Mutuel field closes at 6-5 favorite in Pool 1 of Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW)

With the Kentucky Derby (G1) still 23 weeks away, the pari-mutuel field of “All Other 3-Year-Olds” closed as the 6-5 favorite in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) with Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) winner CLASSIC EMPIRE (#2) the 6-1 second choice.

Other horses that attracted the most interest from bettors were unbeaten Bob Hope (G3) winner MASTERY (#12) (10-1), Saturday’s Remsen (G2) hero MO TOWN (#14) (12-1) and Saturday’s Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) victor MCCRAKEN (#13) (12-1).

Horses in order of favoritism (Pool 1 $2 Win Will Pays): “All Other 3-Year-Olds” (#24) ($4.40), Classic Empire (#2) ($15.60), Mastery (#12) ($23), Mo Town (#14) ($26.80), McCraken (#13) ($27), Gunnevera (#5) ($46.20), Beach Bum (#1) ($48), Practical Joke (#17) ($55.20), Irish War Cry (#8) ($55.60), Klimt (#10) ($76.20), Takaful (#21) ($76.60), Gormley (#4) ($77.80), Lookin At Lee (#11) ($77.80), No Dozing (#15) ($83.40), Syndergaard (#20) ($89.20), Running Mate (#18) ($112.20), Fact Finding (#3) ($150), Uncontested (#22) ($154.60), Saint’s Fan (#19) ($155.20), Hemsworth (#6) ($162.40), Wild Shot (#23) ($169), Hookup (#7) ($262.80) and Just Move On (#9) ($366.60).

Total handle for the Nov. 24-27 KDFW pool – the first of four scheduled wagering pools in advance of the 143rd running of the $2 million Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 6 – was $221,801 ($162,870 in the Win pool and $58,931 in Exactas), which was a 27 percent increase over year’s $174,682 ($141,926 in the Win pool and $32,756 in Exactas).

Inaugurated in 1999, the Kentucky Derby Future Wager has been offered for an 19th consecutive year, but this marks only the fourth time that Churchill Downs has hosted a KDFW pool in November on closing weekend of its Fall Meet.

This year’s early Derby betting menu also included the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager (KDSFW), which, for the second consecutive year, provided bettors with a unique opportunity to wager on select breeding stars and their entire crop of juveniles with the hope of winning next year’s Kentucky Derby.

“All Other Sires” closed as the 7-2 favorite with PIONEEROF THE NILE, the sire of Classic Empire, as the top individual sire at odds of 5-1, followed by CANDY RIDE and UNCLE MO, who were 9-1.

Sires in order of favoritism (Pool 1 $2 Win Will Pays): “All Other Sires” (#24) ($9.80), Pioneerof the Nile (#5) ($13), Candy Ride (#3) ($20.80), Uncle Mo (#21) ($21.40), Ghostzapper (#8) ($27), Curlin (#4) ($31.20), Tapit (#18) ($33.20), Union Rags (#22) ($38), Bernardini (#1) ($31.80), Into Mischief (#11) ($50), Malibu Moon (#13) ($54.80), Giant’s Causeway (#9) ($62.20), Medaglia d’Oro (#14) ($62.80), Bodemesiter (#2) ($63.60), Harlan’s Holiday (#10) ($81), Scat Daddy (#16) ($86.40), War Front (#23) ($92.40), Flatter (#6) ($96), Kitten’s Joy (#12) ($97.40), Tiznow (#19) ($113.60), Distorted Humor (#5) ($118.20), Gemologist (#7) ($132.40), Unbridled’s Song (#20) ($143.60) and Speightstown (#17) ($199.60).

Total betting on the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager was $44,150 ($30,375 in the Win pool and $13,775 in the Exactas), which was a 26.3 percent increase from last year’s $34,960 ($26,751 in the Win pool and $8,209 in the Exactas).

The KDFW and Sire Future Wager combined to handle $265,951 compared to $209,642 in 2015, a jump of 26.9 percent.

Dates for the remaining 2017 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks future pools are January 27-29 (KDFW Pool 2), February 24-26 (KDFW Pool 3 and Kentucky Oaks Future Wager) and March 31-April 2 (KDFW Pool 4).

Betting on the four KDFW pools last year totaled $1,379,358 – $174,682 in Pool 1; $441,209 in Pool 2; $328,109 in Pool 3; and $435,358 in Pool 4 – plus another $34,960 was bet on the Sire Future Wager and $104,002 was wagered on the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager for a grand total of $1,518,320 in future wagering.

Visit KentuckyDerby.com/FutureWager for more information.