2020 Kentucky Derby

The 2020 Kentucky Derby will be the 146th Kentucky Derby. The race is one of the three legs of the American Triple Crown, open to three-year-old Thoroughbreds. The Kentucky Derby is regularly scheduled to be held on the first Saturday in May, but the 2020 running was rescheduled to Saturday, September 5, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. With sponsorship by Woodford Reserve, the event is officially the 2020 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve.[1] Horses qualify for the race through points in the 2020 Road to the Kentucky Derby.

146th Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
Grade I stakes race
"The Run for the Roses"
LocationChurchill Downs
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
DateSeptember 5, 2020 (2020-09-05)
Distance1 14 mi (10 furlongs; 2,012 m)
SurfaceDirt

Background

Since 1969, the American Triple Crown has been scheduled to begin with the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May, followed by the Preakness Stakes two weeks later in mid-May, and the Belmont Stakes three weeks after that in early June.[2] Major prep races for the series are normally run from three to six weeks before the Derby. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the shutdown of several race meetings starting in mid-March, which led to the postponement or outright cancellation of several of these major preps.

The shutdowns led Churchill Downs to reschedule the Kentucky Derby to the first Saturday in September, marking the first time since the 1945 edition was affected by World War II that the Kentucky Derby has taken place outside of its regular May schedule.[3][4] Pimlico followed suit by rescheduling the 2020 Preakness Stakes to the first Saturday in October. The New York Racing Association (NYRA) decided instead to hold the 2020 Belmont Stakes on June 20, three weeks after racing in New York reopened on June 3. That scheduling made the Belmont the first leg of the 2020 Triple Crown, and became the first time that the Kentucky Derby was not the first leg of the Triple Crown since the 1931 edition.[5]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both the Belmont and Churchill Downs' spring meet (May and June races) were held without spectators.[6][7] However, Churchill Downs plans to allow spectators for both the Kentucky Oaks on September 4 and the Kentucky Derby on September 5.[7]

Field

Possible entrants include:[8]

  • Tiz the Law – winner of the Belmont
  • Dr Post – second place in the Belmont
  • Max Player – third place in the Belmont
  • Honor A.P. – winner of the Santa Anita Derby
  • Authentic – second place in the Santa Anita Derby
  • King Guillermo – second place in the Arkansas Derby
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References

  1. Frank Angst (October 25, 2017). "Woodford Reserve is New Kentucky Derby Sponsor". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  2. Janack, Phil (2020). "Delayed Preakness Poised to Make History". pimlico.com. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  3. "Kentucky Derby being postponed due to coronavirus, reports say". CBS News. March 16, 2020.
  4. Hanson, Vance (March 19, 2020). "1945 – When the Kentucky Derby moved from May to June". twinspires.com. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  5. Darcy, Kieran (June 18, 2020). "What to know ahead of an unusual Belmont Stakes". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  6. Ehalt, Bob (June 19, 2020). "Despite the Differences, It's Still the Belmont Stakes". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  7. "Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, Derby Week & Spring Racing 2020 Ticket Information". kentuckyderby.com. June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  8. "Derby Full Leaderboard". kentuckyderby.com. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
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