Instructions
Nominate the horse. Nominations must be mailed or hand delivered to the racing secretary at Churchill Downs. Nomination fees and entry fees are paid by the thoroughbred owner. A horse must be nominated to be considered for the Kentucky Derby. The nomination fee is $600 if the horse is nominated by a certain date. If nominated by a second deadline, the fee is $6,000. After the second deadline, entries are closed except for supplemental nominations, which demand a fee of $200,000. These nomination fees do not include the $25,000 entry fee and $25,000 start fee.
Determine a daily training regimen based on each individual horse's needs. Most two-year-olds have to only run a distance of six furlongs (3/4 mile). In preparation for running a, three-year-old thoroughbred must run a distance of 1 1/4 miles, and gallop a longer distance to build endurance for the Kentucky Derby.
Gallop two miles per day up until one week prior to the first prep race. Starting a week before the prep race, gallop a shorter distance than the actual distance of the prep race.
Enter one of the many prep races for the Kentucky Derby. Starting in January, there are several Grade 2 and Grade 3 races with similar distances as the Kentucky Derby. March and April offer Grade 1 races. The racing secretary for each individual racetrack will publish a condition book. The thoroughbred trainer will enter prep races based on this information. Place entry with the racing secretary, usually three days prior to each race. Information will be kept confidential until the next morning when an overnight report will list entries for each race.
Choose a Grade 1 race to enter based on the horse's proximity to the racetrack. Qualifying for the Kentucky Derby is based on earnings as well as timeliness of nomination. A Grade 1 race allows for the opportunity to win more money before qualifying. The horse will be challenged against a higher caliber of competition, which will determine it's Derby potential for the owner. The draw for the Kentucky Derby then scheduled. Horses are chosen based on their graded stakes earnings. Horses nominated by the first closing have priority. Horses nominated by the second closing have second preference. No supplemented horse can take the place of an earlier nominated horse even if it has higher graded stakes earnings.
Gallop 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile a week before the Kentucky Derby. Thoroughbreds are always worked a distance shorter than the actual race a week prior.
Have the track or preferred veterinarian pull blood on the horse during the week of the Kentucky Derby. The veterinarian will run tests to ensure the horse is at peak physical condition and ready to compete.
How to Train a Horse That Can Race in the Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby, also known as "The Run for the Roses," has been held annually in Louisville, Kentucky at Churchill Downs since 1875. The race is for three-year-old thoroughbred horses and the distance is 1 1/4 miles. The Kentucky Derby is a Grade 1 stakes race (highest ranking) and is the first leg of the triple crown. The Kentucky Derby is considered the most prestigious of the three races making up the triple crown and the world. The Preakness Stakes then the Belmont Stakes are the two races completing the triple crown. Training a horse for the derby is crucial and indispensable.