LOUISVILLE, Ky. – This week, the eyes of the sports world are on Louisville, as the River City prepares for the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby on May 2. “It’s a great, great time of year,” said trainer Brad Cox, a Louisville native. “It’s Louisville’s day to shine throughout the world.” But there is life beyond the Kentucky Derby. This Saturday kicks off the Churchill Downs spring meet, with a total of 44 race dates and 50 stakes races cumulatively worth a record $27.8 million. “The majority of our stable’s pointing towards this meeting,” trainer Mike Maker said. The meet, which runs through June 28, is front-loaded with 22 stakes races from opening day through Derby Day. There are some changes to the opening-week schedule, for which each card plays around a specific theme. :: DRF Kentucky Derby Package: Save on Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more. The opening-day card, during which the Derby and Oaks will be drawn after the third race, will have a first post of 12:45 p.m., rather than the night card that has been held in recent years. The track also adds a Sunday afternoon card, racing on the Sunday of Derby week for the first time since 2010. After Monday, the only dark day, racing continues through the week. The highlights are the Grade 1, $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks, which will be run under the lights in prime time on a May 1 card that begins at 12:30 p.m. Six graded stakes on the undercard are led by the Grade 1, $1 million La Troienne. Saturday, the program for the Grade 1, $5 million Kentucky Derby begins at 11 a.m. Eight stakes on the undercard include the Grade 1, $1.5 million Turf Classic and three Grade 1, $1 million events – the Churchill Downs, Derby City Distaff, and American Turf. “We love Derby week,” Cox said. “We try to have as many runners as possible. It has turned into a weeklong thing now. It’s really cool. You know, you come out on a Wednesday and the whole racetrack is filled with people. So it’s good for the sport. And that means a lot as well, trying to be competitive over there, being a Kentucky guy.” :: Get DRF Kentucky Oaks & Derby Clocker Reports by Mike Welsch and the DRF Clocker Team Every stakes race, excluding the Derby and Oaks, includes Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund money for statebreds, which has supercharged this circuit and led to large fields for even the bread-and-butter fare. After opening week, the lone Grade 1 of the meet is the $1 million Stephen Foster on June 27, a major race for older horses that has been mentioned as a target for reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty. The Foster tops a program featuring seven stakes totaling $3.1 million. The card is preceded by a preview day on May 30, with seven prep stakes worth a cumulative $1.975 million. Other events at the meet include simulcasts of the Preakness and Belmont Stakes on May 16 and June 6, respectively. The May 16 program is the first “Downs After Dark” card of the year, with a first post of 6 p.m. A Downs After Dark card also will be held June 20. There are a few new faces, or different roles for familiar faces, at this meet. Last July, Caleb Hays was named the head starter for Churchill Downs and Turfway Park. He had been named interim starter last year after Scott Jordan moved to the New York circuit. Hays has been a fixture at Churchill for nearly two decades and was in charge at the track’s September and November meets, but now he will let loose the massive Derby field. The morning-line favorite for that Derby will be set by Nick Tammaro, who takes over oddsmaker duties from Mike Battaglia, who is retiring after a 51-year run. In addition to year-round fixtures on this circuit such as Maker and Cox and perennial Churchill powerhouses like Steve Asmussen, Bill Mott, and Dale Romans, there will be an increased presence on the backstretch this year for Bob Baffert. He plans to have a string stabled in Louisville throughout the spring meeting, splitting up his California-based barn. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.