The two "also eligible" entries were scratched when none of the qualified horses opted to withdraw before the 9 a.m. The entry fee is normally $25,000, but Fast and Accurate was required to pay a supplemental entry fee of $200,000 as he was not nominated to the Triple Crown earlier in the year. Always Dreaming in post position 5 and McCraken in post position 15 were both given odds of 5–1. After drawing post position 14, Classic Empire was installed as the lukewarm favorite on the morning line at 4–1 by Mike Battaglia. On May 3, entries for the Derby were taken and the post position draw was streamed live by Churchill Downs. However, the connections of Epicharis declined the invitation. Epicharis, a grandson of 1989 Kentucky Derby winner Sunday Silence, qualified by winning the Hyacinth Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse on February 19. įor the first time, a spot in the starting gate was set aside for a horse from Japan through the separate Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. After an impressive win in the San Felipe Stakes, Mastery was pulled up by his jockey and was found to have a condylar fracture requiring several months to heal. For example, Not This Time was an early favorite for the Derby but was injured shortly after finishing second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and was retired from racing. Several other contenders did not enter due to injuries or because they raced inconsistently. The other major prep race winners were Gormley ( Santa Anita Derby), Irap ( Blue Grass Stakes), Irish War Cry ( Wood Memorial), Always Dreaming ( Florida Derby) and Thunder Snow ( UAE Derby).
Classic Empire, who was the early Derby favorite after winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 2016, finished second in the qualifying series after overcoming several setbacks to win the Arkansas Derby.
Girvin was the top point-earner in 2017 after winning both the Risen Star Stakes and the Louisiana Derby. The field for the Kentucky Derby was limited to twenty horses who qualified based on points earned in the Road to the Kentucky Derby, a series of races that was first introduced in 2013.
Main article: 2017 Road to the Kentucky Derby