High Fly Favorite for Final Pool of Derby Future Wager

High Fly and Sun King, trained by two-time Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winning trainer Nick Zito, and juvenile filly champion Sweet Catomine are listed among the favorites in a wide open third and final pool of Churchill Downs' 2005 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opens its April 7-10 run Thursday.

Live Oak Plantation's High Fly, whose impressive victory in the Florida Derby (gr. I) was his fifth win in six races, has been installed by Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia as the 8-1 favorite in his morning line odds for KDFW Pool 3.

Sun King - one of four Zito-trained 3-year-olds among the 23 horses listed as the pool's individual betting interests - is listed as the 10-1 co-second choice. Also listed at 10-1 is Marty and Pam Wygod's Sweet Catomine, who will attempt Saturday to become the fourth filly in history to defeat males in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby (gr. I).

The mutuel field, a wagering interest that includes all 3-year-olds other than the 23 individual horses in Pool 3 and the betting favorite in each of this year's previous pools, is listed with Noble Causeway, another Zito trainee, as co-third choices at 12-1.

Betting on Pool 3 of the KDFW is scheduled to open at noon (all times EDT) Thursday, April 7. The four-day pool will conclude at 6 p.m., Sunday, April 10. The winning payouts on KDFW Pool 3 will be determined by the odds that are in place at the conclusion of the pool.

"We've had some individual horses over the years that were strong favorites in Pool 3, such as Fusaichi Pegasus   in 2000 and Empire Maker   in 2003 - but this year's final Kentucky Derby Future Pool is truly wide open," said Battaglia. "I think the only way we could have a strong favorite would be to lump all four of trainer Nick Zito's contenders together. The presence of Sweet Catomine should also make this pool a lot of fun. If she should beat the boys impressively in the Santa Anita Derby, she could end up as the favorite in both this pool and the Kentucky Derby itself."

KENTUCKY DERBY FUTURE WAGER POOL 3

# WAGERING INTEREST, MORNING LINE ODDS

1. AFLEET ALEX 15-1
2. BANDINI 15-1
3. BELLAMY ROAD* 20-1
4. BLUES AND ROYALS* 15-1
5. CLOSING ARGUMENT* 30-1
6. CONSOLIDATOR 10-1
7. DON'T GET MAD 30-1
8. FLOWER ALLEY* 30-1
9. GALLOPING GROCER 30-1
10. GIACOMO 30-1
11. GOING WILD 15-1
12. GREATER GOOD 15-1
13. GREELEY'S GALAXY* 50-1
14. HIGH FLY 8-1
15. HIGH LIMIT 10-1
16. NOBLE CAUSEWAY 12-1
17. PAVO* 50-1
18. ROCKPORT HARBOR 15-1
19. SUN KING 10-1
20. SURVIVALIST* 30-1
21. SWEET CATOMINE (F) 10-1
22. WLD DESERT* 30-1
23. WILKO 20-1
24. ALL OTHER 3-YOS 12-1

New wagering interests in KDFW Pool 3 (8) - Bellamy Road, Blues and Royals, Closing Argument (included in Pool 1, but not in Pool 2), Flower Alley, Greeley's Galaxy, Pavo, Survivalist, and Wild Desert.

Combined betting for the first two KDFW pools in 2005 is $1,132,017, which stands $371,789 shy of 2002's three-pool record of $1,503,806. Pool 1 set an individual pool betting record of $620,362, while the $511,655 wagered in Pool 2 in March established a record for that pool.

The 131st running of the Kentucky Derby is scheduled for Saturday, May 7 at Churchill Downs. Information on race and real time odds on the Kentucky Derby Future Wager are available at the official Kentucky Derby Web site at www.kentuckyderby.com.