The California Derby is a race for Thoroughbred horses held early in the year at Golden Gate Fields. An ungraded stakes, it is open to three-year-olds at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on a Tapeta surface. The Derby offers a purse of $100,000. Northern California's first major test for horses hoping to run for the Triple Crown, the California Derby is also the main local prep race for the $200,000 El Camino Real Derby also run at Golden Gate.