Oak Grove: "Win and you're in" opportunities for new trotting races

Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel, Churchill Downs Incorporated’s premier harness facility, announced today the newly-established Road to the Oak Grove Trotting Derby and Road to the Oak Grove Trotting Oaks to enrich its recently announced signature stakes--the $500,000 Oak Grove Trotting Derby and $300,000 Oak Grove Trotting Oaks.

The Road to the Oak Grove Trotting Derby and Road to the Oak Grove Trotting Oaks have been established to reward exceptional 2-year-old trotting performances from the prior year. A series of designated Grand Circuit and Sire Stakes races will serve as automatic qualifying events.

Winners of these "win and you're in" races will earn a fully paid, automatic spot in the corresponding elimination race for the 2026 inaugural events, with all pre-entry and starting fees covered by the race sponsors. The automatic qualifying races and the 2025 respective race winners to date are identified below.

Road to the Oak Grove Trotting Derby

Oak Grove Trotting Derby Automatic Qualifying Races	2025 Race Winner
Breeders Crown 2YO Trot	Spencer Hanover
Mohawk Million	Apex
Peter Haughton	Apex
William Wellwood	Ardonne
Valley Victory	TBD (November 15, 2025)
Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series	Endurance
Indiana Sire Stakes Championship	Premier Bluebird
Ohio Sire Stakes Championship (Scarlet)	Big Ranger
Oak Grove Trotting Derby Automatic Qualifying Races (cont.)	2025 Race Winner
New Jersey Sire Stakes Championship	Apex
New York Sire Stakes Championship	AI
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship	Dublin Hanover
Ontario Sire Stakes Championship (Gold)	Strobe Lite

Road to the Oak Grove Trotting Oaks

Oak Grove Trotting Oaks Automatic Qualifying Races	2025 Race Winner
Breeders Crown 2YO Filly Trot	Storybook Love
Jim Doherty	Atlantic Summer
Peaceful Way	Sugar Packet
Kentuckiana Stallion Management	Nezuko Kamado S
Goldsmith Maid	TBD (November 15, 2025)
Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series	Country Glide
Indiana Sire Stakes Championship	Setyoursightshigh
Ohio Sire Stakes Championship (Scarlet)	For Dayze
New Jersey Sire Stakes Championship	Emmas Mystery CCL
New York Sire Stakes Championship	Sharp Seven
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship	Ginger Tree Lex
Ontario Sire Stakes Championship (Gold)	Bingo Night

*Any automatic slot winner that has won more than one qualifying race is limited to only one spot for the eliminations.

The elimination races, scheduled for Monday, May 4, 2026, will have a purse of $50,000 for the Oak Grove Trotting Derby and $30,000 for the Oak Grove Trotting Oaks. Both the elimination races and the championship finals will be limited to a maximum of nine, with all competitors starting on the gate.

The Oak Grove Trotting Derby and Oak Grove Trotting Oaks are open stakes events for all eligible 3-year-olds that have met all stakes conditions, including payment of all fees. For the inaugural 2026 event, the pre-entry and starting fees for each race will be as follows:

Race	March 15, 2026 Fee	April 15, 2026 Fee	Elimination Starting Fee	Total Fees
Oak Grove Trotting Derby	$500	$500	$1,500	$2,500 US
Oak Grove Trotting Oaks	$500	$500	$500	$1,500 US
*no starting fee for Finals

Additional details, including final race conditions, staking details, wagering menus, hospitality offerings and charitable beneficiaries, will be announced in the coming months.

-edited release (Oak Grove)