Kentucky Derby: Early adopters can revel in 50-1 odds on Zandon, Epicenter

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Fans who climbed aboard the Epicenter or Zandon bandwagon well before each colt established himself as a Kentucky Derby favorite have an edge on their fellow futures bettors.

Zandon was 56-1 and Epicenter was 52-1 in the first of five pools in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager offered by Churchill Downs ahead of the 148th Run for the Roses. Aggregate handle (win and exacta) was nearly $1.9 million. Those pools were held Nov. 25-28, January 21-23, Feb. 11-13, March 11-13, and April 7-9.

Zandon and Epicenter both were much higher odds than their expected prices Saturday (about 4-1 each) in subsequent pools. Zandon was 25-1, 21-1, 22-1, and 18-1 in pools 2 through 5, while Epicenter was 24-1, 24-1, 13-1, and 9-2, with his victory in the Risen Star coming before Pool 4 and win in the Louisiana Derby coming before Pool 5. Zandon won the Blue Grass after Pool 5 closed.

Other overlays that could’ve been had in various pools include 171-1 on White Abarrio in Pool 2 and Tawny Port at 114-1 in Pool 5. Conversely, prices on certain horses were lower than their post-time odds will be Saturday, including Smile Happy (8-1, 8-1, 8-1, 6-1, 9-1) and his stablemate Tiz the Bomb (10-1 in Pool 2).

The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, was favored in each of the first four pools at 3-5, 9-5, 2-1, and 4-1. Epicenter was the 9-2 favorite in Pool 5.

Churchill has offered at least three parimutuel futures pools annually since 1999. A Kentucky Oaks pool and Oaks-Derby futures are offered once a year, and a Derby sires futures pool coinciding with Pool 1 was first offered ahead of the 2016 running.