Forte closes as 5-2 favorite in final pool of Kentucky Derby Future Wager

The sixth and final pool in the 2023 Kentucky Derby Future Wager closed Saturday evening with Forte as a 5-2 favorite – and that was before the champion colt closed with a flourish to win the Florida Derby.

In a twist on the usual format used by Churchill Downs wherein all or most Derby preps are run before a futures pool closes, wagering into Pool 6 was cut off at 6 p.m. Eastern Saturday – or about 45 minutes before the Florida Derby was run at Gulfstream Park. The Arkansas Derby also was run Saturday after Pool 6 was closed.

Forte, trained by Todd Pletcher, was the only horse among 40 wagering options to close at single-digit odds. Two other Pletcher trainees, Louisiana Derby winner Kingsbarns and Tampa Bay Derby winner Tapit Trice, were the respective second and third choices, both at 11-1. They were followed by Derma Sotogake (13-1), Practical Move (14-1), and the mutuel field, the 40th or “all others” option, at 17-1.

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Angel of Empire, the Arkansas Derby winner, closed at 27-1 in Pool 6 prior to his dominant score at Oaklawn Park.

Combined handle (win and exacta) in Pool 5 was $369,442. The lowest $2 exacta combination was Forte over Tapit Trice (14-21), worth $64.72.

Forte was the 3-1 favorite in Pool 5, held March 10-12. The mutuel field, the 40th or “all others” option, was the favorite in the first four pools.

The 149th Derby is set for May 6.

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