How are the horses selected for the Kentucky Derby?

Question

How are the horses selected for the Kentucky Derby?

Answer 1

By how good they run their races. And also by like what place they get in their races.

-mel

Answer 2

They leg wrestle for it...

Answer 3

There is a maximum of 20 three-year-olds allowed in the field. The runners are selected through the amount of graded earnings they have won at the ages of two and three; money won in the top races for those ages that are held throughout North America and the world.

The owners must also nominate the horse for the race - there are entry fees involved - along with qualifying for the race.

Answer 4

Who has the cutest names??

Answer 5

Very confusing, but it boils down to those who have more graded stakes earnings, with minimums as decided by the racing secretary at Churchill Downs.

All those twenty horses that ran today had to have minimum earnings of two hundred thousand dollars, plus the owner has to pay a subscription fee of twenty five thousand dollars.  This seems a bit absurd since the tracks make a terrific profit from all their venues on this one big racing day.