The KDFW Pool 3, which enables bettors to wager on 23 possible Kentucky Derby contenders plus a pari-mutuel field eight weeks in advance of the May 5 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (GI), will open Friday at noon (all times Eastern) and close Sunday at 6 p.m.
The Derby Future Wager will run concurrently with the lone pool of the 2018 Kentucky Oaks Future Wager. In addition to Win and Exacta betting, an Oaks/Derby Future Double has been added to the Future Wager betting menu for the first time. The Kentucky Oaks Future Wager, which includes the Oaks/Derby Future Double, will close a half-hour later than the KDFW at 6:30 p.m.
Bolt d’Oro suffered the only loss of his four-race career in a third-place run in last fall’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI) at Del Mar, while the “All Others’ wagering consists of all 3-year-old Thoroughbreds other than the 23 individual horses on the Pool 3 wager roster.
Others expected to attract strong support in the three-day pool, according to odds maker Mike Battaglia’s morning line, include two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Todd Pletcher’s Holy Bull (GII) winner Audible (#1, 8-1); Fountain of Youth (GII) winner Promises Fulfilled (#19, 8-1), one of nine new wagering interests in Pool 3; and a pair of unbeaten hopes trained by four-time Kentucky Derby-winner Bob Baffert in Justify (#12, 15-1) and McKinzie (#15, 8-1).
Along with Promises Fulfilled, other newcomers in KDFW Pool 3 are Risen Star (GII) winner Bravazo (#4, 30-1); Sam F. Davis (GIII) winner Flameaway (#7, 30-1); Dubai-based Gold Town (GB) (#9, 30-1), winner of the UAE 2000 Guineas (G3) at Meydan Racecourse and the only gelding among the 24 betting interests; San Vicente (GIII) winner Kanthaka (#13, 20-1); unbeaten Magnum Moon (#14, 30-1); My Boy Jack (#17, 30-1), winner of the Southwest (GIII); the once-beaten Noble Indy (#19, 50-1); and Vino Rosso (#23, 50-1), the third-place finisher in the Sam F. Davis.
The roster of wagering interests for Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager: Audible (#1, 8-1), Avery Island (#2, 30-1), Bolt d’Oro (#3, 6-1), Bravazo (#4, 30-1), Catholic Boy (#5, 30-1), Combatant (#6, 50-1), Flameaway (#7, 30-1), Free Drop Billy (#8, 15-1), Gold Town (GB) (#9, 30-1), Good Magic (#10, 15-1), Instilled Regard (#11, 30-1), Justify (#12, 15-1), Kanthaka (#13, 20-1), Magnum Moon (#14, 30-1), McKinzie (#15, 8-1), Mendelssohn (#16, 30-1), My Boy Jack (#17, 30-1), Noble Indy (#18, 50-1), Promises Fulfilled (#19, 8-1), Solomini (#20, 15-1), Sporting Chance (#21, 30-1), Strike Power (#22, 15-1), Vino Rosso (#23, 50-1) and All Others (#24, 6-1).
Flameaway and Gold Town (GB) are not currently Triple Crown-nominated but their trainers have publicly indicated that they are intended to become eligible through the late nomination process.
Champion 2-Year-Old Male and Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Grade I) winner Good Magic, who finished third as the 3-5 favorite in Saturday’s Fountain of Youth (GII) at Gulfstream Park, was the 8-1 co-second choice with Bolt d’Oro in the KDFW Pool 2 on Feb. 9-11 behind “All Other 3-Year-Olds,” who closed at the 5-2 favorite.
“All Other 3-Year-Olds” has closed as the KDFW Pool 3 betting favorite in 12 of the last 15 years. The three exceptions were Mohaymen (7-2 in 2016), Uncle Mo (3-1 in 2011) and Pyro (4-1 in 2018), and none won the Kentucky Derby.
Pletcher leads all trainers with four KDFW Pool 3 contenders (Audible, Magnum Moon, Noble Indy and Vino Rosso), while Baffert trains three (McKinzie, Justify and Solomini). Trainers with a pair of Pool 3 interests include four-time Kentucky Derby winner D. Wayne Lukas(Bravazo and Sporting Chance), Dale Romans (Promises Fulfilled and Free Drop Billy) and Jerry Hollendorfer (Instilled Regard and Kanthaka).
The Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which has been a Kentucky Derby tradition since 1999, enables fans to bet on possible contenders for the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) at Churchill Downs well in advance of the May 5 running of America’s greatest race. Odds on horses in the four KDFW pools could be more attractive than those available on the day of the race. Each wagering pool features 24 betting interests that consist of 23 individual horses and the “All Other 3-Year-Olds” interest, which includes all 3-year-old Thoroughbreds other than the pool’s individual horses.
The wager is $2 minimum bet and is a win wager only. Pari-mutuel payouts on winning tickets on Kentucky Derby Day will be determined by the final odds in each respective pool. Each pool also includes a minimum $2 exacta wager that requires bettors to correctly choose the top two Derby finishers in the exact order of finish. The exacta is also a $2 minimum bet, with exacta boxes available in $1 increments.
Wagering on the KDFW’s 24 betting interests will be available at Churchill Downs and racetracks and satellite wagering outlets across North American and online via TwinSpires.com, the official betting partner of the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup World Championships, and other online wagering platforms.
No scratches or refunds are permitted in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. Should Churchill Downs officials determine during the pool that a wagering interest will not compete in the May 5 race because of injury, illness or other circumstance, wagering on that interested will be suspended immediately.
The opening Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool of 2018 was conducted from Nov. 23-26, while Pool 2 ran from Feb. 9-11. The year’s fourth and final pool is set for April 6-8.
Total handle for the Feb. 9-11 KDFW pool was $521,650 ($363,389 in the Win pool and $158,262 in Exactas), which was a significant 58.1% increase over last year’s $330,043 ($227,881 in the Win pool and $102,162 in Exactas). Last year’s KDFW Pool 3 handled $373,354 ($250,280 in the Win pool and $123,075 in Exactas).
Real-time odds and other information on the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which will include free past performance information from Brisnet, is available at the official Kentucky Derby event web site at www.KentuckyDerby.com/FutureWager.
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