Kentucky Derby Future Wager

The first of three pools of Churchill Downs’ 2012 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”) begins its three-day run on Friday, Feb 10, and the bet’s opening scenario is very similar to each of its opening pools since the wager was created in 1999: the Mutuel Field, or “All Others”, looms as a very strong favorite.

 Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia has installed “All Others” as the 9-5 morning line choice for KDFW Pool 1, but the favored individual horse among the 24 wagering interests in this week’s Friday-Sunday pool is an exciting newcomer.  Starlight Racing’s unbeaten Algorithms (#1), is the favored individual horse at 8-1 and the overall second choice in Battaglia’s early odds for the Pool.  The Todd Pletcher-trained colt burst onto the road to the 138^th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) with an emphatic five-length victory over previously unbeaten 2-year-old champion Hansen (#12) in the Holy Bull (GIII) at Gulfstream Park.

Not far behind Algorithms in Battaglia’s Pool 1 morning line odds is Chadds Ford Stable’s once-beaten Union Rags (#23, 10-1), winner of the Grade I Champagne, and Dr. Kendall Hansen and Sky Chai Racing’s Hansen (12-1), who won the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI) to earn the Eclipse Award that honored him as America’s champion 2-year-old of 2011.

The popular Kentucky Derby Future Wager offers fans the opportunity to bet on candidates for the famed Kentucky Derby, America’s greatest race and one of the world’s premier sports events, well in advance of this year’s running of the famed 1 ¼-mile race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 5.  Fans will receive the odds on their respective horse or horses that are place at the conclusion of wagering in each 2012 pool, and those odds could be significantly higher than those available on Kentucky Derby Day.

Wagering on 2012’s KDFW Pool 1 is scheduled to open on Friday at noon (all times Eastern) and will conclude on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 6 p.m.  The remaining pools are scheduled for March 2-4 and March 30-April 1, and all KDFW pools feature both win and exacta wagering.

All Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools include 24 betting interests that consist of 23 individual horses and the mutuel field, or “all others” interest.  That latter (#24) includes all 3-year-olds other than the pool’s 23 individual horses. 

All bets in the Kentucky Derby are $2 minimum wagers, and there are no refunds on any wager placed during a Kentucky Derby future pool.  If it is determined during any pool that an individual betting interest has suffered an illness, injury or other circumstance that would prevent that horse from competing in the Derby, wagering on that betting interest will be suspended immediately.

Wagering on KDFW Pool 1 is available through TwinSpires.com and other advance deposit wagering platforms and at racetracks and simulcast centers throughout North America.

Here’s the complete field: #1 Algorithms (8-1); #2 Alpha (20-1); #3 Battle Hardended (30-1); #4 Creative Cause (#20-1); #5 Discreet Dancer (15-1); #6 Dullahan (15-1); #7 El Padrino (20-1); #8 Empire Way (50-1); #9 Ever So Lucky (20-1); #10 Fed Biz (20-1); #11 Gemologist (20-1); #12 Hansen (12-1); #13 I’ll Have Another (20-1); #14 Junebugred (50-1); #15 Liaison (20-1); #16 Longview Drive (50-1); #17 Midnight Transfer (50-1); #18 Mr. Bowling (50-1); #19 Out of Bounds (20-1); #20 Rousing Sermon (30-1); #21 Sabercat (30-1); #22 Take Charge Indy (30-1); #23 Union Rags (10-1); and #24 mutuel field (“All Others”, 9-5).

“The mutuel field has been a solid favorite in every opening pool of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager and, given the loss by 2-year-old champion Hansen in his first start as a 3-year-old, there is every reason to think the ‘all others’ bet will be a strong-to-heavy favorite in what appears to be a wide-open crop of Kentucky Derby candidates,” said Battaglia.  “The ‘now’ horse is Algorithms, who is unbeaten, comes from the Pletcher barn, has a strong pedigree and easily handled the reigning 2-year-old champ in the Holy Bull.  The speed figures assigned to that win were impressive, so you can expect a lot of bettors to move in his direction.  But every pool has interesting Derby prospects at attractive odds, and we should remember that last year’s Derby winner, Animal Kingdom, did not even appear as an individual wagering interest until Pool 3.  So much can happen on the road to the Kentucky Derby.”

Algorithms is one of four KDFW Pool 1 horses trained by Pletcher, who saddled Super Saver to win the 2010 Kentucky Derby.  Other Pletcher trainees include unbeaten Discreet Dancer (#5 and the overall fifth choice at 15-1), unbeaten Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) winner Gemologist (#11, 20-1) and recent Gulfstream Park allowance winner El Padrino (20-1).  Hall of Famer and three-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert trains a pair of Pool 1 horses in Liaison (#15, 20-1) and Fed Biz (#10, 20-1).  Others with a pair of Pool 1 trainees include Hall of Famer trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who trains Rousing Sermon (#20, 30-1) and Longview Drive (#16, 50-1), and Mike Harrington, who trains Norfolk (GI) winner Creative Cause (#4, 20-1) and Empire Way (#8, 50-1).

Team Valor’s Animal Kingdom, who went off at odds of 20-1 and paid $43.80 for a $2 win wager in the 2011 Kentucky Derby, was listed as an individual betting interest only during Pool 3 of last year’s Derby Future Wager.  He closed at odds of 31-1 in that pool and a $2 future wager on trainer Graham Motion’s colt returned $64.40 on Derby Day.  As a member of the “all others” mutuel field in the first two pools of 2011, he returned $6.20 for a Pool 1 bet and $9.40 for a Pool 2 wager.  Both Animal Kingdom and Derby runner-up Nehro were part of the “all others” interest (#24), so the KDFW $2 exacta payouts for the three pools were:

• Pool 1 – 24-13 (mutuel field over third-place Mucho Macho Man) for $230;
• Pool 2 – 24-12 (mutuel field over third-place Mucho Macho Man) for $388.20; and
• Pool 3 – 1-12 (Animal Kingdom over runner-up Nehro) for $3,074.60.

The Derby Day $2 exacta payout for Animal Kingdom over Nehro (16-19) was $329.80.

Real-time odds and other information on the KDFW will be available at the official event Web site at www.KentuckyDerby.com. Wagering interests for the 2012 Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools are chosen by a four-member committee that includes Mike Watchmaker, National Handicapper for Daily Racing Form (“DRF”); Brad Free, DRF West Coast correspondent; Ed DeRosa, Brisnet director of Marketing; and John Asher, vice president of racing communications for Churchill Downs.

Churchill Downs has set the dates for its trio of three-day betting pools for its 2012 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”) and a single pool for the historic track’s Kentucky Oaks Future Wager (“KOFW”).

Dates for the pools for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which is now in its 14^th year, are:

• Pool 1 – Feb. 10-12
• Pool 2 – March 2-4
• Pool 3 – March 30-April 1

 Wagering on each of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools will open at noon (all times Eastern) on Friday and close on Sunday at 6 p.m.  The KDFW Pools will feature both win and exacta wagering.

The single three-day pool for the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager, now in its ninth year, is scheduled for March 2-4 and will run concurrent to Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.  Betting on the KOFW pool will open at noon on Friday and is set to conclude on Sunday at 6:30 p.m., 30 minutes after the conclusion of betting on the accompanying Kentucky Derby Future pool.  The Kentucky Oaks Future Pool will also offer win and exacta wagering.

The wagers provide fans of the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks opportunities to bet on potential competitors in those great American races at odds that could be considerably more attractive than those available on the days on which the respective races are run.  Winning mutuel payouts on both wagers are determined by the odds that are in place at the conclusion of each respective betting pool.

The 138^th running of the $2 million-guaranteed Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I), America’s greatest race and the 1 ¼-mile first jewel of the coveted Triple Crown for 3-year-olds, is scheduled to be run on Saturday, May 5 at Churchill Downs.  The $1 million-guaranteed Kentucky Oaks, the nation’s top prize for 3-year-old fillies, will be run on Friday, May 4, the eve of the Derby.  Like the Derby, the Kentucky Oaks has been contested annually since 1875 and its 2012 renewal will mark the 138^th consecutive year that the 1 1/8-mile “Derby for Fillies” has been run beneath the track’s historic Twin Spires.

Both the KDFW and KOFW pools consist of 24 wagering interests that include 23 individual horses and a mutuel field, or “all others” interest.  In the Kentucky Derby wager, the mutuel field is made up of all other 3-year-olds – including fillies.  The mutuel field in the Kentucky Oaks bet consists of all other 3-year-old fillies.

All bets in the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Future Wagers are $2 minimum wagers.  No refund will be made on any wager placed during the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Future pools.  If it is determined during an individual pool that any of the individual betting interests has suffered an illness, injury or other circumstance that would prevent that horse from competing in either race, wagering on that betting interest will be suspended immediately.

Wagering on the Derby and Oaks Future wagers is available through TwinSpires.com and other advance deposit wagering platforms and at racetracks and simulcast centers throughout North America.

Team Valor’s Animal Kingdom, who went off at odds of 20-1 and paid $43.80 for a $2 win wager in the 2011 Kentucky Derby, was listed as an individual betting interest only during Pool 3 of last year’s Derby Future Wager.  He closed at odds of 31-1 in that pool and a $2 future wager on trainer Graham Motion’s colt returned $64.40 on Derby Day.  As a member of the “all others” mutuel field in the first two pools of 2011, he returned $6.20 for a Pool 1 bet and $9.40 for a Pool 2 wager.  Both Animal Kingdom and Derby runner-up Nehro were part of the “all others” interest (#24), so the KDFW $2 exacta payouts for the three pools were:

• Pool 1 – 24-13 (mutuel field over third-place Mucho Macho Man) for $230;
• Pool 2 – 24-12 (mutuel field over third-place Mucho Macho Man) for $388.20;
• Pool 3 – 1-12 (Animal Kingdom over runner-up Nehro) for $3,074.60.

 The Derby Day $2 exacta payout for Animal Kingdom over Nehro (16-19) was $329.80.

Eventual Kentucky Oaks winner Plum Pretty was not an individual betting interest in the lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager pool, but returned $21.80 to win as member of the KOFW mutuel field.  The Peachtree Stable filly trained by Bob Baffert returned $14.60 for a $2 win wager on Oaks Day.  Both Plum Pretty and runner-up St. John’s River were members of the mutuel field, so the KOFW exacta paid to 24-23, with third-place Zazu under the top two “all others” finishers, and returned $142.20 for a $2 bet.  The Oaks Day exacta of Plum Pretty over St. John’s River (12-13) paid $163 for a $2 wager.

Wagering for the three 2011 Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pools totaled $1,362,101, the fifth highest total since the Derby bet was introduced in 1999 and its largest three-pool betting total since 2007.  Kentucky Oaks fans wagered $92,902 during the single KOFW pool of 2011, second only to the single-pool total of $117,368 recorded in the wager’s introductory year in 2003.

Wagering interests for the 2012 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks future pools will be announced on the Wednesday prior to the Friday start of each pool.  Real-time odds and other information on the KDFW will be available at the official event Web site at www.KentuckyDerby.com, and information on the KOFW will be available at www.KentuckyOaks.com.

There was plenty of support for unbeaten champion Uncle Mo (#23) during three strong days of betting in Churchill Downs’ first Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”) pool of 2011, but the final result was very familiar: the mutuel field (#24), or “All Others”, ranked as a solid favorite when betting on the three-day pool concluded early Sunday evening.

The “All Others” betting interest was the 2-1 choice over Uncle Mo, Repole Stable’s reigning 2-year-old champion who was the 7-2 second choice when the first of three 2011 Kentucky Derby Future pools wound to a close.  The mutuel field includes all 3-year-old Thoroughbreds other than the 23 individual horses listed among Pool 1’s wagering interests.  This is the 13th year for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which was launched in 1999, and “All Others” has been favored in the opening pool in each of those years.

Betting was brisk throughout the pool and Kentucky Derby fans wagered a near-record $592,492 in its win and exacta pools during the three-day session. The Pool 1 betting total is the second-largest single pool total in KDFW history, trailing only the $620,362 wagered during the opening pool in 2005.  The 2011 Pool 1 total includes $480,375 wagered to win and $112,117 in exacta bets.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager provides fans with opportunities to wager on potential contenders for the 137th Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) at odds that could be much more attractive than those available on race day.  It offers win and exacta wagering, and all bets are $2 minimum wagers.  No refunds will be made on any wager made during a KDFW pool.  If it is determined during any pool that an individual horse has suffered an illness, injury or other circumstance that would prevent the betting interest from competing in Kentucky Derby, wagering on the horse will be suspended immediately.

Holy Bull (GIII) winner Dialed In (#7) was the overall third choice at 8-1, while Remsen (GII) winner To Honor and Serve (#22) closed at 10-1 and unbeaten Brethren (#3), the unbeaten half-brother to 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, stood at odds of 15-1 when Pool 1 when the pool ended.

KDFW Pool 2 is set for March 11-13 and the year’s final pool is set for April 1-3, and the Kentucky Derby will be run on Saturday, May 7 at Churchill Downs.  Information on the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Derby Future Wager – including real-time KDFW Pool 1 odds – is available at the official Kentucky Derby Web site at www.KentuckyDerby.com.   

KENTUCKY DERBY FUTURE WAGER
Pool 1, Feb. 18-20, 2011
FINAL ODDS & WILL PAYS
       
#    Wagering interest    Morning Line      Friday, 2/18  ...   Sat., 2/19  ...  FINAL ODDS ...   $2 Will Pay

1    Anthony’s Cross    30-1    65-1    55-1    45-1    $92.00       
2    Astrology    30-1    58-1    64-1    48-1    $98.20       
3    Brethren    15-1    18-1    18-1    15-1    $33.60       
4    Clubhouse Ride    50-1    99-1    99-1    127-1    $256.60       
5    Comma to the Top (g)    20-1    99-1    99-1    90-1    $183.00       
6    Decisive Moment    50-1    99-1    99-1    186-1    $375.40       
7    Dialed In    10-1    8-1    8-1    8-1    $18.80       
8    Gourmet Dinner    30-1    99-1    99-1    85-1    $172.80       
9    Indian Winter    50-1    99-1    99-1    71-1    $144.00       
10    J P’s Gusto (r)    20-1    86-1    87-1    79-1    $160.60       
11    Jaycito    20-1    33-1    27-1    21-1    $44.60       
12    Machen    30-1    50-1    41-1    49-1    $100.80       
13    Mucho Macho Man    30-1    99-1    66-1    30-1    $62.40       
14    Rogue Romance    30-1    59-1    49-1    34-1    $70.20       
15    Santiva    30-1    79-1    66-1    37-1    $77.20       
16    Silver Medallion    20-1    85-1    89-1    66-1    $134.80       
17    Soldat    20-1    29-1    21-1    18-1    $39.40       
18    Stay Thirsty    30-1    68-1    51-1    40-1    $83.40       
19    Sweet Ducky    50-1    99-1    88-1    79-1    $161.20       
20    The Factor    20-1    40-1    35-1    25-1    $53.60       
21    Tiz Blessed    30-1    99-1    84-1    79-1    $160.20       
22    To Honor and Serve    10-1    17-1    10-1    10-1    $23.00       
23    Uncle Mo    9-2    3-1    7-2    7-2    $9.20       
24    Mutuel Field  (All Other 3YOs)    5-2    EVEN    6-5    2-1    $6.20    

Kentucky Derby fans across North America displayed their faith on Saturday in unbeaten champion Uncle Mo’s (#23) chances to win the 137th Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I), but that was not enough to knock the “All Others” (#24) interest out of the favorite’s spot in the opening pool of Churchill Downs’ Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”).

Repole Stable’s reigning 2-year-old champion and winner of the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI) at Churchill Downs was the favored individual horse at 7-2 heading after the second day of betting in the three-day KDFW pool, but the mutuel field, or “All Others”, remained a solid 6-5 favorite.

Betting in Pool 1 of the 2011 Kentucky Derby Future Wager at racetracks, off-track betting centers and online at TwinSpires.com and other advance deposit wagering platforms will resume at noon (all times Eastern) on Sunday, Feb. 20.  Wagering on final day of the pool will conclude at 6 p.m.

Kentucky Derby fans wagered $179,340 to win and another $30,315 in the exacta pool on Saturday for a two-day Pool 1 betting total of $310,162.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager provides fans with opportunities to wager on potential contenders for the May 7 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) at odds that could be much more attractive than those available on race day.  It offers win and exacta wagering, and all bets are $2 minimum wagers.  No refunds will be made on any wager made during a KDFW pool.  If it is determined during any pool that an individual horse has suffered an illness, injury or other circumstance that would prevent the betting interest from competing in Kentucky Derby, wagering on the horse will be suspended immediately.

Remsen (GII) winner To Honor and Serve (#22) made a significant move in Saturday’s betting as odds on the overall fourth betting choice dropped from 17-1 to 10-1. Unbeaten Holy Bull (GIII) winner Dialed In (#7) was the 8-1 third choice, while Brethren (#3), the unbeaten winner of the Sam F. Davis (GIII), stood at 18-1 after two days of betting.  Mucho Macho Man (#13) gained support after his win in Saturday’s Risen Star (GII) at Fair Grounds.  He dropped to 66-1 after opening Saturday’s betting at 99-1.Information on the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Derby Future Wager – including real-time KDFW Pool 1 odds – is available at the official event Web site at www.KentuckyDerby.com. 
 
#    Wagering interest    Morning Line      Friday, 2/18    Sat., 2/19

1    Anthony’s Cross    30-1    65-1    55-1       
2    Astrology    30-1    58-1    64-1       
3    Brethren    15-1    18-1    18-1       
4    Clubhouse Ride    50-1    99-1    99-1       
5    Comma to the Top (g)    20-1    99-1    99-1       
6    Decisive Moment    50-1    99-1    99-1       
7    Dialed In    10-1    8-1    8-1       
8    Gourmet Dinner    30-1    99-1    99-1       
9    Indian Winter    50-1    99-1    99-1       
10    J P’s Gusto (r)    20-1    86-1    87-1       
11    Jaycito    20-1    33-1    27-1       
12    Machen    30-1    50-1    41-1       
13    Mucho Macho Man    30-1    99-1    66-1       
14    Rogue Romance    30-1    59-1    49-1       
15    Santiva    30-1    79-1    66-1       
16    Silver Medallion    20-1    85-1    89-1       
17    Soldat    20-1    29-1    21-1       
18    Stay Thirsty    30-1    68-1    51-1       
19    Sweet Ducky    50-1    99-1    88-1       
20    The Factor    20-1    40-1    35-1       
21    Tiz Blessed    30-1    99-1    84-1       
22    To Honor and Serve    10-1    17-1    10-1       
23    Uncle Mo    9-2    3-1    7-2       
24    Mutuel Field (All Other 3YOs    5-2    EVEN    6-5

Day 1 (Friday, Feb. 18):  Win - $91,287       Exacta - $18,220    TOTAL - $109,507       
Day 2 (Saturday, Feb. 19)  Win - $170,340    Exacta - $30,315    TOTAL - $310,162       
(g) – gelding   (r) - ridgling       
Morning Line Odds by Mike Battaglia    

The betting interest known as “All Others” has been favored in every opening pool of Churchill Downs’ Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”) since the bet was created in 1999, but results of the first day of the 2011 Derby Future bet indicate that Repole Stable’s unbeaten champion Uncle Mo could possess the star power and public support to make history this year.

The mutuel field, or “All Others” (#24), was a strong even-money favorite after the first of three days of betting in the opening pool of KDFW 2011, but backers of reigning 2-year-old champion Uncle Mo (#23) turned out in force on Friday and made the son of Indian Charlie the solid 3-1 second choice.

Kentucky Derby fans wagered $91,287 to win and another $18,220 in the exacta pool for an opening day betting total of $109,507.   Pool 1 wagering will resume at noon (all times Eastern) on Saturday at racetracks, off-track betting centers and online at TwinSpires.com and other advance deposit wagering platforms.  Betting on the first of three KDFW 2011 pools will conclude on Sunday evening at 6 p.m.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager provides fans with opportunities to wager on potential contenders for the May 7 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) at odds that could be much more attractive than those available on race day.  It offers win and exacta wagering, and all bets are $2 minimum wagers.  No refunds will be made on any wager made during a KDFW pool.  If it is determined during any pool that an individual horse has suffered an illness, injury or other circumstance that would prevent the betting interest from competing in Kentucky Derby, wagering on the horse will be suspended immediately.

Other horses attracting strong support on the Pool 1’s opening day were unbeaten Holy Bull (GIII) winner Dialed In (#7) at 8-1, Remsen (GII) winner To Honor and Serve (#22) at 17-1 and unbeaten Sam F. Davis (GIII) winner Brethren (#3), a half-brother to 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, at 18-1.

The complexion of Pool 1’s odds could change after Saturday’s running of the $300,000 Risen Star (GIII) at New Orleans’ Fair Grounds.  Five KDFW Pool 1 betting interests are featured in its 10-horse field.

Information on the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Derby Future Wager – including real-time KDFW Pool 1 odds – is available at the official event Web site at www.KentuckyDerby.com. 

KENTUCKY DERBY FUTURE WAGER
Pool 1, Feb. 18-20
Opening Day Odds       
#    KDFW Pool 1 Wagering Interest    Morning Line Odds    Day 1 (Friday, 2/18)  

    
1    Anthony’s Cross    30-1    65-1       
2    Astrology    30-1    58-1       
3    Brethren    15-1    18-1       
4    Clubhouse Ride    50-1    99-1       
5    Comma to the Top (g)    20-1    99-1       
6    Decisive Moment    50-1    99-1       
7    Dialed In    10-1    8-1       
8    Gourmet Dinner    30-1    99-1       
9    Indian Winter    50-1    99-1       
10    J P’s Gusto (r)    20-1    86-1       
11    Jaycito    20-1    33-1       
12    Machen    30-1    50-1       
13    Mucho Macho Man    30-1    99-1       
14    Rogue Romance    30-1    59-1       
15    Santiva    30-1    79-1       
16    Silver Medallion    20-1    85-1       
17    Soldat    20-1    29-1       
18    Stay Thirsty    30-1    68-1       
19    Sweet Ducky    50-1    99-1       
20    The Factor    20-1    40-1       
21    Tiz Blessed    30-1    99-1       
22    To Honor and Serve    10-1    17-1       
23    Uncle Mo    9-2    3-1       
24    Mutuel Field (All Other 3YOs    5-2    EVEN     

Day 1 (Friday, Feb. 18):  Win - $91,287       Exacta - $18,220    TOTAL - $109,507       
(g) – gelding   (r) - ridgling       
Morning Line Odds by Mike Battaglia    

Repole Stable’s Uncle Mo, the unbeaten 2-year-old champion of 2010 and winner of last fall’s Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Grade I) at Churchill Downs, is a strong individual favorite in the first of three betting pools in Churchill Downs’ 2011 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”).  But the mutuel field, or “All Others”, is expected to again be the bettors’ choice when the Feb. 18-20 pool completes its run early Sunday evening.

The mutuel field (#24), the betting interest that includes all 3-year-old Thoroughbreds other than the 23 individual horses in the three-day pool, has been the Pool 1 favorite in each of the previous 12 years of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which was launched in 1999. Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia installed “All Others” as the 5-2 morning line favorite to continue the trend, but the Todd Pletcher-trained Uncle Mo (#23) is a clear overall second choice at 9-2.  Among individual horses, the 3-year-old son of Indian Charlie is the clear favorite as the horses rated closed to the champion – co-second choices To Honor and Serve (#22) and Dialed In (#7) – were rated at odds of 10-1.

Uncle Mo showed every sign of being something special during his perfect 2-year-old season,” said Battaglia, who sets the morning line odds for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands and all races run at the Derby’s historic home track.  “He was an easy winner in each of his races, and those wins were incredibly appealing to the eye and very exciting on-paper for fans of speed figures and other handicapping data.  Uncle Mo is a horse with real star power and has good chance to close at odds lower than 9-2, but that makes this year’s opening Derby Future pool even more fun because the lower Uncle Mo’s odds go, the prices on other individual horses will rise and become more appealing.”

Betting on KDFW Pool 1 opens at noon (all times Eastern) on Friday, Feb. 18 and concludes at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 20..  Pool 2 mutuel payouts on Kentucky Derby Day will be determined by the odds in place at the conclusion of betting at North American racetracks, off-track betting facilities and advance deposit wagering outlets.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager provides fans with opportunities to wager on potential Derby contenders odds that could be considerably more attractive than those available on the day of the respective race.  It offers win and exacta wagering, and all bets are $2 minimum wagers.  No refund will be made on any wager made during any Kentucky Derby Future pool.  If it is determined during the pool that any individual betting interest has suffered an illness, injury or other circumstance that would prevent the horse from competing in the race, wagering on that horse will be suspended immediately.

Last year’s winning payouts on WinStar Farm’s victorious Super Saver in all three pools of the 2010 Derby Future Wager were significantly larger than the $18 mutuel returned for a $2 wager on the Pletcher-trained colt in the race itself. A $2 Derby Future win wager on Super Saver returned $43.20 in Pool 1, $51.20 in Pool 2 and $73 in Pool 3.  The Derby Future bet’s $2 exacta in Pool 3 for the 1-2 Kentucky Derby finishers, Super Saver and Ice Box, returned $1,077.40 – a record payout in the brief history of the Derby Future exacta.  The Derby Day exacta returned $152.40.

Uncle Mo won his three 2010 starts by a combined margin of 23 ¼ lengths.  Along with his 4 ¼-length win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, the champion scored an easy win in the Champagne (GI) at Belmont Park.  He is one of two Pool 1 contenders owned by the stable of Mike Repole, who also races the Pletcher-trained Stay Thirsty (#18), runner-up in the Hopeful (GI) at Saratoga and fifth to his stablemate in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.  Pletcher, who also trains WinStar Farm’s unbeaten Sam F. Davis (GIII) winner Brethren (#3), is the only trainer who conditions more than one wagering interest in KDFW Pool 1.

The co-second choices in Battaglia’s morning line – Live Oak Plantation’s To Honor and Serve and Robert LaPenta’s Dialed In – have taken different approaches so far in their 3-year-old campaigns.  To Honor and Serve is training at Florida’s Payson Park in preparation for his 2011 debut for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott..  The son of Bernardini won three of four races last year, including the Remsen (GII) and Nashua (GII) at Aqueduct.  Dialed In, trained by Hall of Famer and two-time Kentucky Derby winner Nick Zito, won his racing debut at Churchill Downs in November and returned to competition in late January with a dazzling victory in the Holy Bull (GIII) at Gulfstream Park,

Several KDFW horses will compete in a trio of Kentucky Derby prep races scheduled during the upcoming Presidents Day holiday weekend.   Saturday’s $300,000 Risen Star (GIII) at New Orleans’ Fair Grounds has drawn a field of 10 3-year-olds that includes Decisive Moment (#6), Machen (#12), Mucho Macho Man (#13), Rogue Romance (#14) and Santiva (#15).  Sunday’s $150,000 San Vicente (GII) at Santa Anita is expected to attract The Factor (#20) and Indian Winter (#9).  Monday’s $250,000 Southwest at Oaklawn Park, which will be run the day after Pool 1 closes, will be headed by J P’s Gusto (#10).

Information on the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Derby Future Wager – including real-time KDFW Pool 1 odds – is available at the official event Web site at www.KentuckyDerby.com.

Wagering interests for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager are chosen by a three-member committee that includes Daily Racing Form national handicapper Mike Watchmaker and West Coast correspondent Brad Free, and John Asher, vice president of Racing Communications at Churchill Downs.

Two more KDFW pools will be conducted before the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby is run on Saturday, May 7.  Pool 2 is set for March 11-13 and the year’s final pool will run from April 1-3.

KENTUCKY DERBY FUTURE WAGER
Pool 1, Feb. 18-20

     
Program #    KDFW Pool 1 Wagering Interest    Morning Line Odds       
1    Anthony’s Cross    30-1       
2    Astrology    30-1       
3    Brethren    15-1       
4    Clubhouse Ride    50-1       
5    Comma to the Top (g)    20-1       
6    Decisive Moment    50-1       
7    Dialed In    10-1       
8    Gourmet Dinner    30-1       
9    Indian Winter    50-1       
10    J P’s Gusto (r)    20-1       
11    Jaycito    20-1       
12    Machen    30-1       
13    Mucho Macho Man    30-1       
14    Rogue Romance    30-1       
15    Santiva    30-1       
16    Silver Medallion    20-1       
17    Soldat    20-1       
18    Stay Thirsty    30-1       
19    Sweet Ducky    50-1       
20    The Factor    20-1       
21    Tiz Blessed    30-1       
22    To Honor and Serve    10-1       
23    Uncle Mo    9-2       
24    Mutuel Field (All Other 3-Year-Olds)    5-2       
(g) – gelding   (r) - ridgling       
Morning Line Odds by Mike Battaglia    

Churchill Downs has established dates for a trio of three-day betting pools in its 2011 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”) and a single pool for this year’s Kentucky Oaks Future Wager (“KOFW”).

Dates established for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which is being conducted for the 13th consecutive year, are:

• POOL 1 – Feb. 18-20
• POOL 2 – March 11-13
• POOL 3 – April 1-3

    
    Wagering on each of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools will open at noon (all times Eastern) on Friday and close on Sunday at 6 p.m.  The KDFW Pools will include both win and exacta wagering.

The dates for the single pool for the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager will again run concurrently with Pool 2 of the Derby Future.  The 2011 Oaks Future Pool is set for March 11-13.  Betting on that pool will open at noon on Firday, March 11, but close on Sunday, March 13 at 6:30 p.m., which is 30 minutes after the conclusion of wagering on the second Derby Future Pool.

There is a significant change in the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager as exacta betting will be offered as part of that wager for the first time.  The Kentucky Oaks pool, which is being offered for the ninth consecutive year, had previously offered win betting only.  Exacta wagering has been offered on the past five Derby Future pools over the past two years.

The Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Future Wagers provide fans of those races opportunities to wager on potential competitors in those races at odds that could be considerably more attractive than those available on the day of the respective race.  Winning payouts on the Derby and Oaks Future Wagers are determined by the odds in place at the end of each respective betting pool.

All bets in the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Future Wagers are $2 minimum wagers.  No refund will be made on any wager made during the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Future pools.  If it is determined during those pools that any of the individual betting interests has suffered an illness, injury or other circumstance that would prevent that horse from competing in either race, wagering on that betting interest will be suspended immediately.

Both the KDFW and KOFW pools consist of 24 wagering interests that include 23 individual horses and a mutuel field, or “all others” interest.  In the Kentucky Derby wager, the mutuel field is made up of all other 3-year-olds – including fillies.  The mutuel field in the Kentucky Oaks bet consists of all other 3-year-old fillies. 

Winning payouts in all three pools of the 2010 Kentucky Derby Future Wager on WinStar Farm’s victorious Super Saver were significantly larger than the $18 mutuel returned for a winning ticket on the Todd Pletcher trainee on Derby Day. A $2 KDFW bet on Super Saver returned $43.20 in Pool 1, $51.20 in Pool 2 and $73 in Pool 3.  The Derby Future bet’s $2 exacta in Pool 3 for 1-2 Derby finishers Super Saver and Ice Box returned $1,077.40 – a record payout in the brief history of the Derby Future exacta.  The exacta that combined those two horses on Derby Day returned $152.40.

The 137th running of the Kentucky Oaks, America’s top race for 3-year-old fillies that will carry a record purse of $1 million guaranteed in 2011, is scheduled for Friday, May 6 at Churchill Downs.  The $2 million guaranteed Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands will be run on Saturday, May 7.

Wagering interests for each of the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Future Wager will be announced on the Wednesday prior to the Friday start of each pool.  Real-time odds and other information on the KDFW will be available at the official event Web site at www.KentuckyDerby.com, and information on the KOFW will be available at www.KentuckyOaks.com.

Fans of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) made two things resoundingly clear in the first of Churchill Downs’ three Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”): there is no definitive favorite on the road to the big race on the first Saturday in May and it is possible that the winner of this year’s 136th renewal of American’s Greatest Race is not yet on the radar screen.

While 2009 2-year-old champion Lookin At Lucky was favored among 23 individual horses when KDFW Pool 1 wrapped up its three-day run Sunday, Feb. 14 at 6 p.m. (EST), it was the mutuel field – which represents all 3-year-olds other than the 23 horses in the pool – that was the heavy overall favorite.  The “all others” bet closed as the heavy 3-2 betting choice and the mutuel field now been the favored betting interest each year since the Derby Future Bet was unveiled in 1999.

Should a member of the mutuel field win the Kentucky Derby, as Mine That Bird did in 2009, the win payout for a $2 wager on the “all others” betting interest (#24) will be $5.  Lookin At Lucky, who bids to give Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert his fourth winner of the famed “Run for the Roses”, closed at 8-1 and would return $18.20 to his KDFW Pool 1 backers if he wins the Derby.  Buddy’s Saint, the Remsen (GII) winner and the pool’s third betting choice at 10-1, will return $22.40 to his fans with a victory in Derby 136.

A total of $466,048 was wagered during the first-ever three-day Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool – all pools had lasted four days prior to this year.  The Pool 1 total included $385,995 in win betting and $80,053 wagered on exactas.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager provides an opportunity for fans to wager weeks in advance on contenders for the Kentucky Derby (GI) – which will be run at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 1 – at odds that could be more attractive than those they would receive on Derby Day.  All KDFW pools also include exacta wagering.  The Derby Future bet is a $2 minimum “win” wager.  The minimum wager for a straight exacta, which requires the bettor to select the Kentucky Derby’s top two finishers in the exact order of finish, is $2, while the minimum for exacta boxes and wheels is $1.

Others horses that attracted strong support during Pool 1 included the Bill Mott-trained Drosselmeyer, Hopeful (GI) winner Dublin and Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) winner Super Saver – all of whom closed at 20-1. Eskendereya, a recent allowance winner at Gulfstream Park, closed at 22-1; and Rule, winner of Saturday’s Sam F. Davis (GIII) at Tampa Bay Downs, who was a 24-1 risk at the conclusion of wagering.   Todd Pletcher, looking for his first Derby victory, trains Super Saver, Eskendereya and Rule.

More information on the Kentucky Derby Future Wager is available online at www.kentuckyderby.com, the official Web site for the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands and definitive online resource for information about the Kentucky Derby experience.  Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager is set for March 5-7, while the year’s final pool is scheduled for March 26-28.

Final Pool 1 Win Odds

Final Pool 1 Exacta Probables

Lookin At Lucky and Buddy’s Saint continued to attract solid support in the opening pool of Churchill Downs’ 2010 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”), but the “all others” option remained a dominant favorite heading into Sunday’s final day of betting in the three-day pool.

The mutuel field, which includes all 3-year-olds other than the 23 individual horses in the pool, remained a strong 6-5 betting choice following Saturday’s second day of wagering in the three-day pool.  The “all others” wager was the 2-5 choice following Friday’s opening session of betting.  The Bob Baffert-trained Lookin At Lucky, the 2-year-old champion of 2009, remained a solid second choice at 6-1 and Buddy’s Saint, winner of the Remsen (Grade II) at Aqueduct on Nov. 28, was the third choice at 10-1. 

Total wagering through two days of KDFW Pool 1 rose to $254,419 at the end of Saturday’s betting, which included $36,988 wagered on exactas.  Betting will resume at noon (all times EST) on Sunday, the closing day of the pool.  Betting in the first of three 2010 Derby Future pools will conclude Sunday at 6 p.m.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager provides an opportunity for fans to wager weeks in advance on contenders for the Kentucky Derby (GI) – which will be run at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 1 – at odds that could be more attractive than those they would receive on Derby Day.  All KDFW pools also include exacta wagering.  The Derby Future bet is a $2 minimum “win” wager.  The minimum wager for a straight exacta, which requires the bettor to select the Kentucky Derby’s top two finishers in the exact order of finish, is $2, while the minimum for exacta boxes and wheels is $1.

Two significant Kentucky Derby prep races were run on Saturday.  The $150,000 Robert B. Lewis (GII) at Santa Anita was won by Caracortado, a member of the favored mutuel field. Dave In Dixie (38-1) and American Lion (40-1) finished 2-3 behind Caracortado. The Sam F. Davis (GIII) at Tampa Bay Downs was won by Rule, an individual betting interest in Pool 1 whose odds dropped to 31-I by the end of Saturday’s betting.  Previously Uptowncharlybrown, who was third in the Davis, closed at 29-1 on Saturday after opening the day at odds of 35-1. Dublin (21-1) and Conveyance (37-1) are scheduled to run on Monday in the Southwest (GIII) at Oaklawn Park.

 
#        WAGERING INTEREST        ODDS          
                                   
1        AIKENITE        58-1
2        AMERICAN LION        40-1        
3        BUDDY’S SAINT        10-1          
4        CONCORD POINT        99-1       
5        CONVEYANCE        37-1        
6        DAVE IN DIXIE        38-1         
7        DROSSELMEYER        25-1       
8        DRYFLY        56-1          
9        DUBLIN        21-1       
10        ESKENDEREYA        25-1         
11        JACKSON BEND        33 -1    
12        LOOKIN AT LUCKY        6-1        
13        MAKE MUSIC FOR ME        99-1     
14        MAXIMUS RULER        90-1        
15        NOBLE’S PROMISE        39-1       
16        RON THE GREEK        35-1         
17        RULE        31-1      
18        STAY PUT        59-1        
19        SUPER SAVER        26-1         
20        TIZ CHROME        29-1
21        UPTOWNCHARLYBROWN        29-1          
22        VALE OF YORK (IRE)        30-1                
23        WILLIAM’S KITTEN        54-1            
24        MUTUEL FIELD “ALL OTHERS”        6/5          
                                   
        TOTAL        $217,431  (win pool)             

There were few surprises on a brisk opening day of betting in Pool 1 of Churchill Downs’ 2010 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”) as 2-year-old champion Lookin At Lucky ended the day as the favored individual contender for the May 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum Brands (Grade I), but the “all others” wagering interest was a heavy overall favorite.

Fueled by a $5,000 wager placed on the mutuel field, which represents all Thoroughbreds other than the 23 individual horses in Pool 1, during the first five minutes of Friday’s betting, odds on the “all others” betting interest dropped as low as 1-9 in and had risen slightly to 2-5 by late evening.  The Bob Baffert-trained Lookin At Lucky, winner of the Cash Futurity (GI) at Hollywood Park last time out, was the second choice at 9-1, while Remsen (GII) winner Buddy’s Saint was a close third choice at 12-1.

A total of $121,975 was wagered during the first of three days of Pool 1 Derby Future betting – which included $105,905 in win wagers and $16,070 in exacta betting.   Of the win total, $60,788 was wagered on the mutuel field.  Betting is set to resume in the first of three 2010 KDFW pools at noon (all times EST) on Saturday, Feb. 13.  Pool 1 wagering will conclude on Sunday, Feb. 14 at 6 p.m.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager provides an opportunity for fans to wager weeks in advance on contenders for the Kentucky Derby – which will be run at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 1 – at odds that could be more attractive than those they would receive on Derby Day.  Exacta wagering, a popular addition to the Kentucky Derby Future Wager betting menu in 2009, is back for all three pools in 2010.  The Derby Future bet is a $2 minimum “win” wager.  The minimum wager for a straight exacta, which requires the bettor to select the Kentucky Derby’s top two finishers in the exact order of finish, is $2, while the minimum for exacta boxes and wheels is $1.

Other horses that attracted significant support on Friday’s opening day of betting included Dublin (27-1), the Hopeful (GI) winner trained by four-time Kentucky Derby winner D. Wayne Lukas; unbeaten Uptowncharlybrown (35-1), one of the favorites for Saturday’s Sam F. Davis Stakes (GIII) at Tampa Bay Downs; and the WinStar Farm duo of Drosselmeyer (40-1) and Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) winner Super Saver (41-1).
 
#        Wagering Intereest       ODDS         
                               
1        AIKENITE        83-1     
2        AMERICAN LION        59-1     
3        BUDDY’S SAINT        12-1   
4        CONCORD POINT        99-1  
5        CONVEYANCE        71-1    
6        DAVE IN DIXIE        99-1   
7        DROSSELMEYER        40-1   
8        DRYFLY        79-1    
9        DUBLIN        27-1  
10        ESKENDEREYA        50-1      
11        JACKSON BEND        60-1   
12        LOOKIN AT LUCKY        9-1    
13        MAKE MUSIC FOR ME        99-1   
14        MAXIMUS RULER        99-1    
15        NOBLE’S PROMISE        70-1  
16        RON THE GREEK        62-1   
17        RULE        59-1
18        STAY PUT        98-1      
19        SUPER SAVER        41-1  
20        TIZ CHROME        47-1   
21        UPTOWNCHARLYBROWN  35-1
22        VALE OF YORK (IRE)        52-1    
23        WILLIAM’S KITTEN        73-1     
24        MUTUEL FIELD “ALL OTHERS”        2-5   
                               
TOTAL                        105,905.60