Getting a horse to the Kentucky Derby is a formidable task for any trainer.

Knowing how the best laid plans of mice, men and 3-year-old colts can go awry, putting together a plan to get a young horse through a 2-year-old season and then a demanding prep season is filled with pitfalls.

It’s a fine balancing act in making sure a horse has just the right number of races under its saddle and is able to deliver a peak performance on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs.

That body of work comes in two important parts. One involves races at 3 and the other takes into consideration how many starts that horse has made in its career.

To put those numbers in perspective for the horses that will start in the Derby on May 6, let’s take a look at the 17 editions of the Kentucky Derby going back to 2000 to see how many steps each of those winners needed to reach the winner’s circle after the opening leg of the Triple Crown.

In terms of races at 3, there’s little surprise about the number of preps each winner logged.

Among the 17 winners since 2000, the Derby marked their third race at 3 for eight of them. Five were made their fourth start and four raced for the fifth time.

Yet what stands out most in those numbers involves what has happened in the last decade. In eight of the last 10 years, the Kentucky Derby winner was making his third start at 3. Clearly, two preps and then a trip to Churchill Downs has been the preferred route to success on Derby Day.

That 80 percent winning percentage is certainly good news for Derby candidates such as Classic Empire, McCraken, Battalion Runner and Practical Joke who fit that model with only two starts at 3 prior to the run for the roses.

Where the numbers jump around more involves the number of career starts. In that regard, the core numbers are horses who made their sixth, seventh or eighth career start in the Derby.

Of the 17 winners, horses making their sixth (four), seventh (four) and eighth (fifth) career start have emerged triumphant 13 times.

At the other end of the scale, lightly raced horses have the odds stacked against them. Only one Derby winner started for the fourth time and one more was heading to the post for the fifth time.

A heavy workload has also worked against Derby hopefuls. Since 2000, only one horse starting for the ninth time won the Derby, while the 10^th time came up empty and the 11^th time had one winner.

Putting it all together, the numbers say that a horse making its third start at 3 and eighth start overall would be the most likely winner of the Derby.

As random as that might seem, those numbers fit the profile of last year’s Kentucky Derby winner, Nyquist.

He made five starts at 2 and the Derby was his third start at 3.

Yes, when it comes to the Kentucky Derby eight is indeed enough.

STARTS THROUGH THE KENTUCKY DERBY