MaggieCody - 2014-01-08 5:24 PM Hi all, I am new to the futurity world, and have some basic questions, mainly pertaining to derbies. I do understand that rules may differ based on each event, so I am just looking for 'general' answers. In order for a horse to be derby eligible, must that horse be entered in futurities the previous year? For the majority of derbies, no. One exception is Ft Smith. That is the only one I can think of where the horse had to be entered in the futurity. If a horse is not entered before December 1st of their 3 year old (coming 4) year, but is NOT ran in futurities, just open shows, can this horse be entered in derbies as a 5 year old? Yes. I had read somewhere on here that a horse can run derbies for two years following their futurity year. Is this correct? It depends on each race. Some allow for 7 and under. Some it is 2 years of derby eligibility. So if they run as 4, they are a 5 and 6 year old derby horse. If they run as 5, they are a 6 and 7 year old derby horse. You would have to read that producer's rules. Is it dependent upon whether they run their futurity year as a 4 year old versus a 5 year old? (Basically, if they futurity at 4, they are eligible for two years of derby, but if they futurity at 5, only one year? If that makes sense!) This probably depends largely on the event, but in order for a horse to be eligible for an event's derby, does said horse have to run in that event's futurity the previous year? (If the horses does not run the futurity at the BFA, for example, is the horse still eligible to run in the derby at the BFA during that horse's derby year?) Ft Smith, yes. BFA, no. Again, you would have to read the producer's rules. I am sure I will end up thinking up some more questions, but this is all for now! Any input is appreciated :)