Churchill Downs will award a Japanese horse an automatic berth in next year’s Kentucky Derby under a new program assigning points to participants in two Japanese stakes races, the track announced on Monday. The two one-mile dirt races at Tokyo Racecourse will be the Cattleya Sho for 2-year-olds on Nov. 26 and the Hyacinth for 3-year-olds, expected to be run “early in 2017,” according to a release from Churchill and the Japan Racing Association. The two-race series is structured along the lines of a points system Churchill implemented in 2013 to designate starters in the Kentucky Derby, which is the most prestigious race in North America. Under Churchill’s system, the top 20 points earners in a series of 2-year-old and 3-year-old stakes races are allowed to start in the Derby, provided the horses were nominated to the Triple Crown. The new Japanese series has the potential to reduce to 19 the number of Derby starting berths open to horses participating in the larger series. In a release, Churchill said the horse earning the most points in the two-race Japanese series will be offered an invitation to compete in the Derby, and if the invitation is accepted, one slot will be reserved for the Japanese horse. This year, Lani became only the second horse based in Japan to run in the Derby. Lani, who was bred in Kentucky, earned his spot in the Derby by winning the United Arab Emirates Derby, a Dubai race that is part of the points-based system established by Churchill for Derby qualifiers. Lani finished ninth in the Kentucky Derby under jockey Yutaka Take, who is enormously popular in Japan. The Kentucky Derby simulcast is not available in Japan, which strictly limits the number of foreign races that can be offered in the country for betting. Japan’s betting market is one of the largest in the world, however, and Churchill, like other U.S. companies, is eager to make inroads into the market. Also on Monday, Churchill said that the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs would replace the Grey Stakes at Woodbine in the 2016-17 points series for the 2017 Derby. The Sam F. Davis is a dirt race for 3-year-olds usually held in February, while the Grey Stakes is a race for 2-year-olds conducted over Woodbine’s artificial surface. :: Enjoy news and analysis from DRF? Unlock access to handicapping analysis, real-time coverage, reports, charts, and more. Start your 30-day trial for 1¢. (First-time members only.) Date Race Distance Track 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 9/17/16 Iroquois 1 1/16M Churchill Downs 10 4 2 1 10/1/16 FrontRunner 1 1/16M Santa Anita 10 4 2 1 10/8/16 Champagne 1M Belmont 10 4 2 1 10/8/16 Breeders' Futurity 1 1/16M Keeneland 10 4 2 1 11/5/16 BC Juvenile 1 1/16M  Santa Anita 10 4 2 1 11/16/16 Delta Downs Jackpot 1 1/16M Delta Downs 10 4 2 1 11/26/16 Remsen 1 1/8M Aqueduct 10 4 2 1 11/26/16 Kentucky Jockey Club 1 1/16M Churchill Downs 10 4 2 1 11/26/16 Cattleya Sho 1M Tokyo 40 16 8 1 12/10/16 Los Alamitos Futurity 1 1/16M Los Alamitos 10 4 2 1 1/7/17 Jerome 1 mile 70 yds Aqueduct 10 4 2 1 1/7/17 Sham 1M Santa Anita 10 4 2 1 1/16/17 Smarty Jones 1M Oaklawn Park 10 4 2 1 1/21/17 Lecomte 1M 70 yds Fair Grounds 10 4 2 1 1/28/17 Withers 1 1/16M Aqueduct 10 4 2 1 2/4/17 Holy Bull 1 1/16M Gulfstream 10 4 2 1 2/4/17 Robert B. Lewis 1 1/16M Santa Anita 10 4 2 1 2/11/17 Sam F. Davis 1 1/16M Tampa Bay Downs 10 4 2 1 2/11/17 El Camino Real Deby 1 1/8M    Golden Gate 10 4 2 1 2/20/17 Southwest 1 1/16M Oaklawn Park 10 4 2 1 Kentucky Derby Championship Series Date Race Distance Track Winner Beyer 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Charts & Analysis 2/25/17 Risen Star 1 1/16M Fair Grounds     50 20 10 5   3/4/17 Fountain of Youth 1 1/16M Gulfstream     50 20 10 5   3/4/17 Gotham 1 1/16M Aqueduct     50 20 10 5   3/11/17 Tampa Bay Derby 1 1/16M Tampa Bay Downs     50 20 10 5   3/11/17 San Felipe 1 1/16M Santa Anita     50 20 10 5   3/18/17 Rebel 1 1/16M Oaklawn     50 20 10 5   3/25/17 UAE Derby 1 3/16M Meydan     100 40 20 10   3/25/17 Spiral 1 1/8M Turfway Park      50 20 10 5   3/26/17 Sunland Derby 1 1/8M Sunland Park     50 20 10 5   4/1/17 Florida Derby 1 1/8M       Gulfstream     100 40 20 10   4/1/17 Louisana Derby 1 1/8M      Fair Grounds     50 20 10 5   4/8/17 Wood Memorial 1 1/8M Aqueduct     100 40 20 10   4/8/17 Blue Grass 1 1/8M Keeneland     100 40 20 10   4/8/17 Santa Anita Derby 1 1/8M Santa Anita     100 40 20 10   4/15/17 Arkansas Derby 1 1/8M Oaklawn Park     100 40 20 10   4/15/17 Lexington 1 1/16M Keeneland     10 4 2 1   * Race dates and distances to be announced by host track; date based on previous year’s placement.