Sam F. Davis Joins 'Road to Kentucky Derby'

Tampa Bay Downs gained a second stop on the "Road to Kentucky Derby" with Churchill Downs' decision to replace the Grey Stakes (Can-III) at Woodbine with the Sam F. Davis Stakes (gr. III).

The 1 1/16-mile Sam F. Davis, a key prep for the Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II), produced 12 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) starters since 2006, including Bluegrass Cat  , who finished second in the 2006 Derby and Musket Man, who was third in 2009 Derby. Last year, Destin won both the Sam F. Davis and the Tampa Bay Derby on his way to a sixth-place finish in the Derby.

By comparison, the Grey, a 1 1/16-mile juvenile race over Woodbine's Tapeta surface in early October, has lured six or less starters in three of its last four runnings.

Since 2013, Churchill Downs has used a sliding scale of points awarded to the top four finishers in 35 selected races that make up the "Road to the Kentucky Derby." Points accumulated in these races determine the order of preference for the 20-horse Kentucky Derby field, which will be run for the 143rd time on May 6, 2017.

 

As has been the case for the past three years, the "Road to the Kentucky Derby's" prep season will commence Sept. 17 with Churchill Downs' $150,000 Iroquois (gr. III) at 1 1/16 miles. Points awarded during the prep season are worth 10-4-2-1, respectively, except for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I), which is worth 20-8-4-2.

The 16 significant events that comprise the "Kentucky Derby Championship Series" during the 10-week run-up to the first Saturday in May remain unchanged from a year ago.

 

One change this year is the availability of a starting spot to Japan-based runner. A separate series called the "Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby" features two one-mile dirt stakes races at Tokyo Racecourse: the Cattleya Sho for 2-year-olds Nov. 26 and the Hyacinth for 3-year-olds to be run in early 2017. The horse that accrues the most points in the "Japan Road to the Kentucky" will have first preference to compete in the Kentucky Derby. Points awarded to the top four finishing positions in the Cattleya Sho will be 40-16-8-4, respectively, while the Hyacinth will carry a point value of 50-20-10-5. The points were structured to avoid an automatic qualifier for the winner of one particular race over the other.

If the Japan qualifier accepts the Kentucky Derby invitation, then the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" qualifiers will be vying for 19 starting spots. If the Japan qualifier doesn't ship, then all 20 spots are open.

Elsewhere, a similar series remains in place to qualify for the Kentucky Derby's sister race, the $1 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) for 3-year-old fillies May 5, 2017. The lone change to the 30-race "Road to the Kentucky Oaks" series is the removal of Woodbine's Mazarine (Can-III) for 2-year-old fillies.