HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The phrase “one shining moment” will be heard frequently this weekend, especially here in South Florida, where two schools qualified for the Final Four of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament to be held in Houston. Horsemen, both in South Florida and approximately 1,200 miles away in Arkansas, will be hoping many of their heretofore unheralded 3-year-olds – Cinderellas if you will – can have one shining moment Saturday in either the Florida Derby or Arkansas Derby in hopes of qualifying for the Kentucky Derby on May 6. With five weeks – and five 200-point qualifying races – to go until the 149th Run for the Roses, it’s starting to look as if horses will need more points than usual to crack the 20-horse Derby field. Japan’s Derma Sotogake earned a spot in the Derby by virtue of his victory in last Saturday’s UAE Derby. Fellow Japanese-bred and based Dura Erede earned 40 points for running second in the UAE Derby and his connections have expressed an interest in running should 40 points be enough to get into the Kentucky Derby field. Ironically, Continuar, third in the UAE Derby, is already in the Kentucky Derby field because he accrued the most points via the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, a series that offers a Japan-based runner a spot in the field based on points accrued in select races. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2023: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more A fourth Japan-based horse, Mandarin Hero, will try to qualify when he runs in the Grade 1, $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 8. Churchill Downs also reserves a spot for a European-based runner in a similar series in Europe that concludes Saturday with the Cardinal Condition Stakes at Chelmsford. The connections of several in that field, including late Triple Crown nominee Brave Emperor – the series points co-leader – have expressed interest in the Kentucky Derby. First staged in 2018, no European series points-leader has run in the Kentucky Derby. In all but two years since Churchill Downs instituted the points system in 2013 did a horse need more than 30 points to get into the race. In 2019, Spinoff was the last one in with 40 points earned in his runner-up finish in the Louisiana Derby. In 2016, Mo Tom was the last one in with 32 points. Currently, Classic Car Wash ranks 19th in the points standings with 26 points. There is one horse in the top 19, Major Dude, the Jeff Ruby Steaks runner-up, who is considered unlikely to run in the Kentucky Derby. Only four of the 23 horses entered in this weekend’s two Kentucky Derby points-earning races – Forte (90 points) in the Florida Derby and Angel of Empire (54), Rocket Can (40), and Red Route One (33) in the Arkansas Derby – are among the top 19 point earners. Forte, regarded as the early Kentucky Derby favorite, will be a heavy Florida Derby favorite despite his poor post draw of 11. Still, many look at that race as a battle for second and the 40 points that go with it. “You know how people say you wouldn’t trade places, well I would trade to have Forte,” said Saffie Joseph Jr., who trains four of the 12 entrants in the Florida Derby. Joseph’s quartet includes West Coast Cowboy, third in the Grade 3 Holy Bull; Mr. Ripple, a first-level allowance runner-up last out; and Nautical Star and Mr. Peeks. The latter two, who have only sprinted, were recent additions to Joseph’s barn after being purchased privately in recent weeks by Clint and Mark Cornett’s C2 Racing. On Monday, they both were made late nominees to the Triple Crown for a $6,000 fee. It was just a year ago that the Cornetts and Joseph won the Florida Derby with White Abarrio, who would go on to finish 16th in the Kentucky Derby. “They had success last year in the [Florida Derby], why not roll the dice,” Joseph said. Though Mr. Peeks, a son of 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome, is a maiden, he caught Joseph’s eye when he finished second in a March 12 allowance to the 5-year-old A La Carte. “His last race was so good,” Joseph said. “For a 3-year-old to run that good against older horses, that’s impressive. He’s a solid horse. This is a different kind of task.” Nautical Star, an Oklahoma-bred, is coming out of a maiden win on Feb. 18. Mr. Ripple was being pointed to the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 8 before owner Michael Evan said “Let’s run here,” Joseph said. In summing up his quartet’s chances Saturday, Joseph said, “They’re not no-hopers. They’re unlikely, but they’re not no-hopers.” Hope is what fuels owners’ dreams in horse racing. Rich Strike’s 80-1 upset off the also-eligible list in last year’s Kentucky Derby shows anything is possible. Churchill permits up to four horses to be entered as an also-eligible. “Everyone wants to take a chance if they’re doing well and to get points and to get there,” Joseph said. “A lot of people are happy to get there even if they don’t have a chance. This is a very, very tall task, but in racing you have to hope, that’s what keeps you going. If you don’t have hope, you can’t do this game. There are a lot of things that happen that basically takes away your hope.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.