The trend of selecting "all others" or the mutuel field in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager is expected to continue when pool 1 opens Feb. 7.
Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia has installed the “all others” bet as the strong 5-2 favorite in his morning-line odds for Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which begins its four-day run at noon Feb. 7 at racetracks and satellite wagering outlets across the United States and Canada. Wagering on all three pools of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager is also available at TwinSpires.com, the official advance deposit wagering service for Churchill Downs Incorporated and its family of racetracks.
Each Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool includes 24 wagering interests that consist of 23 individual horses and a mutuel field, or “all others,” interest. There is a three-way tie for second choice and favored individual horse in Pool 1’s morning-line odds between Robert LaPenta’s unbeaten 2-year-old champion and Bessemer Trust Breeders Cup Juvenile (gr. I) winner War Pass; Winchell Thoroughbred’s Pyro, runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile; and WinStar Farm and IEAH Stables’ Court Vision, winner of the Remsen (gr. II) at Aqueduct and Churchill Downs’ Iroquois (gr. III). All three are listed at 12-1 in Battaglia’s morning line odds.
The opening of Pool 1 of the 2008 Kentucky Derby Future Wager marks the start of the 10th year of Thoroughbred racing’s first pari-mutuel future bet. The Kentucky Derby Future Wager is a minimum $2 wager and a win bet only. It offers Kentucky Derby fans the opportunity to bet on contenders at odds that could be greater than those they would receive on Derby Day.
Wagering on Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager will continue through Feb. 10, at 6 p.m. Pool 2 is scheduled for March 6-9, while the wager’s third and final pool is set for April 3-6.
There are no refunds in either the Kentucky Derby Future Wager and winning payouts in all three pools will be based on the odds that are in place on the wagering interests at the close of wagering in each respective pool.
The 134th running of the $2 million guaranteed Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), a 1 ¼-mile test for 3-year-olds May 3 at Churchill Downs.
The roster of individual horses among the Pool 1 wagering interests includes four horses that are scheduled to compete in the Risen Star (gr. III) at Fair Grounds. Pyro, trained by Steve Asmussen, will seek his first stakes victory in that 1 1/16-mile event against Asmussen-trained stablemate Z Fortune (20-1 in the Pool 1 morning line), and Pool 1 contenders Blackberry Road (20-1) and Signature Move (50-1).
Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott trains three of Pool 1’s wagering interests. Mott conditions Court Vision and also trains Majestic Warrior (15-1) and Z Humor (15-1).
Trainers with a pair of Kentucky Derby contenders among the Pool 1 betting interests include Asmussen; Richard Mandella, who has Crown of Thorns (20-1) and CashCall Futurity (gr. I) winner Into Mischief in his care; two-time Kentucky Derby winner Nick Zito, who conditions champion War Pass and Kentucky Jockey Club (gr. II) winner Anak Nakal (20-1); four-time Eclipse Award winner Todd Pletcher, the trainer of Monba (30-1) and Cowboy Cal (20-1); and David Carroll, the conditioner of Blackberry Road and Denis of Cork (30-1). Asmussen, Mandell, Pletcher, and Carroll are all seeking their first victory in the Kentucky Derby.
Real time odds on all three pools of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager are available on the official Kentucky Derby Web site at www.kentuckyderby.com.
