Kentucky Derby Future Wager: Field, Verrazano favorites heading into in final day of Pool 2

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Going into the final six-hour session of wagering Sunday, the mutuel field continued as a clear-cut favorite in Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. The pool reopens at noon Eastern and closes at 6 p.m.

After Saturday wagering, the second of three days for Pool 2, the field – the 24th or “all others” option – was the 3-1 favorite, with Verrazano next at 9-1. They were followed by Orb (11-1), Revolutionary (12-1), Flashback (13-1), and Itsmyluckyday (13-1). The impressive win by Vyjack in the Gotham Stakes on Saturday at Aqueduct lowered his price to 14-1.

Combined handle through Saturday was $181,053, with $137,397 in the win pool and $43,656 in exactas.

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As with any parimutuel wager, odds can continue to change until closing time. More than half the handle in any given futures pool typically is bet on the final day.

Six new names have been assimilated into the futures lineup since Pool 1 was held Feb. 8-10, when the field closed as the 3-2 favorite over Verrazano (11-1). The third and final pool is set for March 22-24.

Pool 2 typically has drawn the lightest handle of the three Derby pools since Churchill Downs first began offering futures in 1999. Last year, combined handle was $401,368; the record for a Pool 2 was $511,655, set in 2005, the same year the record was set for the three-pool aggregate handle ($1,665,990).

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Combined handle for Pool 1 three weeks ago was $621,493, the second-largest single-pool total ever.

Pool 2 coincides with the only futures pool being offered this year on the Kentucky Oaks. The Oaks and Derby are set for May 3 and 4, respectively.

As for the Oaks futures, which close at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, Unlimited Budget closed Saturday as the 7-1 favorite, followed by Beholder (8-1), the field (8-1), Flashy Gray (9-1), Pure Fun (10-1), Executiveprivelege (12-1), and Midnight Lucky (12-1). Win handle was $32,802 and exacta handle was $12,550.

Real-time odds and exacta will-pays are available on selected monitors at tracks and wagering outlets where futures are offered as well as on kentuckyderby.com and kentuckyoaks.com.