Edited press release

Racing fans continue to have a difficult time deciding who should be the favorite in Pool 2 of Churchill Downs’ 2009 Kentucky Derby Future Wager as “all others” edged unbeaten and untested Dunkirk   as the narrow choice among 23 betting interests as the pool reached the midpoint of four days of betting on Friday, March 13.
    
The mutuel field, which represents all 3-year-olds other than the 22 individual horses on the Pool 2 betting roster, and Dunkirk, who is unbeaten in two career starts, each stood at 5-1 at the end of Friday’s betting.  But slightly more money had been wagered on the mutuel field ($7,866) than Dunkirk ($7,222) to give “all others” the status of actual betting favorite.  The “all others” wagering interest was the 9-5 favorite in February’s first of three pools of the 2009 Derby Future Bet.

While Dunkirk, a gray son of Unbridled's Song   owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, was the favored individual horse, one didn’t have to look far to find company for him.  Sham (gr. III) winner The Pamplemousse   and Old Fashioned  , who will start as the heavy favorite in Saturday’s $300,000 Rebel (gr. II) at Oaklawn Park, were 6-1 risks at the end of Friday’s wagering.  Gotham (gr. III) winner I Want Revenge drifted up to 11-1, while Pioneerof the Nile  , the expected favorite in Saturday’s San Felipe (gr. II) at Santa Anita, was next at 15-1.

The odds in KDFW Pool 2 could change significantly as the 10 of the 22 individual horses in the pool are set to run in one of the day’s four major Kentucky Derby preps.  The Saturday stakes schedule also includes the $600,000 Louisiana Derby (gr. II) at Fair Grounds and the $300,000 Tampa Bay Derby (gr. III) at Tampa Bay Downs.     
 
The Kentucky Derby Future Wager allows bettors to wager on contenders for this year’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) at odds that could be more attractive than those available on the day of the race.  Wagering in the pool is scheduled to resume at noon (all times EDT) on Saturday, March 14.  KDFW Pool 2 will conclude on Sunday, March 15, at 6 p.m.
 
This second pool of the 2009 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which is now in its 11th year, is the first to offer exacta wagering.  Betting to “win” through two days of KDFW Pool 2 reached $60,103 at the midway point of the pool, while exacta betting stands at $15,744. Both are $2 minimum bets. 

Real time odds, exacta payouts and other information on the Kentucky Derby Future Wager are available on the official Kentucky Derby event Web site at www.kentuckyderby.com.