Wagering on Pool 3 opens at noon (all times Eastern) on Thursday, April 3 and concludes at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 6.
Wagering on Einar P. Robsham's Trust N Luck in Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager has been suspended after trainer Ralph Ziadie notified officials at Churchill Downs that the winner of the Fountain of Youth (gr. I) would not compete in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) on May 3.Ziadie told Churchill Downs officials that there was no physical problem with the colt, who finished a distant second to Pool 3 morning line favorite Empire Maker in the Florida Derby (gr. I) in his most recent start. He said that he and Trust N Luck's owner had decided to bypass the Derby and to possibly point toward the Preakness (gr. I).Ziadie said he was "100 percent sure" that Trust N Luck would not be entered in the Kentucky Derby. "There is no chance that we will change our mind," he said. "A mile and a quarter might be a little bit too tough for him. A lot of horses can fall by the wayside after that race and you don't want to go to the Derby unless you have a super horse."Churchill Downs can suspend wagering on a horse in any of its pools once it is determined that there is no possibility that the horse will compete in the Kentucky Derby."Churchill Downs truly appreciates Mr. Ziadie's frank discussion of Trust N Luck's Kentucky Derby status and his willingness to discuss his plans with us before the opening of wagering in Pool 3," said Steve Sexton, president of Churchill Downs. "We do our best to ensure that our racing fans are fully informed about the status of the contenders in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager and our new Kentucky Oaks Future Wager."The suspension of wagering on Trust N Luck will leave Pool 3 with 23 wagering interests that include 22 individual horses and a mutuel field that includes all other 3-year-old Thoroughbreds.
