The 2027 Kentucky Derby Trail Opens With the Iroquois

The 2026 Iroquois Stakes has opened the points chase toward the 2027 Kentucky Derby, the first entry on a scoreboard that will run for months to come. Point standings built through prep races like this one are how the sport determines, well in advance of the first Saturday in May, which horses have earned a start in the Derby field. It is early in that count, but for the connections involved, the ledger has already begun.

With reporting from America's Best Racing.