How Does the Kentucky Derby Pick What Horses Race?
Nomination The trainer nominates his horse for the derby and pays to have the horse entered into the roster if he nominates before January 20. If he waits to nominate until the end of March, the cost jumps. If he waits until right before the drby, it costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. Narrowing Down the Pack The derby can only accept 20 horses for the actual race. When the derby officials have more than 20 horses nominated, they disqualify the horses that are entered after March 31 and refund the nomination fee to those trainers. The remaining horses get preference based on previous earnings, with the top 20 money-making horses getting spots in the derby.
