Scratch leaves San Felipe with fewer Kentucky Derby points

The Grade 2, $300,000 San Felipe Stakes that will be run Saturday became the first Kentucky Derby prep ever to have its points reduced under a new rule covering small fields.

Berlin Wall, a maiden who had been entered by trainer Steve Knapp, was scratched Saturday morning, leaving only five 3-year-olds to start the 1 1/16-mile race at Santa Anita.

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“In the event a championship-series race is run with a five-horse field, only 75% of the points will be proportionally awarded,” according to the rule that was written into the Kentucky Derby qualifying rules during the summer. “In the event a championship-series race is run with a four-horse field or less, only 50% of the points will be proportionally awarded.”

The championship series takes in races worth 50 or 100 points to the winner.

If trainer Bob Baffert’s trio of Barnes, Rodríguez and Mellencamp as well as Journalism and Smooth Cruisein go to the post Saturday, the San Felipe will be worth 37 1/2 points to the winner, 18 3/4 for second, 11 1/4 for third, 7 1/2 for fourth and 3 3/4 for finishing last.

In the first 12 years of the Derby points system, no horse with at least 46 points has been denied entry into the run for the roses. Fifty-point races are virtual win-and-you’re-ins. Journalism and Rodríguez already have 10 points each, so a win Saturday for either colt should be enough to get to Churchill Downs.

Since morning-line favorite Barnes and Smooth Cruisein do not have any points, and since Mellencamp has only one, they would not be assured of a Kentucky Derby berth if they were to win.

The new rule also covers Kentucky Oaks (G1) qualifiers. As such, the first race affected was the Rachel Alexandra (G2), which had only four starters Feb. 15 at Fair Grounds. Good Cheer got only 25 points for the win instead of the 50 that the race originally was worth.