Road to Kentucky Derby 2023: Standings after 10 prep races
The top 10 of the Kentucky Derby leaderboard has two new names after Saturday's Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds, the year's final points prep for the Run for the Roses.
Jace's Road, trained by Brad Cox, picked up 10 points for the win. Added to the three he picked up in the Iroquois (G3) in September, he now has 13 points, putting him at fourth place in the standings.
Also moving into the top 10 is Hayes Strike, trained by Kenny McPeek. He finished third in the Gun Runner, gaining two points to go with the two he earned in the Iroquois and three in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) for a total of seven.
The other top five finishers in the Gun Runner were Raise Cain, Determinedly and Andthewinneris. They picked up four, three and one points to appear on the leaderboard for the first time.
Forte remains the leader in terms of points at 40 and in the tie-breaking, non-restricted stakes earnings at $1,545,650. The son of Violence won the Breeders' Futurity (G1) and Breeders' Cup Juvenile for trainer Todd Pletcher.
By comparison, Rich Strike got into the gate at Churchill Downs with 21 qualifying points and after several defections. That was under the old system that awarded points only to the top four eligible horses in each prep. This is the first year when the top five may earn points.
2023 kicks off with another qualifier Sunday at Oaklawn with the Smarty Jones, which offers 10-4-3-2-1 points.
Here are the points standings after Saturday's Gun Runner.
| Horse | Points | Trainer | Earnings * |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Forte | 40 | Todd Pletcher | $1,545,650 |
| 2. Curly Jack | 17 | Tom Amoss | $348,120 |
| 3. Blazing Sevens | 16 | Chad Brown | $411,000 |
| 4. Jace's Road | 13 | Brad Cox | $89,100 |
| 5. Instant Coffee | 12 | Brad Cox | $265,065 |
| 6. Dubyhnell | 10 | Danny Gargan | $137,500 |
| 7. Practical Move | 10 | Tim Yakteen | $132,000 |
| 8. Hayes Strike | 7 | Kenny McPeek | $95,750 |
| 9. Red Route One | 5 | Steve Asmussen | $78,375 |
| 10. Loggins | 4 | Brad Cox | $106,500 |
| 11. Verifying | 4 | Brad Cox | $140,000 |
| 12. Honed | 4 | Kenny McPeek | $65,700 |
| 13. Arctic Arrogance | 4 | Linda Rice | $50,000 |
| 14. Raise Cain | 4 | Ben Colebrook | $39,750 |
| 15. Gulfport | 3 | Steve Asmussen | $267,070 |
| 16. Tuskegee Airmen | 3 | John Servis | $90,000 |
| 17. Echo Again | 3 | Steve Asmussen | $46,625 |
| 18. Determinedly | 3 | Mark Casse | $20,500 |
| 19. Andiamao a Firenze | 2 | Kelly Breen | $51,000 |
| 20. Gunflash | 2 | Karl Broberg | $24,000 |
| 21. Quick to Accuse | 2 | Horacio De Paz | $15,000 |
| 22. Tall Boy | 2 | Leandro Mora | $12,000 |
| 23. Andthewinnneris | 1 | Wayne Catalano | $248,363 |
| 24. Campfire Creed | 1 | Danny Pish | $77,000 |
| 25. Midnight Trouble | 1 | Peter Walder | $35,000 |
| 26. Man Child | 1 | Ryan Hanson | $30,000 |
| 27. Champions Dream | 1 | Danny Gargan | $20,000 |
| 28. Denington | 1 | Kenny McPeek | $11,610 |
| 29. Confidence Game | 1 | Keith Desormeaux | $8,730 |
| * Non-restricted stakes |