Kentucky Derby Future Wager to close after Louisiana Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Churchill Downs officials said Tuesday they intend to move back the customary closing time of the third and final pool of the 2012 Kentucky Derby Future Wager to accommodate the running of the Louisiana Derby.

Pool 3 opens Friday at noon Eastern and was scheduled to close at 6 p.m. Sunday. However, with Fair Grounds having scheduled a 5:55 p.m. Eastern post for the Louisiana Derby, the pool “will not close until 6:30 and maybe even 7,” Churchill spokesman John Asher said Tuesday. “This way the results of the Louisiana Derby can be considered by last-minute bettors.”

The two other major Derby preps to be run this weekend, the UAE Derby at Meydan in Dubai and the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, will be run Saturday.

The 23-horse lineup for Pool 3 was to be released Wednesday. The tentative lineup has seven new horses named, and Union Rags, who will be favored in the Florida Derby, as the morning-line favorite.

The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, closed as the 3-2 favorite in Pool 1, which ran Feb. 10-12. The field also was the favorite at 3-1 in Pool 2 (March 2-4). Union Rags was the lowest separately listed entry in each of the first two pools at 7-1 and 4-1, respectively. Combined handle for the two pools was $1,032,672. The three-pool aggregate record handle of $1,665,990 was set in 2005.

Meanwhile, one workout was recorded Tuesday at Churchill by a Derby hopeful when Prospective, the Tampa Bay Derby winner trained by Mark Casse, breezed an easy five furlongs in 1:03 over a fast track.