(from Churchill Downs)
The opening pool of Churchill Downs’ 2009 Kentucky Derby Future Wager concluded Feb. 15 just as it had in each year of the bet’s opening decade. The mutuel field, or “all others,” was the solid 9-5 favorite among 24 wagering interests at the conclusion of betting in four-day pool. But Fox Hill Farm’s Old Fashioned was a clear choice among the 23 individual horses in the Derby Future pool that ended on the eve of the colt’s 3-year-old racing debut.
The mutuel field was a strong favorite through the four days of betting that ended at 6 p.m. (EST) on Feb. 15. Remsen (gr. II) winner Old Fashioned was the solid second choice – and the favored individual horse – at odds of 7-1 as the wagering concluded.
Old Fashioned will attempt to justify the faith of his supporters on Feb. 16 when he makes his 2009 racing debut in the $250,000 Southwest Stakes (gr. III) at Oaklawn Park. Another member of the Pool 1 betting roster, Silver City, will take on Old Fashioned in the Presidents’ Day race. Silver City closed at 35-1 in Pool 1.
The “all others” betting interest has been the favorite in every opening pool since the Kentucky Derby Future Wager was introduced in 1999. Eventual 2008 Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown was a member of the mutuel field in last year’s opening pool and did not become an individual betting interest until the third and final pool. Other Pool 1 mutuel field horses that went on to win the Kentucky Derby include Charismatic (1999), War Emblem (2002), and Smarty Jones (2004).
Wagering during the first pool totaled $478,721.
Pool 2 of the 2009 Kentucky Derby Future Wager is scheduled for March 12-15 and the year’s third and final pool is set for April 2-5.
Other horses that attracted strong support in the year’s first Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool included Pioneerof the Nile (13-1), the Bob Baffert-trained winner of the CashCall Futurity (gr. I) and the recent Robert B. Lewis (gr. II); Friesan Fire (18-1), the Larry-Jones trained stablemate of Old Fashioned and winner of the Risen Star (gr. III) and Lecomte (gr. III) at Fair Grounds; reigning American 2-year-old champion and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) winner Midshipman (19-1); and unbeaten 2-year-old filly champion and Las Virgenes (gr. I) winner Stardom Bound (22-1).
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 1 final odds, are available here.