Kentucky Derby 2025 Prep Races. The road to the 151st kentucky derby officially kicks off saturday at churchill downs with the 43rd running of the grade 3, $300,000 iroquois stakes, headlined by. New for 2025, the kentucky derby festival is adding an additional 5k (3.1 mile) race to its race weekend, which includes the ge appliances minimarathon (13.1 miles) and.

The first is the kentucky derby prep season with 20 races. There are four groupings that make up the kentucky derby prep races.