There may be a runner in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 6 who has never raced beyond a mile or appeared in a group or graded stakes. Brave Emperor, a winner of 5 of 7 starts in Britain and France, is the current co-leader in the European qualifying series that offers one invitation to the runner with the most points. Brave Emperor is one of two Triple Crown nominees in Saturday’s $123,000 Cardinal Condition Stakes at a mile on the synthetic surface at Chelmsford City Racecourse northeast of London, the final race in the European qualifying series. Brave Emperor or Stormy Entry, a Kentucky-bred colt with six qualifying points in the European series, can clinch a Kentucky Derby berth with a win in the Cardinal Condition Stakes. Neither Brave Emperor nor Stormy Entry have started in races longer than a mile or in group-level stakes. The Kentucky Derby is run at 1 1/4 miles. There are 60 qualifying points available in the Cardinal Condition Stakes, with 30-12-9-6-3 available to the first five finishers. Brave Emperor has 20 points, the same as Cairo, who won the Patton Stakes in Ireland on March 3 but was 10th of 13 in the Group 2 United Arab Emirates Derby at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai last Saturday. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2023: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more On Monday, Brave Emperor was made eligible to the Triple Crown through a $6,000 nomination.  “I took a screenshot of the page when we registered him to make sure it was real,” said Tom Palin, the racing manager for the 13-person Middleham Park syndicate that owns the Irish-bred gelding. Brave Emperor has won his last two starts at a mile on synthetic tracks – the listed Prix de la California at Cagnes-sur-Mer Racecourse in southern France on Feb. 12 and the Road to the Kentucky Derby Condition Stakes at Kempton Park outside of London on March 15. The Kempton Park race was part of the qualifying series. Trained by Archie Watson, Brave Emperor won the Kempton Park race by a head over Alzahir, who is nominated to the Cardinal Stakes, but not the Triple Crown. Palin said earlier this week that Brave Emperor must finish in the first two in the Cardinal Stakes for a potential start in the Kentucky Derby. A win by Stormy Entry would potentially disrupt those plans. “There must be an element of reality,” Palin said. “It will cost many to come across. We’re not kings and queens and wealthy sheikhs. We’ll have to have a grown-up conversation to get him there and back.” Stormy Entry, trained by Willie Browne for owner and breeder Charles Fipke, has won 2 of 4 starts. He earned six points by finishing third in his stakes debut in the Patton Stakes. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.