Field at 3-5 as Derby Futures Pool 1 closes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The mutuel field has closed as an odds-on favorite in Pool 1 of the 2015 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, with Dortmund the heaviest-backed individual interest.

When closing Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern, the field, the 24th or “all others” option, was 3-5, the lowest price ever in the 17-year history of Churchill Downs offering parimutuel futures. Then came Dortmund (9-1), American Pharoah (12-1), Texas Red (14-1), and Carpe Diem (15-1). The other 19 separately listed horses are 27-1 or higher, with five of them 99-1 and above.

Dortmund, trained by Bob Baffert, was a flashy winner of a Churchill Downs allowance Saturday, one race before El Kabeir won the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. El Kabeir closed at 74-1 in the futures.

Combined handle for Pool 1, which had a three-day run with a Friday opening, was $232,204, with $183,984 bet to win and $48,220 in exactas. That’s the fourth-lowest ever; the only lower handles were two pools in the inaugural year of 1999 and the final pool in 2003. Last November, the combined handle was $273,174.

The lowest exacta will-pay combination is the field over Texas Red (24-20), worth $32.20 for $2.

In the case of field horses filling both exacta slots, the next-best finish by a separately listed horse will count toward the winning combination. Last year in Pool 1, the field over Ride On Curlin (24-18) returned $207 for $2.

This was the second time Churchill offered a futures pool before February. Last year, only one of the 23 separately listed horses from Pool 1 eventually made the Derby: Ride On Curlin, who ran seventh at 17-1. The field, represented by California Chrome, returned an all-time low of $3.60 for a $2 win bet.

Pool 2 is set for Feb. 6-8; Pool 3, Feb. 27 to March 1; and Pool 4, March 27-29. All pools will run from Friday to Sunday, as opposed to a Thursday-to-Saturday schedule used last year. A single Kentucky Oaks futures pool will be offered concurrent to Derby Pool 3.

On Tuesday, Churchill is scheduled to ask the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission for permission to offer a permutation on the futures concept with a “Derby Sire Future Wager.” Churchill spokesman John Asher said it is in the exploratory stage, with payoffs predicated on the order of finish according to sire.

Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 1 Final Odds
(No., Horse, trainer, Final odds)
1. American Pharoah, B. Baffert, 12-1
2. Blofeld, T. Pletcher, 40-1
3. Calculator, P. Miller, 71-1
4. Carpe Diem, T. Pletcher, 15-1
5. Classy Class, K. McLaughlin, 126-1
6. Competitive Edge, T. Pletcher, 48-1
7. Daredevil, T. Pletcher, 48-1
8. Dortmund, B. Baffert, 9-1
9. Eagle, N. Howard, 54-1
10. El Kabeir, J. Terranova, 74-1
11. Frosted, K. McLaughlin, 38-1
12. I Spent It, A. Dutrow, 100-1
13. Imperia, K. McLaughlin, 27-1
14. Lord Nelson, B. Baffert, 72-1
15. Lucky Player, S. Asmussen, 130-1
16. Mr. Z, D. Lukas, 47-1
17. Ocho Ocho Ocho, J. Cassidy, 29-1
18. Ostrolenka, T. Pletcher, 140-1
19. Punctuate, B. Baffert, 64-1
20. Texas Red, K. Desormeaux, 14-1
21. The Great War, W. Ward, 72-1
22. Unblunted, M. McCarthy, 185-1
23. Upstart, R. Violette, 53-1
24. Mutuel field (all others), n/a, 3-5
Combined handle: $232,204