Florida Derby likely will settle Pool 4 favorite
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Mohaymen and Nyquist are the morning-line favorites, but clearly it would behoove their backers to wait until results of the Florida Derby are known Saturday evening before diving into the fourth and final pool of the 2016 Kentucky Derby Future Wager.
The pool opens Friday at noon Eastern, with odds locked in only when the pool closes Sunday evening at 6 p.m. Mohaymen, the 7-2 choice on the Pool 4 morning line, squares off against Nyquist (8-1) in a highly anticipated matchup of undefeated colts Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
Mohaymen and Nyquist are the only horses among the 23 separately listed interests in Pool 4 who are scheduled to race this weekend. No Pool 4 horses are expected for the only other Derby prep, the Spiral Stakes on Saturday at Turfway Park.
Mohaymen closed as the 7-2 favorite in Pool 3, which ran March 11-13. The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, was favored in Derby Pool 1, which ran Nov. 26-29, and in Pool 2 (Feb. 12-14).
There are eight new names for Pool 4: American Pioneer, Cherry Wine, Creator, Dazzling Gem, Flexibility, Lani, Outwork, and Tom’s Ready. They replace these from Pool 3: American Dubai, Brody’s Cause, Economic Model, Forevamo, Greenpointcrusader, Riker, Smokey Image, and Uncle Lino.
Combined handle (win and exacta) on Pool 3 was $328,108, down 22 percent from the corresponding 2015 pool.
Last year, Pool 4 handle was $336,717, with eventual Derby winner American Pharoah closing as a 9-2 favorite.
Aggregate handle for the first three pools toward the 2016 Derby stands at $943,999. The record for aggregate handle since Churchill Downs began offering pari-mutuel futures in 1999 is $1,665,990, set in 2005.
Real-time odds and will-pays are available through various modes, including on television monitors at tracks and wagering outlets, as well as on kentuckyderby.com.
Results are predicated on the 142nd Kentucky Derby on May 7.
| Horse | Trainer | Pool 1 | Pool 2 | Pool 3 | Pool 4 | |
| * - denotes mutuel field | ||||||
| 1 | American Pioneer | W. Catalano | 3-5* | 5-2* | 5-1* | 50-1 |
| 2 | Cherry Wine | D. Romans | 3-5* | 31-1 | 5-1* | 20-1 |
| 3 | Creator | S. Asmussen | 3-5* | 5-2* | 5-1* | 30-1 |
| 4 | Cupid | B. Baffert | 3-5* | 5-2* | 36-1 | 10-1 |
| 5 | Danzing Candy | C. Sise | 3-5* | 28-1 | 17-1 | 12-1 |
| 6 | Dazzling Gem | B. Cox | 3-5* | 5-2* | 5-1* | 50-1 |
| 7 | Destin | T. Pletcher | 3-5* | 5-2* | 15-1 | 12-1 |
| 8 | Exaggerator | K. Desormeaux | 25-1 | 22-1 | 23-1 | 20-1 |
| 9 | Flexibility | C. Brown | 71-1 | 5-2* | 5-1* | 50-1 |
| 10 | Gun Runner | S. Asmussen | 57-1 | 25-1 | 25-1 | 15-1 |
| 11 | Lani | M. Matsunanga | 3-5* | 5-2* | 5-1* | 50-1 |
| 12 | Matt King Coal | L. Rice | 87-1 | 5-2* | 43-1 | 50-1 |
| 13 | Mo Tom | T. Amoss | 3-5* | 28-1 | 15-1 | 15-1 |
| 14 | Mohaymen | K. McLaughlin | 11-1 | 4-1 | 7-2 | 7-2 |
| 15 | Mor Spirit | B. Baffert | 31-1 | 12-1 | 12-1 | 12-1 |
| 16 | Nyquist | D. O'Neill | 9-1 | 7-1 | 7-1 | 8-1 |
| 17 | Outwork | T. Pletcher | 3-5* | 5-2* | 5-1* | 30-1 |
| 18 | Shagaf | C. Brown | 3-5* | 32-1 | 14-1 | 30-1 |
| 19 | Suddenbreakingnews | D.K. Von Hemel | 3-5* | 5-2* | 14-1 | 30-1 |
| 20 | Swipe | K. Desormeaux | 18-1 | 5-2* | 31-1 | 30-1 |
| 21 | Tom's Ready | D. Stewart | 3-5* | 5-2* | 5-1* | 20-1 |
| 22 | Whitmore | R. Moquett | 3-5* | 81-1 | 42-1 | 20-1 |
| 23 | Zulu | T. Pletcher | 3-5* | 24-1 | 26-1 | 30-1 |
| 24 | Mutuel Field | 3-5 | 5-2 | 5-1 | 10-1 | |