The mutuel field, which includes all 3-year-old Thoroughbreds other than the 22 individual horses in the second of three 2006 KDFW pools, stood as the 7-2 favorite when the second of four days of wagering in pool drew to a close Friday evening.

Darley Stable notified Churchill Downs that Barbican, who was wagering interest number three in Pool 2, had suffered a fracture in his right hind leg that would force him to miss the $2 million Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) May 6. Wagering on Barbican was suspended prior to the start of Friday's Pool 2 betting, leaving 23 interests.

Two unbeaten 3-year-olds – John C. Oxley's Strong Contender and Lael Stables' Holy Bull (gr. III) winner Barbaro – attracted strong support during Friday's betting. Strong Contender, an impressive allowance winner at Gulfstream Park in his most recent start, and Barbaro, who will run next in the Florida Derby (gr. I), each dropped from 16-1 to 11-1 during Friday's wagering. Lawyer Ron, winner of the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, also ended the day at 11-1.

A total of $70,467 was wagered during the first two days of Pool 2. Betting in the pool resumes at noon (all times Eastern) Saturday and the pool is set to close at 6 p.m. Sunday.

Other individual horses that attracted support during the pool's first two days included Bluegrass Cat (12-1), Brother Derek (15-1), First Samurai (15-1), and Achilles of Troy (16-1). The pool's odds could be shaken up on Saturday as several significant Kentucky Derby preps will be run. Brother Derek is favored to win Saturday's Santa Catalina (gr. II) at Santa Anita and First Samurai is the morning line choice in the Fountain of Youth (gr. II) at Gulfstream Park.