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Kentucky Derby 2027: Points Leaderboard, Prep Race Schedule, Contenders and Future Wager Odds for May 1, 2027
Saturday, May 1, 2027 · Churchill Downs
The 153rd Kentucky Derby is Saturday, May 1, 2027, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, 179 days from today. Up to 20 horses start, and the field comes from the points leaderboard of the Road to the Kentucky Derby prep races. The Kentucky Oaks, for 3-year-old fillies, is the day before, Friday, April 30, 2027. Six of the 36 North American points races have been run; the next is the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs on November 28, 2026.
Kentucky Derby points leaderboard
Hughes leads with 40 points, from American Pharoah 1st; Breeders' Cup Juvenile 1st.
| # | Horse | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hughes | 40 |
| 2 | American History | 25 |
| 3 | Salahudin | 19 |
| 4 | Coach Pope | 11 |
| 5 | U. S. S. Valor | 10 |
| 5 | Jas | 10 |
| 7 | He Is No Lie | 5 |
| 7 | Gaudreau | 5 |
| 7 | Net Par | 5 |
| 7 | Staunch | 5 |
The full leaderboard, race by race →
Points are counted by Turf Archive from the official charts, using Churchill Downs' published points for each race. Churchill Downs' official Kentucky Derby leaderboard decides who gets in; it breaks ties on earnings in non-restricted stakes, which the charts here do not carry, so tied horses here are ordered by wins in points races. Races outside North America have their own series and are not counted.
Next prep races
| Date | Race | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 28 | Kentucky Jockey Club | 10-5-3-2-1 |
| Dec 5 | Remsen | 10-5-3-2-1 |
| Dec 12 | Los Alamitos Futurity | 10-5-3-2-1 |
| Dec 19 | Gun Runner | 10-5-3-2-1 |
| Dec 19 | Remington Springboard Mile | 10-5-3-2-1 |
| Jan 2 | Smarty Jones | 10-5-3-2-1 |
Latest prep results
| Date | Race | Points | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 30 | Breeders' Cup Juvenile | 30-15-9-6-3 | Hughes |
| Oct 25 | Street Sense | 10-5-3-2-1 | Jas |
| Oct 3 | American Pharoah | 10-5-3-2-1 | Hughes |
| Oct 3 | Breeders' Futurity | 10-5-3-2-1 | American History |
| Oct 3 | Champagne | 10-5-3-2-1 | U. S. S. Valor |
| Sep 12 | Iroquois | 10-5-3-2-1 | Salahudin |
Early odds: the Future Wager
Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager closed on October 30, 2026. U. S. S. Valor was the shortest-priced named horse at 6-1, and the field of all others closed at 1-1.
- U. S. S. Valor · 6-1
- Hughes · 8-1
- Salahudin · 16-1
- American History · 23-1
- Nevada · 26-1
- Conviction · 27-1
Pool 2 opens November 26, 2026 and closes November 29, 2026.
How a horse gets into the Kentucky Derby
The top five finishers in each Road to the Kentucky Derby race earn points, on a scale that rises through the season: 10 points to the winner of the early races, up to 100 for the winners of the final preps in March and April. Churchill Downs fills the 20-horse starting gate from the highest-ranked eligible horses on its leaderboard. The European, Middle Eastern and Japanese races on Churchill Downs' schedule count toward their own series.
| Points (1st-5th) | Races |
|---|---|
| 10-5-3-2-1 | Iroquois, American Pharoah, Breeders' Futurity, Champagne, Street Sense, Kentucky Jockey Club, Remsen, Los Alamitos Futurity, Gun Runner, Remington Springboard Mile, Smarty Jones, Leonatus |
| 20-10-6-4-2 | Lecomte, Withers, Holy Bull, Robert B. Lewis, Sam F. Davis, Southwest, John Battaglia Memorial, Sunland Park Derby, Lexington |
| 30-15-9-6-3 | Breeders' Cup Juvenile |
| 50-25-15-10-5 | Risen Star, Gotham, Fountain of Youth, San Felipe, Tampa Bay Derby, Rebel, Virginia Derby |
| 100-50-25-15-10 | Jeff Ruby Steaks, Louisiana Derby, Florida Derby, Blue Grass, Santa Anita Derby, Wood Memorial, Arkansas Derby |
Kentucky Oaks leaderboard
Emphatic leads the Road to the Kentucky Oaks with 40 points.
| # | Filly | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emphatic | 40 |
| 2 | Manuka Honey | 19 |
| 3 | Miss Monica | 15 |
| 4 | Domain Expansion | 13 |
| 5 | Dotsy | 10 |
The Kentucky Oaks hub: leaderboard, prep races and contenders →
The Triple Crown and the new championship series
The Derby opens two schedules in 2027. The Triple Crown continues with the Preakness, which The Maryland Jockey Club has moved to Sunday, May 23, at Pimlico, and the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on June 5. The new Thoroughbred Championship Series, from Churchill Downs Inc. and NYRA, takes the Derby and the Belmont into six races that end at Churchill on September 25; the Preakness is not one of them.
Every 2027 date, the series rules published so far, and last year's winners →
Last year
Golden Tempo won the 2026 Kentucky Derby for trainer Cherie DeVaux and jockey Jose Ortiz, paying $48.24 for $2 in a field of 18. Renegade was second and Ocelli third.
Always a Runner won the 2026 Kentucky Oaks for trainer Chad Brown and jockey Jose Ortiz, paying $13.04 for $2 in a field of 13. Meaning was second and Counting Stars third.
What's next
The leaderboard, schedule and contenders update within minutes of each prep race's official result. The next points race is the Kentucky Jockey Club on November 28, 2026.