Churchill Downs will permit four also-eligible entrants to the Grade 1, $2
million Kentucky Derby, and the Grade 1, $1 million guaranteed Kentucky
Oaks, beginning with the respective 138th runnings of those races in 2012.
For the first time in the recent history of those races, the new system allows as
many as four horses to remain eligible to compete in each race beyond the
official time of entry and one or more of the “also eligible” horses could be
allowed to run in their respective race if members of the original fields for
their races scratch from the race within a specified period of time. A maximum
of 20 horses is allowed to compete in the Kentucky Derby, the 1 1/4-mile race
for three-year-old Thoroughbreds conducted each year on the first Saturday in
May, while the Kentucky Oaks, the Derby’s 1 1/8-mile counterpart for fillies run
on the eve of the Derby, is limited to 14 starters.
Entries for the Kentucky Derby are due the Wednesday before the race, while
Oaks entries are taken on the Tuesday before its annual Friday
renewal. Also-eligible horses would be permitted to compete in the Kentucky
Derby or the Kentucky Oaks if there are scratches from either race prior to
their shared official “scratch time” of 9 a.m. (EDT) on Friday, Kentucky Oaks
Day. That time is the opening of wagering on the Kentucky Oaks Day racing
program and the beginning of preliminary betting on the Kentucky Derby.
In the event of a scratch or scratches from either race, preference among
also-eligible entrants would be determined under the current eligibility system
for the Derby and Oaks. Horses with the highest total earnings in graded stakes
races would draw-in to the field for their respective race. If the total
entrants for either of those races should exceed the maximum field size plus
four, the four horses listed as also-eligible entrants would be determined by
the same system.
“There has been significant discussion in recent years regarding
also-eligible entrants for the Kentucky Derby and Oaks, especially in light of
the late scratches of Derby favorites I Want Revenge in 2009 and Uncle Mo from
this year’s running,” said Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs
Racetrack. “Our concerns have always focused on preliminary wagering on the
Kentucky Derby permitted during our Kentucky Oaks Day racing program, including
refunds of wagers on scratched Derby horses and potential confusion during those
two special days among our massive crowds of bettors.
“Also-eligible horses for Oaks will have nearly three days of opportunity to
get into their race, while the Derby’s window for also-eligible entrants to
participate is just under 48 hours. We feel strongly that the deadline for
also-eligible horses to join the Derby field must be set before preliminary
wagering on the race begins. Despite the more limited window for also-eligible
horses for the Derby, this system provides owners and trainers an opportunity to
keep their Derby dreams alive that has never existed before.”
Equibase past performances for also-eligible horses for the Kentucky Derby
and Oaks will appear in racing programs along with the original fields for the
two races. As many as four also-eligible horses outside of the Kentucky Derby’s
20-horse field would be listed, in order of preference, with program numbers 21,
22, 23 and 24. Kentucky Oaks also-eligible fillies would be numbered between 15
and 18, also in order of preference.
In the event of a scratch from either the Kentucky Derby or Kentucky Oaks
fields, horses in post positions outside of the scratched horses would move in a
spot and the also-eligible horse would then occupy the outermost position in the
starting gate. Also-eligible entrants are not required to compete in either race
in the event of a scratch.
The decision to permit also-eligible entrants to the Kentucky Derby will
allow that possibility for the first time since a two-year period in the early
1980s. Churchill Downs adjusted its Kentucky Derby rules in 1982 to allow up to
eight also-eligible entrants, but reversed that policy following the 1983 “Run
for the Roses.” Twenty horse fields were entered in the Derby in each of those
years, so the also-eligible rule never came into play.
The historic track first imposed its 20-horse Derby field limit in 1975 after
a record 23 Thoroughbreds competed in 1974’s Centennial Derby won by Cannonade.
The field was limited to the 20 three-year-olds with the highest career
earnings, but following a 1981 legal challenge that enabled 21 horses to run in
the Derby won by Pleasant Colony, Churchill Downs established its current policy
to restrict the field to the 20 horses with the highest career earnings in
graded, non-restricted stakes.