses can be disqualified by the race secretaries or drawn out by trainers and owners due to unsuitable racing conditions.
Contender Conditions
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The Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks equines must be proven to be a direct descendant of three stallions, Darley Arabian, Godolphin Arabian or Byerly Turk, from the General Stud Book of England, bred back in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
Thoroughbreds have a well chiseled head, long neck, high withers, a deep chest, short back, good depth in the hindquarters, a lean body and long legs. Most Thoroughbreds stand over 16 hands high and are usually brown, chestnut, black or gray.
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All horses must be 3 year old thoroughbred horses leveled at grade 1, at the top of their form with sufficient group 1 winnings in past performance to ensure the horse is fit for the race’s level.
- On course weight allocation: 126 lb (57.2 kg) for colts and geldings and 121 lb (54.9 kg) for fillies.
