With fewer than 90 days remaining before the 140th running of the Kentucky
Derby, Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike
Battaglia ranks Cairo Prince, unbeaten champion Shared Belief and Honor Code as
the most attractive individual horses featured in this week’s second pool of the
2014 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW). But as attractive as those young
stars will certainly be, Battaglia believes the Mutuel Field (#24), or “All
Others,” wagering interest will be a strong fan favorite when the pool ends
completes its February 6-8 run late Saturday afternoon.
Battaglia has installed “All Others” as the 7-5 morning line favorite over the
23 individual horses on the roster of wagering interests for KDFW Pool 2. The
pool will offer $2 minimum win wagering on all interests, along with exacta
betting. Cairo Prince (#2), the Kiaran McLaughlin-trained winner of Gulfstream
Park’s Holy Bull, is the favored individual three-year-old at
8-1. He is followed closely by Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer’s Shared
Belief (#17), the Eclipse Award two-year-old champion of 2013 and winner of the CashCall Futurity, and Honor Code
(#8), the Shug McGaughey-trainee who
handed Cairo Prince his only defeat in a narrow victory in the Remsen, who are
the co-third choices at 10-1.
Wagering on KDFW Pool 2 will begin Thursday at noon (EST)
and is scheduled to close on Saturday at 6 p.m. or prior to the post
time for the $200,000 Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita, whichever comes
first. The Robert B. Lewis is Saturday’s stop on the “Road to the Kentucky
Derby” Prep Season schedule.
This week’s KDFW pool is the first of 2014, but the second of the pre-Kentucky
Derby 140 season following the November 27-30 opening pool — the first autumn pool
conducted by Churchill Downs since it introduced the ground-breaking pari-mutuel
wager in 1999. The November pool concluded with “All Others” as the odds-on
favorite at 4-5, followed by favored individual Honor Code at 10-1 and the
now-retired Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner New Year’s Day at 15-1. Cairo
Prince stood at 26-1 and Shared Belief was a 32-1 risk at the conclusion of the
opening pool.
Total wagering in November’s opening pool was $273,174, which included $238,078
in “win” betting and an exacta wagering pool of $35,096.
The Kentucky Derby Future Wager provides fans with the opportunity to wager on
contenders well in advance of the race at odds the
could be much more attractive than those available on the day of the race.
The 140th running of the $2 million Kentucky Derby is scheduled for May 3 at
Churchill Downs and will be televised by NBC.
Along with the $2-minimum win betting, KDFW pools offer exacta wagering in the
form of $2 minimum straight exacta bets or $1-minimum exacta boxes and
part-wheels. No scratches or betting refunds are permitted in the Kentucky Derby
Future Wager. Betting on an individual horse in the pool will be suspended
immediately if Churchill Downs determines during the pool that injury, illness
or other circumstance would prevent the horse from competing in their respective
race.
All winning Pool 2 payouts will be determined by the odds in place at Saturday’s
conclusion of wagering.
Along with Cairo Prince, Shared Belief and Honor Code, major returnees from
November’s opening pool include Grade 1 winners Strong Mandate (#18), winner of
the Hopeful and a 27-1 shot in Pool 1 for four-time Kentucky Derby winner
D. Wayne Lukas, and Champagne winner Havana (#7), a 26-1 risk in the
opening pool and one of four Pool 2 individuals trained by six-time Eclipse
Award winner Todd Pletcher.
Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager features 14 individual wagering
interests that were not a part of November’s opening pool. The new interests are
California Chrome (#3), Candy Boy (#4), Conquest Titan (#6), Indianapolis (#9),
Intense Holiday (#10), Kristo (#11), Matterhorn (#12), Midnight Hawk (#13),
Samraat (#16), Tapiture (#19), Tonalist (#20), Top Billing (#21), Uncle Sigh
(#22) and Vicar’s in Trouble (#23).
Pool 1 horses not featured in Pool 2 (with final Pool 1 odds) are Almost Famous
(30-1), Bond Holder (40-1), Cleburne (62-1), Coup de Grace (48-1), Financial
Mogul (99-1), In Trouble (53-1), Kobe’s Back (84-1), Mexikoma (40-1), Misconnect
(43-1), New Year’s Day, Pablo Del Monte (59-1), Ride on Curlin (57-1), Tamarando
(42-1) and Tap It Rich (25-1).
New wagering interests that could attract strong fan interest in KDFW Pool 2
include Top Billing (#21), a McGaughey-trained son of two-time Horse of the Year
Curlin who has won two of three races and was an impressive winner of a 1
1/16-mile allowance race at Gulfstream Park on January 25; a pair of unbeaten
stakes winners in Indianapolis (#9) and Midnight Hawk (#13), both trained by
three-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert and each listed at 20-1 in Battaglia’s
morning line odds; Kentucky Jockey Club winner Tapiture (#19),
a 20-1 risk for trainer Steve Asmussen, and Vicar’s in Trouble (#23), an easy
winner of the Lecomte at Fair Grounds saddled by Mike Maker. The latter
two individuals open the pool at 20-1.
Pletcher, who has nominated a record 42 horses to the 2014 Kentucky Derby and
Triple Crown, leads all trainers with four KDFW Pool 2 betting interests. Along
with Havana (#7), Pletcher trainees in the pool include Commissioner (#5),
Intense Holiday (#10) and Matterhorn (#12).
McGaughey trains two wagering interests in Honor Code (#8) and Top Billing
(#21), joining Baffert and John Sadler (#4 Candy Boy and #11 Kristo) with a pair
of horses in the pool.
Wagering on the Kentucky Derby and Oaks Future Wager will be offered at
Churchill Downs and racetracks throughout North America; via
TwinSpires.com, the
official online wagering site of the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs
Inc.; other advance deposit wagering sites; and simulcast centers and
off-track wagering sites.
Wagering interests for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool were selected by a
panel consisting of veteran turf writer Gary West; Daily Racing Form West Coast
Correspondent and HRTV analyst Brad Free, Brisnet Director of Marketing Ed
DeRosa, and Churchill Downs’ John Asher.
KENTUCKY DERBY FUTURE WAGER
POOL 2
NO.
|
HORSE | M/L | DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | FINAL | WILL
PAY |
||||||
1. |
Bobby’s Kitten |
30-1 |
|||||||||||
2. | Cairo Prince | 8-1 | |||||||||||
3. |
California Chrome* |
50-1 | |||||||||||
4. | Candy Boy* | 50-1 | |||||||||||
5. |
Commissioner |
20-1 |
|||||||||||
6. | Conquest Titan* | 30-1 | |||||||||||
7. |
Havana |
30-1 |
|||||||||||
8. | Honor Code | 10-1 | |||||||||||
9. |
Indianapolis* |
20-1 |
|||||||||||
10. | Intense Holiday* | 50-1 | |||||||||||
11. |
Kristo* |
30-1 |
|||||||||||
12. | Matterhorn* | 50-1 | |||||||||||
13. |
Midnight Hawk* |
20-1 |
|||||||||||
14. | Noble Moon | 30-1 | |||||||||||
15. |
Rise
Up |
30-1 |
|||||||||||
16. | Samraat* | 30-1 | |||||||||||
17. |
Shared Belief (g) |
10-1 |
|||||||||||
18. | Strong Mandate | 20-1 | |||||||||||
19. |
Tapiture* |
20-1 |
|||||||||||
20. | Tonalist* | 50-1 | |||||||||||
21. |
Top
Billing* |
15-1 |
|||||||||||
22. | Uncle Sigh* | 50-1 | |||||||||||
23. |
Vicar’s In Trouble* |
20-1 |
|||||||||||
24. | All Other
Three-Year-Olds |
7-5 | |||||||||||
(g) — gelding (*) new wagering interest in Pool 2 |
|||||||||||||
Morning Line odds by Mike Battaglia |
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