Kentucky Derby Future Wager Picks Up Steam

Odds on Trust N Luck, off the board in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool at greater than 99-1 prior to his Fountain of Youth (gr. I) victory at Gulfstream Saturday, fell to 23-1 near the close of wagering Saturday.

The 129th Kentucky Derby (gr. I) will be run on Saturday, May 3.

Saturday's Gulfstream and Hutcheson stakes seemed to help observers make up their minds as the wagering total jumped from about $104,000 at Friday's closing to $260,364 as of 10 p.m. EST Saturday. Wagering for the first of three betting periods, or pools, closes on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. EST.

Hutcheson Stakes (gr. II) winner Lion Tamer's odds plummeted as well, dropping from 45-1 Saturday morning to 23-1 at the end of the day.

The field – all 3-year-olds besides the ones listed – remains a solid 2-1 favorite among the 24 betting interests. The field had accounted for 35 percent of the total wagered through Friday, but the percentage had dropped to 26.6 by closing time Saturday.

Sky Mesa's odds dropped from 14-1 to 9-1 on Saturday to make the son of Pulpit the most popular individual horse among the bettors. Yesterday's leader, Kafwain, is 11-1 and Empire Maker 12-1, down from 15-1 Friday. Indy Dancer remains well fancied at 14-1 and Domestic Dispute dropped to 19-1.

Wagering on KDFW Pool 1 resumes at noon on Sunday and will close at 6:30 p.m. Odds that are in place when the pool closes will be the official odds for Pool 1 and winning payouts on Kentucky Derby Day will be based on those odds.

Additional 2003 KDFW pools are scheduled for March 13-16 and April 3-6. The first-ever Kentucky Oaks Future Wager is also set for April 3-6. There are no refunds in either wager.

# ODDS HORSE
1. 45-1 Apalachian Thunder
2. 30-1 Atswhatimtalknbout
3. 50-1 Badge Of Silver
4. 19-1 Domestic Dispute
5. 12-1 Empire Maker
6. 80-1 Funny Cide
7. 14-1 Indy Dancer
8. 11-1 Kafwain
9. 23-1 Lion Tamer
10. 25-1 Man Among Men
11. 22-1 Ministers Wild Cat
12. 25-1 Offlee Wild
13. 30-1 Ozzie Cat.
14. 60-1 Peace Rules
15. 60-1 Saintly Look
16. 30-1 Seattle Hoofer
17. 35-1 Senor Swinger
18. 99-1 Siberland
19. 9-1 Sky Mesa
20. 25-1 Ten Cents A Shine
21. 21-1 Toccet
22. 23-1 Trust N Luck
23. 35-1 Whywhywhy
24. 2-1 All Others