(Edited press release)
Major contenders Nobiz Like Shobiz and reigning juvenile champion Street Sense figure to garner plenty of respect and support, but the betting interest that includes "all others" is expected to be the fan favorite in Pool 1 of Churchill Downs' Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opens its four-day run at noon (all times EST) Feb. 8.
Churchill Downs handicapper Mike Battaglia has installed the mutuel field, the wagering interest that includes all 3-year-olds other than the 23 individual horses on the pool's betting roster, as the 7-2 morning line favorite in the first of three KDFW pools.
Elizabeth Valando's Nobiz Like Shobiz, winner of the Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III) at Gulfstream Park and last fall's Remsen Stakes (gr. II) at Aqueduct, is listed as the 8-1 second choice in the pool. James Tafel's homebred Street Sense, the 10-length winner of the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) at Churchill Downs and champion 2-year-old of 2006, has been installed as the 12-1 third choice.
The KDFW allows racing fans to wager on contenders for the 133rd Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) at odds that could be significantly better than those they would receive on the day of the race. The wager is a $2 minimum bet and a win wager only. There are no refunds in the KDFW, and winning payouts are based on the odds that are in place at the conclusion of each respective KDFW pool.
The Kentucky Derby Future Wager is entering its ninth year in 2007, and the "all others" betting interest has been favored in Pool 1 in each of its previous eight years.
Kentucky Derby fans wagered a total of $1,471,606 (the third highest total in the wager's history) on last year's three pools. Wagering on the opening pool of 2006 totaled $552,627, which was the third-highest Pool 1 total in the wager's history. Lael Stable's Barbaro returned a winning payout of $14.20 following his 6 1/2-length romp in the Derby, but the winning payouts for the three KDFW pools were $40.20 (Pool 1), $32.20 (Pool 2), and $20.80 (Pool 3).
Wagering on Pool 1 will continue through Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. Pool 2 is scheduled for March 8-11, while the third and final pool is set for April 12-15. Racetracks and simulcast wagering centers across North America will offer the bet, as Woodbine Racecourse and other selected Canadian sites will offer the bet to their patrons.
Real-time odds on each pool of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager will be available at www.kentuckyderby.com.
KDFW POOL 1 WAGERING INTERESTS:
#, Wagering Interest, ML odds
1. Adore the Gold, 20-1
2. Any Given Saturday, 20-1
3. Belgravia, 20-1
4. Buffalo Man, 30-1
5. Circular Quay, 15-1
6. Day Pass, 15-1
7. Dreaming of Anna (f), 15-1
8. Drums of Thunder, 30-1
9. E Z Warrior, 15-1
10. Exhale, 20-1
11. Forefathers, 30-1
12. Great Hunter, 30-1
13. Hard Spun, 20-1
14. Lawrence the Roman, 30-1
15. Liquidity, 20-1
16. Nobiz Like Shobiz, 8-1
17. Notional, 15-1
18. Out of Gwedda, 30-1
19. Ravel, 15-1
20. Scat Daddy, 30-1
21. Stormello, 20-1
22. Street Sense, 12-1
23. Zanjero, 30-1
24. All Other 3-year-olds, 7-2
(f) = filly
