# I Want to Race a Horse in the Kentucky Derby **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 12, 2004, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-race-a-horse-in-the-kentucky-derby/244875 "2004-05-12T23:07:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-race-a-horse-in-the-kentucky-derby/244875/1 "2004-05-12T23:07:19Z")
How does one get a hose into the KD? Is there an application? Or do you just race your horse and anticipate a call from Louisville? I ask because from what I’ve heard the 2004 KD winner, [Smarty Jones](http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2004), is apparently a rather ugly horse from a low-rent stable. (I guess that means that most KD contenders are handsome horses from high-rent stables). ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-race-a-horse-in-the-kentucky-derby/244875/2 "2004-05-12T23:23:23Z")
I’ve been wondering how to get my hose into a KD for a while myself. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-race-a-horse-in-the-kentucky-derby/244875/3 "2004-05-12T23:23:47Z")
Nearly all stakes races are open to any horse that’s willing to pay the entry fee. The fee is paid in stages. You may have to pay $200 six months or a year in advance, $2000 at another point, and a much bigger fee to actually enter the race. This money goes to the purse (thoroughbred horse race purses are always termed “added,” which means the track ponies up the money in addition to the entry fees). You can drop out at any time by not paying the fee when it is due. Since the Derby is a big race, lots of owners pay the first $200 (or whatever) just in case their horse turns out to be a contender. You can get into the race without paying the advance fees, but it costs you considerably more. In addition, the Derby is limited to 20 starters. If more than 20 try to run, the 20 top money winners get to race. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-race-a-horse-in-the-kentucky-derby/244875/4 "2004-05-12T23:40:53Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > You can drop out at any time by not paying the fee when it is due. Since the Derby is a big race, lots of owners pay the first $200 (or whatever) just in case their horse turns out to be a contender. > > You can get into the race without paying the advance fees, but it costs you considerably more. > > In addition, the Derby is limited to 20 starters. If more than 20 try to run, the 20 top money winners get to race. People who claim to know a lot about it have told me that you need to register your horse at birth and pay the advance fee then for the Kentucky Derby in order to avoid the added cost for later entry. In other words, you can’t decide when the horse is 6 mo. old to pay the advance fee. Is this true or is it just another one of those things that are said by people who claim to know a lot about things? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-race-a-horse-in-the-kentucky-derby/244875/5 "2004-05-13T00:16:29Z")
If you want to pay the $150,000 supplemental fee, you can enter your 3-year old in the Kentucky Derby almost right up to the day before the race. > **[Hobbies](https://www.liveabout.com/hobbies-4688185)** > > Whether you're looking to pick up a new skill or delve deeper into your passions, you can rely on these resources on a wide range of hobbies and activities for tips, tricks, and in-depth tutorials. ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-race-a-horse-in-the-kentucky-derby/244875/6 "2004-05-13T01:56:40Z")
Best of luck to you and your hose, by the way. I’m going to enter mine in the iditarod. Wish me luck. ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-race-a-horse-in-the-kentucky-derby/244875/7 "2004-05-13T04:49:57Z")
You want to race a horse in the Kentucky Derby? Well, okay. But you’ll lose. I’ve decided to save time by reading only thread titles. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-race-a-horse-in-the-kentucky-derby/244875/8 "2004-05-13T12:23:23Z")
Here is an explanation of the [specific rules and timing](http://www.horse-races.net/library/derby-entry.htm). Briefly, you pay a $600 nomination fee in January (this is for all three triple crown races), which goes up to $6000 until March 30. After March 30, it’s $150,000. You also pay $15,000 to enter the Derby, and and another $15,000 to start\*. If you want to go to the Preakness and Belmont, it’s $10k to enter plus $10k to start for each race. So, minimum, it would cost you $30,600 to start in the Derby and $70,600 to start all three triple crown races. Churchill Downs accepts Visa. \*For instance, two horses this year had to be scratched, so they didn’t pay the fee to start. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-race-a-horse-in-the-kentucky-derby/244875/9 "2004-05-13T15:07:21Z")
Gotta agree with **King** , my money’s on the horse. I know many of us have [argued](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=255582) [that](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=246779) humans can outrun a horse, but that’s over a much longer distance.