Future Wager

Churchill Downs’ 2009 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”) begins its 11th year on Thursday when the first of its three betting pools opens with the mutuel field, or “all others,” as the favored betting interest as fans take their shot at picking the winner of the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) months in advance of America’s greatest race.

Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia has installed the “all others” betting interest as the 5-2 favorite in Pool 1, which opens at noon (all times EST) on Thursday, Feb. 12 and concludes at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15.  But that’s hardly a surprise as the mutuel field has been favored in the KDFW’s opening pool in each of the first 10 years of the Derby Future bet.  Fans often opt for the “all others” bet rather than make a commitment to an individual horse so early in the Derby campaign and this year’s group of contenders seems more wide-open than most.

Among individual horses, Fox Hill Farm’s Old Fashioned, winner of last fall’s Remsen (GII) at Aqueduct, and Joseph Rauch and David Zell’s Capt. Candyman Can, winner of the recent Hutcheson (GII) at Gulfstream Park and the Iroquois (GIII) at Churchill Downs, are co-favored individual interests in Battaglia’s morning line at 10-1.  That duo is followed by a closely-matched group of young stars at 12-1 that includes 2008 2-year-old champion Midshipman; Stardom Bound, the only filly among the individual betting interests and last year’s champion 2-year-old of her gender; Lecomte (GIII) Risen Star (GII) winner Friesan Fire; CashCall Futurity (GI) and Robert B. Lewis (GII) winner Pioneerof the Nile; Champagne (GI) winner Vineyard Haven; and This Ones for Phil, winner of the Sunshine Millions Dash.  This Ones For Phil is the lone member of Pool 1 that is not yet nominated to the Kentucky Derby and the Triple Crown.

Other major contenders in the first of this year’s KDFW pools include Beethoven and Giant Oak, the 1-2 finishers in last fall’s Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) at Churchill Downs.  Both are listed at odds of 15-1.

Kentucky Derby fans will be hoping for generous return on their wager in the Feb. 12-15 pool that would rival the opening pool of 2003, which saw Derby winner Funny Cide return $188 for their $2 Derby Future bet in Pool 1.  The Sackatoga Stable star paid only $27.60 for a $2 win bet on Kentucky Derby Day.  Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager is a $2 minimum wager and a “win” bet only.
Betting interests in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools are selected by a panel that includes Mike Watchmaker, Daily Racing Form national handicapper; Brad Free, West Coast correspondent for the Daily Racing Form; and John Asher, vice president of racing communications at Churchill Downs.

A total of $1,056,520 was wagered on the three Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools in 2008 as total betting on the wager topped the $1 million mark for the ninth consecutive time in its 10-year history.  KDFW Pool 2 is scheduled for March 12-15 and the third and final pool will be conducted April 2-5.  

Real-time odds on Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager are available on the official Kentucky Derby Web site at www.kentuckyderby.com. 

Churchill Downs has established the dates for the three wagering pools that will comprise the track’s 2008 renewals of its Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”) and Kentucky Oaks Future Wager (“KOFW”).

The three respective pools for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Future Wagers will again run concurrently. Pending final approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority, the dates for the two wagers will be:

Pool 1 – Feb. 7-10
Pool 2 – March 6-9
Pool 3 – April 3-6

The Thursday through Sunday pools for both the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Future Wagers will open at noon (all times Eastern) on Thursday. The Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools will close at 6 p.m. on Sunday and the Kentucky Oaks Pools will close a half-hour later at 6:30 p.m.

The 2008 Kentucky Derby Future Wager will mark the 10th year of Thoroughbred racing’s first pari-mutuel future bet. The 134th running of the $2 million guaranteed Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I), America’s premier race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds run at 1 ¼-miles, is scheduled for Saturday, May 3 at Churchill Downs. The Kentucky Oaks Future Wager, which was established in 2003, will be offered for the sixth consecutive year. The $500,000-added Kentucky Oaks (GI), a race for 3-year-old fillies, will be renewed for the 134th time on Friday, May 2.

The Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Future Wagers are minimum $2 wagers and are win bets only. The wagers offer racing fans the opportunity to bet on Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks contenders at odds that could be greater than those they would receive on the day of each race. There are no refunds in either the Kentucky Derby Future Wager or the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager. Winning payouts in all Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Future Wager pools are based on the odds that are in place on each wagering interest at the conclusion of each respective pool.

Each pool of the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Future Wagers is comprised of 24 betting interests that include 23 individual horses. The 24th wagering interest for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager is a mutuel field that includes all other
3-year-old Thoroughbreds. The final betting interest in the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager is a mutuel field that includes all other 3-year-old fillies.

James Tafel’s Street Sense, winner of the 2007 Kentucky Derby, was the betting favorite on Derby Day, although he had not been favored in any of the three Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools. The mutuel field, or “all others,” was favored in Pools 1 and 2, while Curlin – the then-unbeaten winner of the Arkansas Derby (GII) and the eventual third-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby, was the favorite in the third and final pool.

Kentucky Oaks winner Rags to Riches was a strong betting favorite on Kentucky Oaks Day, and was favored in two of 2007’s three Kentucky Oaks Future Wager pools. The mutuel field was a narrow 3-1 choice over Rags to Riches (7-2) in last year’s Pool 1.

KENTUCKY DERBY FUTURE WAGER STATISTICS
Wagering Pool 1 Pool 2 Pool 3 Total
2007 $520,688 $379,613 $465,123 $1,365,424
2006 $552,627 $464,236 $454,743 $1,471,606
2005 $620,362** $511,655 $533,973 $1,665,990****
2004 $536,958 $358,966 $386,244 $1,282,168
2003 $516,906 $391,002 $222,261 $1,130,169
2002 $577,889 $401,070 $524,847 $1,503,806
2001 $510,815 $372,961 $425,871 $1,309,647
2000 $465,454 $306,259 $387,206 $1,158,919
1999 $267,748 $178,811 $229,674 $ 676,233

Winning Payout Pool 1 Pool 2 Pool 3 Derby Payout
2007 Street Sense $22.80 $18.20 $15.40 $11.80*
2006 Barbaro $40.20 $32.20 $20.80 $14.20
2005 Giacomo $52.00 $54.20 $103.60 $102.60
2004 Smarty Jones $5.60 (f) $10.80 (f) $23.60 $10.20*
2003 Funny Cide $188.00*** $120.80 $107.40 $27.60
2002 War Emblem $7.60 (f)* $16.00 (f) $24.00 (f) $43.00
2001 Monarchos $36.60 $13.00 $15.80 $23.00
2000 Fusaichi Pegasus $27.80 $26.40 $ 8.00* $ 6.60*
1999 Charismatic $10.20 (f)* $30.20 (f) $26.60 (f) $64.60
(f) – Mutuel field *Favorite **KDFW single pool wagering record
***Record KDFW win payout ****KDFW total wagering (all pool) record

KENTUCKY OAKS FUTURE WAGER STATISTICS
Wagering Pool 1 Pool 2 Pool 3 Total
2007 $66,206 $55,840 $71,040 $193,086****
2006 $66,548 $54,054 $51,212 $171,814
2005 $69,928 $53,106 $49,445 $172,479
2004 $66,425 $46,151 $45,635 $158,211
2003 $117,368** $117,368**

Wagering Payout Pool 1 Pool 2 Pool 3 Oaks Payout
2007 Rags to Riches $9.60 $10.00* $5.00* $5.00*
2006 Lemons Forever $ 9.00 (f)* $11.00 (f)* $26.00 (f) $96.20
2005 Summerly $31.80 $15.00 $28.40 $11.20
2004 Ashado $48.40*** $21.00 $17.80 $ 6.60*
2003 Bird Town $33.60 No Pool No Pool $38.40
*Favorite **KOFW single pool wagering record ***KOFW win payout record
****KOFW total wagering (three pools) record (f) – Mutuel field