Kentucky Derby Future Wager: Nyquist vaults past Mohaymen as Pool 4 favorite

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In the wake of his dominating victory in the Florida Derby, Nyquist has overtaken Mohaymen as the favorite in the fourth and final pool of the 2016 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which closes today at 6 p.m. Eastern after the customary three-day run.

Odds are not locked in until the pool closes, and typically more than half the handle in a given pool will pour in on the final day of wagering. That surely will hold true today in the aftermath of the Florida Derby, which was the only Kentucky Derby prep this weekend with an impact on Pool 4.

Into Sunday, and after win handle of $143,055, Nyquist was the 5-2 favorite, followed by Mohaymen (5-1), Cupid (13-1), Gun Runner (13-1), the mutuel field (13-1), Mor Spirit (15-1), Mo Tom (16-1), Shagaf (16-1), and Danzing Candy (19-1). An additional $65,894 was bet in exactas.

The field, the 24th or “all others” option, was favored in Derby Pool 1, which ran Nov. 26-29, and in Pool 2 (Feb. 12-14). Mohaymen closed as the 7-2 favorite in Pool 3 (March 11-13).

Mohaymen and Nyquist were the only horses among the 23 separately listed Pool 4 interests to race this weekend. None were in the only other Derby prep, the Spiral Stakes won by longshot Oscar Nominated at Turfway Park.

Last year, combined handle on Pool 4 was $336,717, with eventual Derby winner American Pharoah closing as a 9-2 favorite.

Aggregate handle for the first three pools toward the 2016 Derby stands at $943,999. The record for aggregate handle since Churchill Downs began offering parimutuel futures in 1999 is $1,665,990, set in 2005.

Real-time odds and will-pays are available through various modes, including on television monitors at tracks and wagering outlets, as well as on kentuckyderby.com.

Results are predicated on the 142nd Kentucky Derby on May 7.