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Every sport has its version of the holy cathedral. Whether it's Lambeau Field in the NFL, Notre Dame Stadium in college football, Joe Louis Arena in the NHL, Augusta National on the PGA Tour or even Estadio Azteca in Mexican Soccer League, there are grounds that are borderline sacred in every major sport.
Horse Racing is no different. There are bigger paydays to be had and more competitive races to be run, but the holiest of holy grails is winning the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday of May.
Like clockwork, all of the top three-year old thoroughbreds in the world travel to Louisville on the first Saturday of May after a grueling qualification process that assures only the strongest 20 in the world will get to race.
More money is wagered on the Kentucky Derby than on any other horse race every single year, and many online sportsbooks will report more wagering on the Derby than in every other horse race combined. It's simply that big of an event every year. If you've never bet on the Kentucky Derby before as a sports bettor, you don't know what you're missing out on.
Qualifying for the Kentucky Derby happens at several tracks across the country as horses attempt to amass enough Kentucky Derby Points to be amongst the top-20 qualifiers:
Aqueduct Racetrack
The New York Racing Association has taken a huge hit over the course of the last several years, and that has brought the Wood Memorial down to just a Grade 2 race. Even if the Big Apple hasn't produced a Kentucky Derby winner in decades, there's still something nostalgic about racing at one of the oldest and most historical tracks in the nation. Plus, that win at the Wood is worth the same 100 Derby Points as any of the other major prep races for the Run for the Roses.
Fair Grounds
Louisiana hasn't produced any serious contenders for the Kentucky Derby in quite some time, but the Fair Grounds have given us a lot of big time ponies in the past. The Louisiana Derby winner is guaranteed a place in the field at the Kentucky Derby.
Gulfstream Park
There are actually two sets of races held in the Sunshine State, but the ones at Tampa Bay Downs wrap up before the meat and potatoes of the Spring Meet at Gulfstream Park. It isn't unusual to see ponies run in the Sam F. Davis Stakes in Tampa, then transfer to Gulfstream Park for the 100-point Florida Derby.
Keeneland Park
The season in Keeneland is a little shorter than that at some of the other venues across the country, but the Bluegrass Stakes is still worth 100 Kentucky Derby Points to the winner.
Meydan Racecourse
The Kentucky Derby isn't quite as global as say, the Breeders' Cup, but the UAE Derby is still one of the major prep races at Meydan. There are two international slots given to overseas runners, and the winner of the UAE Derby is the one that always gets filled.
Oaklawn Park
The Smarty Jones Stakes, Southwest Stakes, Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby are all races that reward Kentucky Derby Points at Oaklawn Park. That said, this is the last of the major prep races before the Kentucky Derby, and it's the last thing that bettors see before the Run for the Roses.
Santa Anita Park
California is one of the hotbeds of thoroughbred racing in this country, and it shouldn't be a huge surprise that the winner of the Santa Anita Derby often comes to the Kentucky Derby as one of the huge favorites in the race.
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