Updated on 02/13/2013 12:20PM

Kentucky Derby Future Wager: Field closes at 8-5, followed by Verrazano at 11-1

By Marty McGee
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Tom Keyser
The Todd Pletcher-trained Verrazano was the lowest-priced individual horse at 11-1 at the close of Pool 1.

For the 15th time in as many years, the mutuel field is the favorite in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which closed Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern following a three-day run that drew a combined handle of $621,493.

The field, the 24th or “all others” alternative to 23 separately listed interests, closed as the 8-5 favorite in the first of three futures pools being offered in the run-up to the 139th Derby on May 4. The lowest odds for a separate interest were 11-1 on Verrazano, followed by Flashback (12-1), Itsmyluckyday (13-1), Revolutionary (13-1), Violence (13-1), Shanghai Bobby (14-1), and Normandy Invasion (15-1). Four of that group are trained by Todd Pletcher, who has seven of the 23 horses listed in Pool 1.

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]

The lowest $2 exacta will-pay is the combination of the field over Verrazano (24-20), worth $82.20. There are only a few will-pays worth less than $100 and there are numerous five-figure will-pays.

Handle was $481,632 in the win pool and $139,861 in the exacta pool. Futures were first offered by Churchill Downs in 1999, with exactas added in 2009.

The combined handle was second-highest for any futures pool; nearly $290,000, or about 46 percent of the handle, was bet Sunday. The record handle was set last year with Pool 1, when a total of $631,304 was bet. The record for a pool without exactas ($620,362) was set in 2005.

Churchill vice president John Asher said officials were extremely pleased with the handle, especially with the continued growth of exacta wagering and through advance-deposit wagering platforms.

“We’re off to a near-record start despite the incredible snowstorm that swept through New York and Northeast racing markets on Friday and Saturday,” said Asher. “This is the 15th year of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager and the opening pool has attracted the highest wagering total in each of those years. We look forward to seeing if that trend can be reversed in the two future pools that remain before Kentucky Derby 139.”

Pool 2 is set for March 1-3, and Pool 3 for March 22-24. The only Kentucky Oaks futures pool of the year will be offered concurrent to Derby Pool 2.

The record of $1,665,990 for the highest three-pool aggregate was established in 2005.

Six field horses have wound up winning the Derby in the 14 years since Churchill started parimutuel futures in 1999, the latest being Animal Kingdom in 2011. A victory by a Pool 1 field horse would lead to a $5.20 payoff, which would be the lowest in futures history. The lowest ever is $5.60 after Smarty Jones won as a Pool 1 field horse in 2004.

Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 1

(No., Horse, Final Odds, $2 will-pay)

1. Capo Bastone, 58-1, $118

2. Code West, 56-1, $114

3. Delhomme, 55-1, $113.20

4. Den’s Legacy, 77-1, $156.60

5. Dynamic Sky, 54-1, $110

6. Falling Sky, 114-1, $230.80

7. Flashback , 12-1, $26.40

8. Frac Daddy, 68-1, $139

9. Goldencents, 20-1, $43.40

10. He’s Had Enough, 50-1, $102.60

11. Itsmyluckyday, 13-1, $28.80

12. Mylute, 123-1, $249.20

13. Normandy Invasion, 15-1, $33

14. Overanalyze, 33-1, $69.20

15. Oxbow, 26-1, $54.80

16. Revolutionary, 13-1, $29

17. Shanghai Bobby, 14-1, $31.40

18. Super Ninety Nine, 47-1, $97.20

19. Uncaptured, 40-1, $82.40

20. Verrazano, 11-1, $24

21. Violence, 13-1, $28.60

22. Vyjack, 49-1, $100.60

23. Will Take Charge, 61-1, $124.20

24. Field (all others), 8-5, $5.20

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the exacta combination with the lowest price in Pool 1. It is the field over Verrazano (24-20), not Verrazano over the field.

Kermit Pleasant 9 months ago
Falling sky over 99to 1&goldencents 20to1 are great deal$
Mark Scheider 9 months ago
I would take falling Sky at 20-1 before Goldenscents.
William Caple 9 months ago
I don't understand betting the field at 8-5, unless it's part of an exacta or something... derbydeals.com
Eric 9 months ago
I thought Den's Legacy was the value here. Already has the point's to get in where alot of these don't. I think that's a big advantage in Pool 1.
Mark Ford 9 months ago
Pretty sure 10 points aint gonna do it.
Eric 9 months ago
My last check, he was 8 on the list. If he finishes in the money one more time, he's in.
Anonymous 9 months ago
The estimates from most horsemen is its going to take 30 points to make the Derby. Good luck!
Mark Scheider 9 months ago
I have to disagree. Shanghai and Goldenscents have 24 each, all others are below 11. Do the math. Howard preps are left? Winners are awarded 10 PTs. MAYBE a horse runs TWO preps from here on our? So unless they win both, those with 10 already would be the only entrants. We would have a field of 6 horses if lucky with that prediction. It's safe to say, 12-15 PTs will get you in.
Mark Scheider 9 months ago
Oops ** how many** I meant.
Mark Scheider 9 months ago
Damn, predictive texting just made my above post look foolish. Sorry, don't judge! :)
Mark Scheider 9 months ago
Upon further review, if you have 10 PTs, I don't see how you aren't already in. 14 are over 10. A few outsiders will sneak in and most of the leaders will dominate major preps remaining. So yeah, 10 points is the magic number.
Mark 8 months ago
http://espn.go.com/horse-racing/story/_/id/8677653/2013-kentucky-derby-points-schedule here is breakdown .
Mark Scheider 9 months ago
Dens Legacy is what they call a plodder.
Ray Sousa 9 months ago
the real value is in the exacta pools.for example a flashback x itsmyluckyday exacta returns 221.or 184 the other way.falling sky with all 1073.volence over dynamic sky 1251.falling sky over flashback 2116 or 2665 the other way.so my point is theres a lot of value in some combinations.yes some of these will probably not even make it but if they do its exiting to sit on an exacta that is paying 10x more than you would get on raceday.for example I was sitting on a animal kingdom x nehro exacta worth 3100 in one of the pools and cashed nicely when it came in.on race day the exacta returned 320.one other point I got off animal kingdom completely by derby day so if not for the futures it would have been a much different day for me.
Sam Shelby 9 months ago
If Itsmyluckyday goes to post in all three, he wins all three. Afraid some have`nt been paying attention.
Mark Scheider 9 months ago
I'm all over him Sam. Has fired back to back 2 3/4 on the Rags. TWO horses have come close, the horse he whooped Shanghai scored his career best, 5 and I believe Revolutionary scored a 4 then regressed in his most recent. Horses with plenty of starts under their belts arent going below 7's and 8's and would need to pick it up significantly to keep up with Itsmyluckydays progress. Folks get so hung on that Beyer figure and margins of victory, when they should be looking at strength of race.
Don Passidomo 9 months ago
Of course this is a huge crap shoot call at this point, but I felt and bet the best value for East Coast horse was #23 Vyjack 49-1, and West Coast #18 Super 99 @ 47-1, that is what I laid down for at total of $4.00, $2.00 each, if they get in KD, place bets on both. When u think about it this whole future thing is so laughable and I am part of the circus
Mark Scheider 9 months ago
Vyjak, 7 7 7. Not bad but not improving even with 3 for 3 record. When he meets any kind of competition he's going to have to improve. If not, he disappears.
Mark Scheider 9 months ago
I'm going to be nice to everyone that reads this post and tell you that if Itsmyluckyday breaks from the starting gate of the Kentucky Derby, he is winning. Hope for him to regress ever so slightly in his next prep, get your hiney to the windows and plunk it down on him in Derby Futures 2.
Rickey Cooper 9 months ago
I like the same horse but he's only racing one more time in the Florida derby on 3/30 before the Kentucky derby .The last pool closes on 3/24 so if he gets hurt in training you loose your money.I'm waiting for the 3rd pool if the odds are a little lower i'll just put more money on him but he shouldn't be much lower.
Mark Scheider 9 months ago
Rickey, trainer has the right idea. Not enough of these folks on here are paying attention and a lot more just don't get it. He has fired back to back 2 3/4 on the Rags. Trainer is using one prep, the Florida Derby for a reason; they don't want his best effort. Horse takes a slight bounce off two huge numbers and fires his BEST race in the Derby. You're going to get even better odds in pool 2-3 on this colt because folks will be scared to play a horse that's not running. He's not running him because this boy is ready for the show NOW.
Mark Scheider 9 months ago
Why would a human place a wager on the field at 8-5? I am somewhat happy because assuming my selection stays healthy, I know I bought my ticket at higher odds than I will get on Derby Day.
Anonymous 9 months ago
I placed a field wager. I am a human. You sir, are quite rude.
Mark Scheider 9 months ago
On the day of the Kentucky Derby, not even the favorite will go off at lower odds than 8-5, so why pray tell would you bet those odds on a horse you don't even know exists yet? Call me rude. That's better than what I think you are.
cmoney404 9 months ago
Mark, Do you realize that the "field" bet from pool 1 could realistically include 10 or more of the horses on Derby Day? It is any horse in the starting gate NOT named as a specific betting interest in pool 1. When the FIRST sentence of the article is: "For the 15th time in as many years, the mutuel field is the favorite in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager" you should have realized that you must have misunderstood the bet. People in the horse industry (like track execs) are dummies, horseplayers generally are not.
Ray Sousa 9 months ago
I think you misunderstand the field concept.your not betting on one horse youre betting on every 3 yo other than the 23 in the pool.you could potentially end up with all 20 runners if these 23 don't pan out.ofcourse that's highly unlikely or the field would be 1/5 and not 8/5.i think on average people who bet the all in pool one get about 1/2 the horses that end up in the starting gate the also get lower odds,in pool two things get more defined and you will get about 3/1 in pool 3 the field will be 75% defined and you will get 6/1 or better.the ral value is in the exactas.
Mark Scheider 9 months ago
The exacta. Now thats where it makes sense. I do understand the concept, I just don't understand the logic behind the bet. In 15 years, 6 "field" tickets have won. The average player is not betting significant money on these wagers. So lets just say Joe Schmo places a $50 WiN on the "field". IF he gets lucky and an outsider slides into the lineup and wins, he cashes $130. I spend too much time handicapping to just play a lottery ticket. I like to think I arrived at a horse by skill. My selection has already all but qualified so unless he suffers and injury, Im in the game at real odds.
Real M 9 months ago
Yes, the DFW is a sucker bet - but it's still fun to have a little early action. I played Violence, Flashback, Overanalyze, Super Ninety Nine and 'All Others' in an EBX. Violence and Flashback look the part and if they progress as expected they should be players in the Derby. They're still among the favorites so the value isn't great. Normandy Invasion impressed with that closing kick in the Remsen but Overanalyze looked like a horse that might appreciate a stretch challenge and held on for a gutsy win. Underanalyzed in this pool. One run closers like Normandy Invasion are exciting to watch but there is a LOT of traffic in the Derby. Overanalyze looks like rain won't bother him too much either if weather is a factor. Super99 I just like the breeding on and the odds were decent. 'All Others' is a saver bet. You know you are going to have an entry there so if just one of the individual selections makes it at least I have a play alive.
Donald Koepplin 9 months ago
Marty, I think the exacta combination of the Field (24) with Verrazano (20) pays $82.20. The 20 - 24 combination pays $94.40. I believe that the exacta chart at Kentucky Derby website has the 1st place horse in the vertical column & the place horse listed horizontally. Please check & post what the correct layout is. Thanks.
DRFMcGee 8 months ago
OK Donald sorry for the delay, just got confirmation re this info and yes you are correct ... the exacta will-pay grid does not specify which horse is first and which is 2nd and therefore must be confusing to some bettors (as, obviously, it has been to me) ... so yes the field over Verrazano (24-20) is the lowest will-pay in Pool 1 at $82.20 for $2. Thanks for the heads up. MM