The Kentucky Derby leaderboard shows the 2027 Kentucky Derby standings, ranking every three-year-old contender by Road to the Kentucky Derby points. Horses earn points for finishing in the top five of the qualifying Kentucky Derby prep races, and the points leaders earn their place in the 20-horse field for the 153rd Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 1st, 2027 at Churchill Downs. Follow the American, European-Middle East and Japan roads below, then check the Kentucky Derby odds.
| 2027 Kentucky Derby Leaderboard at a Glance | |
|---|---|
| Race Date | Saturday, May 1st, 2027 |
| Track | Churchill Downs |
| Points Leader | Hughes (40 points) |
| European-Middle East Leader | Noble Exhibit (13 points) |
| Japan Road | First qualifier: Cattleya Stakes, November 28th, 2026 |
| Starting Gate | 20 horses, with up to three international spots |
| Standings As Of | November 10th, 2026 |
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The American Road is the main points race, and most of the 20-horse field comes from it. Horses are ranked by points, and ties are broken by earnings in non-restricted stakes. The table shows the top 20 on the board.
| # | Horse | Trainer | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hughes | Bob Baffert | 40 |
| 2 | American History | Todd A. Pletcher | 25 |
| 3 | Salahudin | Bob Baffert | 19 |
| 4 | Coach Pope | Kenneth G. McPeek | 11 |
| 5 | U.S.S. Valor | Claude R. McGaughey III | 10 |
| 6 | Jas | Steven M. Asmussen | 10 |
| 7 | He Is No Lie | Doug F. O'Neill | 5 |
| 8 | Gaudreau | Chad C. Brown | 5 |
| 9 | Net Par | Antonio C. Garcia | 5 |
| 10 | Staunch | Brendan P. Walsh | 5 |
| 11 | Q B Rocket | Brad H. Cox | 3 |
| 12 | Damavand | Todd A. Pletcher | 3 |
| 13 | Club Reign | D. Whitworth Beckman | 3 |
| 14 | Imperial Honor | Bob Baffert | 3 |
| 15 | Caribbean Life | William Walden | 3 |
| 16 | Mystik Bayou | Kenneth G. McPeek | 3 |
| 17 | Real Goodbar | Kenneth G. McPeek | 2 |
| 18 | Blessed Flyer | Michael A. Tomlinson | 2 |
| 19 | Domus | Bob Baffert | 2 |
| 20 | Title Worthy | Dallas Stewart | 2 |
Last Updated on 11/10/2026
| Position | Horse | Points | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noble Exhibit | 13 | Aidan O'Brien |
| 2 | Haffner | 10 | Aidan O'Brien |
| 3 | Amusingly | 10 | Francis-Henri Graffard |
| 4 | Giant Sequoia | 10 | Aidan O'Brien |
| 5 | Burning Up | 7 | Karl Burke |
| 6 | Folsom Blues | 5 | Joseph O'Brien |
| 7 | Gran Dia | 5 | Andrew Balding |
| 8 | City of Dubai | 5 | P. Twomey |
| 9 | Man's Best Friend | 3 | Aidan O'Brien |
| 10 | Drumbeat | 3 | Aidan O'Brien |
| 11 | Quicken Away | 3 | Andrew Balding |
| 12 | Florida Bay | 2 | Aidan O'Brien |
| 13 | Shakespeare | 2 | Aidan O'Brien |
| 14 | First Law | 2 | Charlie Appleby |
| 15 | Quest for Stars | 1 | Charlie Appleby |
| 16 | Sergei Diaghilev | 1 | Aidan O'Brien |
| 17 | Aix La Chapelle | 1 | Aidan O'Brien |
| 18 | Tommy Quick | 1 | Joseph O'Brien |
Last Updated on 11/10/2026
| Position | Horse | Points | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| No horse has earned Japan Road points yet. The series opens with the Cattleya Stakes on November 28th, 2026. | |||
Last Updated on 11/10/2026
The top five finishers in each qualifying race earn points, with the winner collecting anywhere from 10 points in the early preps to 100 in the major preps. The Road begins in September of the two-year-old season, and the biggest races come in the final weeks before the Derby. See every race on the Kentucky Derby prep races schedule.
| Kentucky Derby Qualifying Points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
| Early PrepsIroquois, Champagne, Remsen, Kentucky Jockey Club and the other early preps | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Select PrepsLecomte, Withers, Holy Bull, Southwest, Lexington and others | 20 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| 30-Point RacesBreeders' Cup Juvenile (Oct 30th, 2026), Saudi Derby (Feb 6th) and Hyacinth (Feb 21st) | 30 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 3 |
| Mid-Season PrepsRisen Star, Gotham, Fountain of Youth, San Felipe, Tampa Bay Derby, Rebel, Virginia Derby | 50 | 25 | 15 | 10 | 5 |
| Major PrepsLouisiana Derby, Jeff Ruby Steaks, Florida Derby, Blue Grass, Santa Anita Derby, Wood Memorial, Arkansas Derby | 100 | 50 | 25 | 15 | 10 |
| UAE DerbyMeydan, March 27th | 100 | 60 | 30 | 15 | 10 |
| FukuryuNakayama, Japan, March 27th | 40 | 20 | 12 | 8 | 4 |
| Kentucky Derby Prep Race | Horse | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iroquois Stakes | Salahudin | Bob Baffert | Jose L. Ortiz |
| Champagne Stakes | U.S.S. Valor | Claude R. McGaughey III | Manuel Franco |
| Breeders’ Futurity | American History | Todd A. Pletcher | John R. Velazquez |
| American Pharoah | Hughes | Bob Baffert | Juan J. Hernandez |
| Street Sense | Jas | Steven M. Asmussen | Keith J. Asmussen |
| Breeders’ Cup Juvenile | Hughes | Bob Baffert | Flavien Prat |
Last Updated on 11/10/2026
The Kentucky Derby leaderboard ranks three-year-olds by the qualifying points they earn on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Horses collect points for finishing in the top five of designated prep races, and the points leaders earn places in the starting gate.
Hughes, trained by Bob Baffert, leads the American Road with 40 points as of November 10th, 2026, after winning the American Pharoah and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. On the European-Middle East Road, Noble Exhibit leads with 13 points. The standings change after every qualifying race.
There is no fixed number. The 20-horse field is filled by the points leaders, so the cutoff depends on how many points the leading horses collect each year. More points are available in the 50-point mid-season preps and the 100-point major preps.
When horses have the same number of points, earnings in non-restricted stakes races break the tie.
The Kentucky Derby field is limited to 20 starters. For 2027, up to three spots are reserved for international runners: the European-Middle East Road can send up to two and the Japan Road one. The leading point earners on the American Road fill the remaining gate positions.
They are separate points series with their own races. The European-Middle East Road finishes with the UAE Derby at Meydan, and its leading eligible horses can receive up to two invitations. The Japan Road is a four-race series, and its leading eligible horse can receive one invitation.
The Road to the Kentucky Derby begins in September of the horses' two-year-old season. The 2027 series opened on September 12th, 2026 with the Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs and runs through April 2027.
A winner earns 10 points in the early preps, 20 in the select preps, 50 in the mid-season preps and 100 in the eight major preps. The Breeders' Cup Juvenile pays 30 points to the winner.
The leaderboard is updated after each qualifying race, so the standings change as new results come in.
The 153rd Kentucky Derby will be held on Saturday, May 1st, 2027 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The Kentucky Oaks is run the day before, on Friday, April 30th, 2027.
Every qualifying race is listed by date, track and points on the Kentucky Derby prep races page.
You can bet on the Kentucky Derby online at BUSR. Read our Kentucky Derby betting guide to learn how each bet works, and follow the early contenders on the Kentucky Derby odds page.
| Kentucky Derby Guides and Tools | |
|---|---|
| Page | What You'll Find |
| Kentucky Derby | Race facts, the road to the starting gate, early contenders and the full replay. |
| Kentucky Derby Odds | Early contenders, how odds work and how the prep season moves the market. |
| Kentucky Derby Betting | Every bet type, payouts, futures wagers and how to get started. |
| Kentucky Derby Prep Races | The full prep race schedule by date, track and points. |
| Kentucky Oaks | The Friday fillies race that opens Derby weekend. |
| Churchill Downs | The home of the Kentucky Derby in Louisville. |
| Preakness Stakes | The second leg of the Triple Crown. |
| Belmont Stakes | The final leg of the Triple Crown. |
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