Kentucky Derby leaderboard: Final point totals for fluid field
The field might be fluid, but the leaderboard is set for Kentucky Derby 2025 after Tuesday's Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes. The Lexington (G3) offers additional Derby points but not enough to put any of the entrants in the run for the roses.
Burhnam Square's win in the race at Keeneland put him at the top of the standings with 130 points. East Avenue earned his way to the Churchill Downs starting gate with his second-place finish, which put him at no. 13 on the leaderboard.
Admire Daytona, winner of the UAE Derby (G2), and Luxor Cafe, tops on the Japan road to the Derby, have accepted their invitations to the Derby. Stay tuned on UAW Derby runner-up Heart of Honor.
Another uncertainty is Blue Grass runner-up East Avenue. Trainer Brendan Walsh said he liked what he saw but that Derby plans had not been decided.
If the current top 20 were to start, Brad Cox would have three starters as he seeks his second Kentucky Derby victory and first where his horse would cross the finish line ahead of the others. He won with Mandaloun in 2021 after Medina Spirit was disqualified.
This would be the second Kentucky Derby for Burham Square trainer Ian Wilkes, who finished eighth in 2017 with McCracken. Lonnie Briley and Ethan West would have their first runners in the race with Coal Battle and Chunk of Gold, respectively.
Todd Pletcher, whose 65 Derby starters are the most of any trainer, gets in with River Thames after his third-place finish in the Blue Grass. D. Wayne Lukas, second on the list of most Derby runners, is in with American Promise. Third on that list is Bob Baffert, who has Rodriguez and Citizen Bull in the top 20 on the leaderboard.
If there are defections, the top three horses in would be Flying Mohawk, trained by Whit Beckman, followed by Pletcher's Grande and Baffert's Madaket Road.
| Horse | Points | Trainer | Sire | Earnings* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Burhnam Square | 130 | Ian Wilkes | Liam's Map | $927,425 |
| 2. Sandman | 129 | Mark Casse | Tapit | $1,117,995 |
| 3. Journalism | 122.5 | Michael McCarthy | Curlin | $600,000 |
| 4. Rodriguez | 121.25 | Bob Baffert | Authentic | $476,000 |
| 5. Tiztastic | 119 | Steve Asmussen | Tiz the Law | $1,395,800 |
| 6. Tappan Street | 110 | Brad Cox | Into Mischief | $619,400 |
| 7. Sovereignty | 110 | Bill Mott | Into Mischief | $548,800 |
| 8. Final Gambit | 100 | Brad Cox | Not This Time | $446,400 |
| 9. Coal Battle | 95 | Lonnie Briley | Coal Front | $1,169,500 |
| 10. Chunk of Gold | 75 | Ethan West | Preservationist | $324,400 |
| 11. Citizen Bull | 71.25 | Bob Baffert | Into Mischief | $1,436,000 |
| 12. Owen Almighty | 65 | Brian Lynch | Speightstown | $430,935 |
| 13. East Avenue | 60 | Brendan Walsh | Medaglia d'Oro | $612,500 |
| 14. Publisher | 60 | Steve Asmussen | American Pharoah | $355,000 |
| 15. American Promise | 55 | D. Wayne Lukas | Justify | $335,000 |
| 16. River Thames | 50 | Todd Pletcher | Maclean's Music | $176,700 |
| 17. Flood Zone | 50 | Brad Cox | Frosted | $174,993 |
| 18. Luxor Cafe | Japan RTKD | Noriyuki Hori | American Pharoah | $323,003 |
| 19. Admire Daytona | Euro-Mideast RTKD | Yukihiro Kato | Drefong | $599,044 |
| 20. Heart of Honor | Euro-Mideast RTKD | Jamie Osbourne | Honor A. P. | $281,558 |
| 21. Flying Mohawk | 50 | Whit Beckman | Karakontie | $156,800 |
| 22. Grande | 50 | Todd Pletcher | Curlin | $140,000 |
| 23. Madaket Road | 46 | Bob Baffert | Quality Road | $290,000 |
| 24. Built | 45 | Wayne Catalano | Hard Spun | $180,000 |
| 25. Neoequos | 40 | Saffie Joseph Jr. | Neolitic | $153,250 |
| 26. Render Judgment | 39 | Kenny McPeek | Blame | $163,172 |
| 27. Baeza | 37.5 | John Shirreffs | $100,000 | |
| 28. Chancer McPatrick | 35 | Chad Brown | McKinzie | $565,625 |
| 29. Poster | 31 | Eoin Harty | Munnings | $194,700 |
| 30. Passion Rules | 25 | Brad Cox | $75,000 | |
| 31. California Burrito | 20 | Tom Drury | Army Mule | $102,850 |
| 32. Admiral Dennis | 17 | Brad Cox | Constitution | $96,188 |
| *Non-restricted stakes earnings | ||||