The Road to the Kentucky Derby Series that determines preferences for horses getting into the Derby starting gate has been tweaked this year to award a lower total number of points in races that do not have at least six runners, Churchill Downs announced on Friday. Under the change, any race that has five horses will award 75 percent of the total points available. Any race with four or fewer horses will award 50 percent of the total points. For example, if the Florida Derby is run next year with five horses, the 200-point total available for the race will be reduced to 150. The winner of that race would receive 75 points, instead of 100 points, while the second-place finisher would receive 37 points, instead of 50. Churchill has modified the series several times since the system was first implemented in 2013. Under the series, the top 18 points getters in the North American series are guaranteed spots in the Kentucky Derby field, which is limited to 20 starters. Two spots are reserved for horses competing internationally, but those spots can be filled with other points earners in North America if they do not accept an invitation to the race. The Kentucky Derby series will include 36 races this year, including a new race in the series, the Virginia Derby, which is scheduled for March 15 at Colonial Downs in Virginia, seven weeks before the Derby. Colonial, which is owned by Churchill, will hold a brief spring meet for the first time next year. The Virginia Derby will become a dirt race in 2025. It is to be run on turf this Saturday at Colonial. :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  The first race in the series, the Iroquois Stakes, is scheduled for Sept. 18 at Churchill, awarding a total of 20 points. The total amount of points available in each of the races gradually increases throughout the prep season, with seven races scheduled for late March and early April granting a total of 200 points. Churchill also reserves spots in the Derby gate for the leading points earner in two international series, one for European horses and another for Japanese horses. This year, the series for European horses will include the UAE Derby in Dubai, a race that had previously awarded points to horses in the North American series. The rebranded Euro/Mideast Series will now include seven races, four of them on turf and two on artificial surfaces. The UAE Derby, a dirt race, is scheduled for April 5 and will award a total of 200 points. Under the guidelines for the series, Churchill will extend invitations to the two leading points earners. Horses earning points in the Euro series have rarely entertained invitations into the Derby field. The Japan series will include four races that are scheduled between Nov. 23 and March 22. The top points earner will receive an automatic berth in the Derby. In the past three years, five Japanese horses have competed in the Derby, including several who earned their berths by running in the North American series, such as Forever Young, the winner of last year’s UAE Derby who finished third in the Derby. The races for the Road to the Kentucky Oaks series were also announced on Friday by Churchill. The series will now include the Virginia Oaks, scheduled for Colonial on March 15, the same day as the Virginia Derby. The Virginia Oaks will be run on dirt starting next year. It will be held on turf this Saturday. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.