Kentucky Derby Future Wager: Mutuel field favored at 3-1 in Pool 4

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, once again was favored when Pool 4 of the 2020 Kentucky Derby Future Wager closed Sunday following the customary three-day betting window.

The field closed at 3-1 and was followed by Charlatan (5-1), Tiz the Law (5-1), Maxfield (9-1), Nadal (9-1), Authentic (10-1), and Honor A. P. (15-1). The lowest $2 exacta will-pay was Tiz the Law over the field (22-24), worth $62.

The field is usually long odds in an April futures pool, but with Churchill Downs having postponed the 146th Derby from May 2 to Sept. 5 because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, circumstances obviously are much different than in prior years.

:: KENTUCKY DERBY 2020: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more

In Pool 4 last year, Country House, the eventual Derby winner, was part of the mutuel field, which was dismissed at 19-1.

The field closed as the favorite in all three previous pools toward the 2020 Derby. Pool 1 was held Nov. 28 to Dec. 1, Pool 2 from Feb. 7-9, and Pool 3 from March 6-8.

Win handle was $144,348, with exactas drawing $69,314, for a combined $213,662. That total was down a whopping 57 percent from last year, when combined handle was $500,407. In fact, it was the second-lowest handle for a single pool since Churchill first began offering parimutuel futures in 1999. (Pool 1 toward the 2016 Derby was the lowest, $174,682.)

Churchill officials told the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission last month that the company most likely will offer two more futures pools in July and August toward the rescheduled Derby and that wagers into the first three pools will be “honored,” with refunds unavailable. Some outspoken critics on social media called for a boycott of Pool 4 because of the company’s refusal to provide refunds, perhaps accounting in part for the sharp decrease in year-to-year handle.

A Churchill release last week reiterated that a new schedule of qualifying-points races toward the Derby “will be announced in the coming weeks” as separate discussions continue with the other tracks and governments involved in such planning.

Pool 4 had been scheduled to coincide with several key Derby prep races, but all were postponed or canceled.

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.

2020 Kentucky Derby Pool 4
(No., Horse, Trainer, P1, P2, P3, P4)
1. Authentic, B. Baffert, 50-1, 15-1, 6-1, 10-1

2. Basin, S. Asmussen, 38-1, 39-1, 38-1, 56-1

3. Charlatan, B. Baffert, 1-1(f), 2-1(f), 12-1, 5-1

4. Enforceable, M. Casse, 1-1(f), 29-1, 23-1, 33-1

5. Ete Indien, P. Biancone, 1-1(f), 2-1(f), 16-1, 29-1

6. Excession, S. Asmussen, 1-1(f), 2-1(f), 4-1(f), 85-1

7. Gouverneur Morris, T. Pletcher, 29-1, 32-1, 26-1, 31-1

8. Honor A. P., J. Shirreffs, 25-1, 24-1, 14-1, 15-1

9. King Guillermo, J. Avila, 1-1(f), 2-1(f), 4-1(f), 36-1

10. Major Fed, G. Foley, 1-1(f), 2-1(f), 42-1, 54-1

11. Max Player, L. Rice, 1-1(f), 49-1, 71-1, 67-1

12. Maxfield, B. Walsh, 13-1, 13-1, 15-1, 9-1

13. Mischevious Alex, J. Servis, 1-1(f), 2-1(f), 4-1(f), 46-1

14. Modernist, B. Mott, 1-1(f), 2-1(f), 35-1, 50-1

15. Nadal, B. Baffert, 1-1(f), 8-1, 10-1, 9-1

16. Ny Traffic, S. JosephJr., 1-1(f), 2-1(f), 4-1(f), 71-1

17. Shivaree, R. Nicks, 1-1(f), 2-1(f), 4-1(f), 85-1

18. Sole Volante, P. Biancone, 1-1(f), 2-1(f), 20-1, 34-1

19. Storm the Court, P. Eurton, 41-1, 30-1, 60-1, 53-1

20. Thousand Words, B. Baffert, 34-1, 16-1, 34-1, 45-1

21. Three Technique, J. Englehart, 39-1, 36-1, 29-1, 63-1

22. Tiz the Law, B. Tagg, 11-1, 8-1, 7-1, 5-1

23. Wells Bayou, B. Cox, 1-1(f), 2-1(f), 62-1, 28-1

24. Mutuel field, n/a, 1-1, 2-1, 4-1, 3-1

(f) – denotes Pool 1/2/3 field horse

Win handle, $144,348
Exacta handle, $69,314
Total handle, $213,662