Louisiana Derby winner Repent has been made the slight favorite in Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia listed Repent as the 4-1 favorite, and the mutuel field as the 5-1 second choice in his morning line for the 24 betting interests.
The pool will open at noon EST March 14, and close at 5:30 p.m. March 17. The third and final pool is scheduled for April 4-7.
Just behind the top choices in the morning line are three 6-1 shots: 2001 2-year-old champion Johannesburg; San Rafael Stakes winner Came Home; and Hollywood Futurity winner Siphonic. The list has eight horses that were not included in Pool 1: Blue Burner, Easy Grades, Essence of Dubai, Mayakovsky, Perfect Drift, Showmeitall, Sunday Break, and Yougottawanna.
"This year's Kentucky Derby picture has no clear standout -- a handful of major contenders and a large group of horses looking to prove themselves," Battaglia said. "Although Repent has accomplished a lot, and several other contenders have been impressive, I still think there's enough doubt in the minds of Derby fans that there again be strong support for the mutuel field."
The mutuel field closed as a 5-2 favorite in this year's opening pool, the second-lowest odds on a single pool favorite in the wager's four-year history. Point Given was a record 2-1 favorite in Pool 3 of the 2001 Future Wager.
Pool 1 generated handle of $577,889, a record for a single pool.
Here's the line-up, with program number and odds:
1 Blue Burner 30-1
2 Booklet 20-1
3 Came Home 6-1
4 Danthebluegrassman 30-1
5 Easyfromthegitgo 20-1
6 Easy Grades 50-1
7 Essence Of Dubai 30-1
8 Harlan's Holiday 15-1
9 High Star 50-1
10 Johannesburg 6-1
11 Mayakovsky 50-1
12 Nokoma 50-1
13 Perfect Drift 50-1
14 Repent 4-1
15 Request For Parole 20-1
16 Saarland 12-1
17 Saratoga Blues 30-1
18 Showmeitall 50-1
19 Siphonic 6-1
20 Sunday Break 30-1
21 Tempera 30-1
22 U S S Tinosa 50-1
23 Yougottawanna 50-1
24 All Other 3-Year-Olds 5-1
Deletions from Pool 1 are Cappuchino, Fonz's, Grey Beard, King's Consul, Maybry's Boy, Pelirrojo, Political Attack, and Stephentown.
