From Churchill Downs
Unbeaten newcomer Big Brown, a dazzling five-length winner in his stakes debut in the $1-million Florida Derby (gr. I), has been installed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite for the third and final pool for Churchill Downs’ 2008 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opens its four-day run April 3.
Owned by IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr., the Richard Dutrow Jr.-trained son of Boundary was listed as a narrow choice over Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Louisiana Derby (gr. II) winner Pyro in the pool that will give racing fans throughout North America the opportunity to wager on contenders for the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) May 3.
The Kentucky Derby Future Wager is a $2 minimum wager and a win bet only.
The Steve Asmussen-trained Pyro was the 4-1 favorite in Pool 2 of the Future Wager, which ran from March 6-9 and attracted total wagering of $325,306. A total of $764,685 has been wagered during the first two pools of the 2008 Future Wager, which is now in its 10th year.
Betting on Pool 3 of the Future Wager is scheduled to run from noon April 3 to 6 p.m. April 6 (all times EDT), and winning payouts on the pool will be based on odds that are in place at the conclusion of wagering.
While Big Brown and Pyro occupy the top two spots on the roster of 24 wagering interests in Pool 3, Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia expects strong support for Robert LaPenta’s 2007 2-year-old champion War Pass, who is listed as the 6-1 third choice in the pool’s morning line.
The Nick Zito-trained colt will attempt to bounce back from a disappointing run in the March 15 Tampa Bay Derby (gr. III) when he runs in the April 5 Wood Memorial Stakes (gr. I) at Aqueduct. California-based Colonel John and El Gato Malo, both of whom are set to run in the April 5 Santa Anita Derby (gr. I), are next at odds of 12-1.
The mutuel field, which includes all 3-year-olds other than the 23 individual horses in Pool 3, stands at odds of 15-1. The “all others” bet was favored in Pool 1 of the 2008 Derby Future bet.
