The shakeups at the top of the Kentucky Derby 2023 leaderboard picked up steam Sunday with Angel of Empire's win in the Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds.
The race was the first of seven that award 100 points to the top five finishers on a 50-20-15-10-5 basis, virtually guaranteeing the winner as eligible for the Kentucky Derby on May 6. The trail also has eight races that grant 100 points to the winner and 200 overall.
Angel of Empire was one of three Risen Star entries by Brad Cox, and he had the longest odds of the trio at 13-1. The win was his third in five starts. He also picked up 4 Derby points with a second-place finish in the Smarty Jones.
The second- and third-place finishers in the Risen Star, Sun Thunder and Two Phil's, also moved into the top 10 on the leaderboard. Forte, who had been on top in the standings since winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, was bumped to No. 2
The next stop on the Derby trail is the Rebel (G2) on Saturday at Oaklawn, followed by the Gotham (G2, Aqueduct), San Felipe (G2, Santa Anita) and Fountain of Youth (G2, Gulfstream) on March 4. All offer 50 points to eligible winners.
Horses trained by Bob Baffert are not eligible to earn Derby points because of his suspension by Churchill Downs Inc. His horses must be transferred to an eligible trainer by Feb. 28 to be able to earn points. Baffert lost his effort to have that suspension overturned in a Friday federal court ruling.
Here is the updated Kentucky Derby 2023 leaderboard.
| Rank | Horse | Points | Trainer | Earnings * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angel of Empire | 54 | Brad Cox | $287,000 |
| 2 | Forte | 40 | Todd Pletcher | $1,545,650 |
| 3 | Instant Coffee | 32 | Brad Cox | $385,065 |
| 4 | Sun Thunder | 24 | Kenny McPeek | $115,250 |
| 5 | Two Phil's | 23 | Larry Rivelli | $235,850 |
| 6 | Rocket Can | 20 | Bill Mott | $150,350 |
| 7 | Hit Show | 20 | Brad Cox | $137,500 |
| 8 | Litigate | 20 | Todd Pletcher | $120,000 |
| 9 | Curly Jack | 17 | Tom Amoss | $348,120 |
| 10 | Blazing Sevens | 16 | Chad Brown | $411,000 |
| 11 | Arctic Arrogance | 16 | Linda Rice | $130,000 |
| 12 | Jace's Road | 15 | Brad Cox | $100,350 |
| 13 | Red Route One | 13 | Steve Asmussen | $219,375 |
| 14 | Victory Formation | 10 | Brad Cox | $152,750 |
| 15 | Dubyhnell | 10 | Danny Gargan | $137,500 |
| 16 | Practical Move | 10 | Tim Yakteen | $132,000 |
| 17 | Lugan Knight | 10 | Michael McCarthy | $82,500 |
| x-Chase the Chaos | 10 | Ed Moger Jr. | $81,000 | |
| 18 | Tapit's Conquest | 10 | Brad Cox | $16,000 |
| 19 | General Banker | 9 | James Ferraro | $48,000 |
| 20 | Shadow Dragon | 8 | Bill Mott | $48,500 |
| 21 | Denington | 8 | Kenny McPeek | $43,110 |
| x-Groveland | 8 | Eoin Harty | $40,000 | |
| 22 | Hayes Strike | 7 | Kenny McPeek | $95,750 |
| 23 | Andiamo a Firenze | 7 | Kelly Breen | $72,000 |
| 24 | Confidence Game | 7 | Keith Desormeaux | $28,730 |
| 25 | Frosted Departure | 6 | Kenny McPeek | $207,112 |
| 26 | West Coast Cowboy | 6 | Saffie Joseph Jr. | $24,250 |
| 27 | Classic Car Wash | 6 | Mark Casse | $20,000 |
| 28 | Single Ruler | 5 | Keith Desormeaux | $8,000 |
| 29 | Verifying | 4 | Brad Cox | $140,000 |
| 30 | Loggins | 4 | Brad Cox | $106,500 |
| 31 | Honed | 4 | Kenny McPeek | $65,700 |
| 32 | Legacy Isle | 4 | Rohan Crichton | $40,325 |
| 33 | Raise Cain | 4 | Ben Colebrook | $39,750 |
| 34 | Classic Legacy | 4 | Bill Mott | $10,000 |
| 35 | Gulfport | 3 | Steve Asmussen | $267,070 |
| 36 | Tuskegee Airmen | 3 | John Servis | $90,000 |
| x-Echo Again | 3 | Steve Asmussen | $46,625 | |
| 37 | Determinedly | 3 | Mark Casse | $20,500 |
| x-Harcyn | 3 | Steve Sherman | $12,000 | |
| x-Packs a Wahlop | 2 | Jeff Mullins | $196,000 | |
| x-Zydeceaux | 2 | Ramon Minguet | $111,000 | |
| x-Passarando | 2 | Steven Specht | $64,450 | |
| x-Prove Right | 2 | James Chapman | $37,375 | |
| 38 | Western Ghent | 2 | D. Wayne Lukas | $35,110 |
| x-Gunflash | 2 | Karl Broberg | $24,000 | |
| x-Quick to Accuse | 2 | Horacio De Paz | $15,000 | |
| 39 | Il Miracolo | 2 | Antonio Sano | $12,535 |
| 40 | Tall Boy | 2 | Leandro Mora | $12,000 |
| 41 | Neural Network | 2 | Chad Brown | $9,000 |
| x-Bromley | 2 | Paulo Lobo | $4,000 | |
| x-Andthewinnneris | 1 | Wayne Catalano | $248,363 | |
| x-Campfire Creed | 1 | Danny Pish | $77,000 | |
| x-How Did He Do That | 1 | Steve Asmussen | $50,400 | |
| x-Midnight Trouble | 1 | Peter Walder | $35,000 | |
| x-Man Child | 1 | Ryan Hanson | $30,000 | |
| 42 | Champions Dream | 1 | Danny Gargan | $20,000 |
| * Non-restricted stakes | ||||
| x-Not an early Triple Crown nominee |
