Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool 1 opens Wednesday, closes prior to BC Juvenile

Churchill Downs will open the betting on next year’s Kentucky Derby with the first of its future wager pools on Wednesday, with betting closing just prior to the running of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Friday evening.

History has shown that the “all others” option among the 40 betting interests listed in the pool will close as the favorite, and that option has been made the 4-5 by Churchill’s linemaker. Among individual horses, Ted Noffey, the current even-money favorite in the Juvenile after two impressive Grade 1 wins this fall, is listed at 10-1, the lowest-priced single offering in the field.

Betting in the pool will open at noon Eastern on Wednesday and close at “approximately” 6 p.m. Eastern on Friday, Churchill said. The post time for the Juvenile on Friday is 7:45 p.m. Eastern, or 4:45 p.m. local time at Del Mar in Southern California, where the Breeders' Cup is being held this year.

Eight of the horses pre-entered in the Juvenile are listed individually in the pool. Among trainers, Bob Baffert has the most horses listed in the future-wager field, with eight. The pool also includes an entry for “all fillies foaled in 2023,” listed at 75-1.

ON SALE NOW: DRF Breeders' Cup Packages! Get everything you need to win and save big.

In the 39 previous runnings of the Juvenile, only two of the race’s winners have gone on to win the Derby. Among runners in the Juvenile, six horses have won the Derby.

Win and exacta wagering will be offered in the pool, the first of six future wagers scheduled to be held by Churchill in the run-up to the race. The minimum bet is $2, and no refunds will be issued.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.