Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 1 set to open Friday

The first of three pools in the 2012 Kentucky Derby Future Wager will open Friday at noon Eastern at tracks and wagering outlets throughout North America.

The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” wagering option, most likely will be favored again this year, just at it has been for Pool 1 in every year since Churchill Downs began offering parimutuel futures in 1999. Union Rags will be pegged as the top separate interest on the morning line when the Pool 1 lineup is released Wednesday afternoon.

Pool 1 runs through 6 p.m. Sunday. Pool 2 is scheduled for March 2-4 and Pool 3 for March 30 to April 1. The only Kentucky Oaks futures pool will coincide with Pool 2.