Kentucky Derby 2015: Post Time, Race Schedule and Latest Prize Money Info
One of the most celebrated staples of the horse racing calendar is almost upon us, and Saturday will see Churchill Downs open its doors to some of the world's racing elite for the 2015 Kentucky Derby.
Horses from all over have worked to edge their place in this year's "Run of the Roses," with 20 of the finest contenders poised to duel for top spot in the first leg of the Triple Crown.
"The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Horse Racing" isn't all that Louisville has to offer on Saturday, though, with a full schedule of the day's events detailed ahead.
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Derby Information
Date: Saturday, May 2
Post Time: Approx. 6:24 p.m. ET/11:24 p.m. BST
| 1st | $1.24 million |
| 2nd | $400,000 |
| 3rd | $200,000 |
| 4th | $100,000 |
| 5th | $60,000 |
| Allowance Optional Claiming (1 1/16 miles, 3-yo and Older) | 10:30 a.m. |
| Allowance Optional Claiming (7 furlongs) | 11:01 a.m. |
| Maiden Special Weight (1 mile, 3-yo and Older) | 11:31 a.m. |
| Allowance Optional Claiming (1 mile) | 12:04 p.m. |
| Pat Day Mile Stakes | 12:38 p.m. |
| American Turf Stakes | 1:19 p.m. |
| Humada Distaff Stakes | 2:08 p.m. |
| Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes | 2:59 p.m. |
| Churchill Downs Stakes | 3:46 p.m. |
| Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes | 4:44 p.m. |
| Kentucky Derby | 6:24 p.m. |
| Allowance Optional Claiming (1 1/16 miles, 3-yo) | 7:20 p.m. |
| Maiden Special Weight (7 furlongs, 3-yo and Older) | 7:50 p.m. |
Saturday's Must-Watch Races
Churchill Downs Stakes
While the prize pot on offer may be less than half that of the main event, the Churchill Downs Stakes is another highly anticipated clash worth marking down on Saturday.
Far from the field of 20 ready to do battle in the Kentucky Derby, the Churchill Downs Stakes is a far more intense competition between just six over a shortened distance of seven furlongs.
Heading into the competition, four-year-old Bayern is preparing to make his 2015. Named after German football team Bayern Munich, who won their native Bundesliga just last month, this could be the colt's day.
As pointed out by Daily Racing Form, Bayern also comes into 2015 having won last year's Breeders Cup Classic, an achievement that gives him a touch of pedigree, to say the least.
Trained by Bob Baffert, conditioner of the Kentucky Derby favourite American Pharoah, Bayern also has the benefit of a very talented team behind him and has taken victory at this distance in the past.
An early lead at the rail could see Bayern blitz the rest of the field, but six-year-old Private Zone will be another to watch out for at the Churchill Downs Stakes.
Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes
Another contest offering its first-place winner a $500,000 prize pot, the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes is one of only three Grade I meets on Saturday, the Derby itself and the Humana Distaff Stakes being the others.
There's a lot of pressure on this race to entertain, too, serving as the prelude to Saturday's main attraction, with the Kentucky Derby's official Twitter account hyping Stephanie's Kitten as one to watch out for:
She comes into the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic as joint-favourite alongside Finnegans Wake, whose jockey, Victor Espinoza, will ride American Pharoah just over an hour after this race.
Stephanie's Kitten may be among the heavy hitters on paper, but as HRTV attests, the mare has something of a fight against adversity on her hands, outnumbered by the opposite sex:
It will be of some intrigue to see if having a mare among the ranks will have any adverse effects on Stephanie's Kitten or vice versa, but jockey John R. Velazquez will be confident in his ride.
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