Ultimate Road to the 2021-2022 Kentucky Derby Racing Guide
Apr 27, 2022
Road to the Kentucky Derby
Ultimate Racing Guide for North American Kentucky Derby Prep Races
Finding a horse to follow on the Road to the Kentucky Derby could be overwhelming for some. With typically over 21,000 Thoroughbreds hoping to earn their way into the top 20 contenders for starting in the first Saturday in May, we have compiled all the information you could want for learning about who to cheer on! Expert picks, analysis, insider news and more can be found listed below. Bookmark this helpful page to find regular updates and added information over time.
2022 KENTUCKY DERBY POST POSITIONS
| Post Position | Horse | Jockey | ML Odds |
| 1 | Mo Donegal | Irad Ortiz, Jr | 10-1 |
| 2 | Happy Jack | Rafael Bejarano | 30-1 |
| 3 | Epicenter | Joel Rosario | 7-2 |
| 4 | Summer is Tomorrow | Mikael Barzalona | 30-1 |
| 5 | Smile Happy | Corey Lanerie | 20-1 |
| 6 | Messier | John Velazquez | 8-1 |
| 7 | Crown Pride | Christophe Limarie | 20-1 |
| 8 | Charge It | Manny Saez | 20-1 |
| 9 | Tiz the Bomb | Brian Hernandez, Jr. | 30-1 |
| 10 | Zandon | Flavien Prat | 3-1 |
| 11 | Pioneer of Medina | Joe Bravo | 30-1 |
| 12 | Taiba | Mike Smith | 12-1 |
| 13 | Simplification | Jose Ortiz | 20-1 |
| 14 | Barber Road | Reyliu Gutierrez | 30-1 |
| 15 | White Abarrio | Tyler Gaffalione | 10-1 |
| 16 | Cyberknife | Florent Geroux | 20-1 |
| 17 | Classic Causeway | Julien Leparoux | 30-1 |
| 18 | Tawny Port | Ricardo Santana | 30-1 |
| 19 | Zozos | Manny Franco | 20-1 |
| 21 | Rich Strike | Sonny Leaone | 30-1 |
Everything you need to know about the 2022 Kentucky Derby post positions
KENTUCKY DERBY PREP SEASON (2021-2022)
KENTUCKY DERBY CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON (2020-2021)
Full schedule for the 2021-2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby
KENTUCKY DERBY STATS AND NUMBERS
Road to the Kentucky Derby Top 20 Point Earners
| Rank | Horse | Points | Owner(s) | Trainer | Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings |
| 1 | Epicenter | 164 | Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (Joan & Ron Winchell) | Steve Asmussen | $940,000 |
| 2 | Zandon | 114 | Jeff Drown | Chad Brown | $663,500 |
| 3 | White Abarrio | 112 | C2 Racing Stable LLC (Clint Cornett) & La Milagrosa Stable LLC (Antonio Pagnano) | Saffie Joseph Jr. | $769,650 |
| 4 | Mo Donegal | 112 | Donegal Racing (Jerry Crawford et al) | Todd Pletcher | $561,500 |
| 5 | Tiz the Bomb | 110 | Magdalena Racing (Sherri McPeek et al) | Kenny McPeek | $1,012,610 |
| 6 | Cyberknife | 100 | Gold Square LLC (Abraham “Al” Gold) | Brad Cox | $752,000 |
| 7 | Crown Pride (JPN) | 100 | Teruya Yoshida | Koichi Shintani | $671,544 |
| 8 | Taiba | 100 | Zedan Racing Stables Inc. (Amr Zedan) | Tim Yakteen | $450,000 |
| 9 | Simplification | 74 | Tami Bobo | Antonio Sano | $482,150 |
| 10 | Smile Happy | 70 | Lucky Seven Stable (Michael J. Mackin) | Kenny McPeek | $499,410 |
| 11 | Classic Causeway | 66 | Kentucky West Racing LLC (Patrick O’Keefe) & Clarke M. Cooper | Brian Lynch | $466,100 |
| 12 | Tawny Port | 60 | Peachtree Stable (John Fort) | Brad Cox | $351,400 |
| 13 | Barber Road | 58 | WSS Racing LLC (William Simon) | John Ortiz | $589,700 |
| 14 | Un Ojo | 54 | Cypress Creek Equine (Kevin Moody) & Whispering Oaks Farm LLC (Carrol Castille) | Ricky Courville | $661,250 |
| 15 | Messier | 40 | SF Racing LLC (Gavin Murphy), Starlight Racing (Jack Wolf), et al. | Tim Yakteen | $390,000 |
| 16 | Zozos | 40 | Barray & Joni Butzow | Brad Cox | $200,000 Career: $291,200 |
| 17 | Summer Is Tomorrow | 40 | Michael Hilary Burke & Negar Burke | Bhupat Seemar | $200,000 Career: $267,606 |
| 18 | Charge It | 40 | Whisper Hill Farm (Amanda Pope) | Todd Pletcher | $188,000 |
| 19 | Happy Jack | 30 | Calumet Farm (Brad Kelley) | Doug O’Neill | $142,000 |
| 20 | Pioneer of Medina | 25 | Sumaya U. S. Stables (Oussama Aboughazale) | Todd Pletcher | $116,000 |
Last updated May 1, 2022
Full listing of Kentucky Derby point standing updates PDF library
Kentucky Derby prep winners by speed rating
Ordered by highest earned speed rating of prep races won
Ordered by highest earned speed rating of prep races won
| Rank | Winner | Speed Rating | Class Rating |
| 1 | Mo Donegal | 111 | 122.6 |
| 2 | Taiba | 110 | 120.5 |
| 3 | Messier | 104 | 122.3 |
| 4 | Zandon | 103 | 121.4 |
| 5 | Corniche | 102 | 121.3 |
| 6 | Forbidden Kingdom | 102 | 120.7 |
| 7 | Slow Down Andy | 101 | 119.9 |
| 8 | Epicenter | 101 | 120.8 |
| 9 | Tiz the Bomb | 101 | 120 |
| 10 | Classic Causeway | 99 | 120.7 |
| 11 | Morello | 99 | 122.2 |
| 12 | Smile Happy | 98 | 120 |
| 13 | Newgrange | 98 | 119.9 |
| 14 | Jack Christopher | 97 | 121.9 |
| 15 | White Abarrio | 97 | 121 |
| 16 | Rattle N Roll | 95 | 120.3 |
| 17 | Simplification | 95 | 121.1 |
| 18 | Call Me Midnight | 94 | 119.1 |
| 19 | Cyberknife | 94 | 120.9 |
| 20 | Un Ojo | 92 | 118.6 |
Last updated April 27, 2022
KENTUCKY DERBY ANALYSIS AND EXPERT OPINION
Road to the Kentucky Derby Reports by James Scully
Return here to find regular installments of the Kentucky Derby Reports
Kentucky Derby Future Wager
- Louisiana Derby Winner Epicenter Made 5-1 Favorite in Final Pool of Kentucky Derby Future Wager
- San Felipe Winner Forbidden Kingdom Made 5-1 Overall Favorite in Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 4
- Smile Happy, White Abarrio Made Co-Individual Favorites at 8-1 in Pool 3 of Kentucky Derby Future Wager; 'All Other 3-Year-Olds' Tabbed at 5-2
- 'All Other 3-Year-Olds' 9-5 Favorite, Smile Happy 8-1 in Pool 2 of Kentucky Derby Future Wager
- Pari-Mutuel Field 7-5 Morning Line Favorite in Pool 2 of Kentucky Derby Future Wager; Smile Happy 8-1 Second Choice
- 'All Others' 3-5 Favorite, Smile Happy 8-1 Thanks to 'Mattress Mack' at Conclusion of Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 1
- First Kentucky Derby Future Wager of Year Opens Thursday; 'All Others' Even-Money Favorite, Jack Christopher 10-1 Second Choice
KENTUCKY DERBY & OAKS NEWS
European and Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby Coverage
- Dark Moon Rising ascends in Cardinal Conditions on European Road
- Japan Road: Eight entered in Fukuryu finale
- European Road: Juncture outclasses the boys in Patton Stakes
- Absolute Ruler seeks European Road points in Patton Stakes
- Blue Trail gets up in Road to Kentucky Derby thriller at Kempton
- Godolphin’s Blue Trail tests Road to Kentucky Derby at Kempton
- Japan Road: Combustion fires up the fence in Hyacinth Stakes
- Japan Road leadership up for grabs in Hyacinth Stakes
- Bumper crop of Japanese-based Triple Crown nominees
- Dry Stout much the best in Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun
- Dry Stout takes on Ice Giant in Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun
- Consigliere takes charge of Cattleya Stakes on Japan Road
- Japan Road: Fifteen entered in Cattleya Stakes at Tokyo
- Luxembourg gives O’Brien record-tying 10th Vertem Futurity Trophy
- European Road: Unbeaten Luxembourg tops Vertem Futurity Trophy
- Royal Lodge goes to Royal Patronage; Luxembourg dominates Beresford
- Royal Lodge, Beresford usher in European Road to Kentucky Derby
Want to back a favorite horse running in a Kentucky Derby prep race? Each of the races found on this page are available for wagering at TwinSpires.com!
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