![]() ![]() The field for the 2022 Kentucky Derby was considered to be one of the most competitive in recent memory, with no clear favorite in the weeks leading up to the race. The one Japanese horse who participated in the Derby, Crown Pride, did so by qualifying on the main Road. While a Derby invitation is extended to the winner of the European and the Japan Road to the Derby, none of the top finishers from either circuit were nominated for the Triple Crown, and the offers were not accepted. On April 9, the final day of major preps, Mo Donegal won the Wood Memorial, Zandon the Blue Grass, and Taiba the Santa Anita Derby. The next three major races were held on April 2, with White Abarrio, Cyberknife, and Tiz the Bomb winning the Florida Derby, Arkansas Derby, and Jeff Ruby Steaks, respectively. The major preps began on March 26, when Epicenter won the Louisiana Derby and Crown Pride, a Japanese horse who entered with 16–1 odds, won the UAE Derby. ![]() ![]() All of these races provide 100 points to their first-place finisher. The eight major prep races for Derby qualification are, in chronological order, the UAE Derby, Louisiana Derby, Florida Derby, Arkansas Derby, Jeff Ruby Steaks, Wood Memorial Stakes, Blue Grass Stakes, and Santa Anita Derby. Two of these horses, Taiba and Messier, eventually started in the Derby after earning qualifying points after the transfer. In response to this ban and Baffert's subsequent suspension, owners of several Baffert-trained Derby contenders transferred them to trainers Tim Yakteen and Rodolphe Brisset. This rule was put into place as part of a larger series of sanctions against Baffert, whose 2021 Kentucky Derby runner Medina Spirit finished first but was subsequently disqualified after testing positive for betamethasone. Additionally, no horse trained by Bob Baffert was eligible for points in any qualification race if a Baffert-trained horse were to finish in the top four of a qualifying race, no points would be awarded for that position. It featured the addition of one race from previous years: the newly created Gun Runner Stakes, which took place at Fair Grounds Race Course on December 26. In 2022, the main Road to the Kentucky Derby consisted of 36 races in North America plus one in Dubai, taking place between September 18, 2021, and April 16, 2022. The Road to the Kentucky Derby system was introduced in 2013 previously, qualification was tied to a horse's earnings in previous graded stakes races, which were affected by variables such as the presence of casinos at a particular race track. The field is limited to the top 20 horses on the 2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard these points are distributed to the top-four finishers in designated races. Participation in the Kentucky Derby is also open to European and Japanese Thoroughbreds, but foreign participation is rare. This was the smallest North American foal crop since 1966, in which 20,228 Thoroughbreds were foaled. As such, all participants in the 2022 race were foaled in 2019, and most originated from the 2019 North American crop of 20,433 foals. Participation in the Kentucky Derby is restricted to three-year-old Thoroughbreds. Main article: 2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby It was the first Kentucky Derby victory for his trainer Eric Reed, as well as the first graded stakes win in any race for his jockey Sonny Leon. Entering the race at odds of 80–1, Rich Strike's victory was the second-largest upset in Derby history. ![]() Both horses finished behind winner Rich Strike, who had only entered the race after a late scratch. The two favorites for the 2022 Kentucky Derby were Epicenter, the winner of the Louisiana Derby, and Zandon, the winner of the Blue Grass Stakes. The 20 horses that ran in the Derby qualified by earning points in the 2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby. The Derby is held annually at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May since its inception in 1875. It was the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby, a 1 + 1⁄ 4 miles (2.0 km) Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds. The 2022 Kentucky Derby (officially, the 148th Running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve ) took place on Saturday, May 7, 2022, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. ![]()
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