Mutuel field again favored in Kentucky Derby Future Wager

The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, is a lukewarm favorite in the fourth of five pools in the 2022 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which closed Sunday evening along with the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager following the customary three-day run.

The field closed at 4-1 and was followed by Smile Happy at 6-1, the lowest price on any of the 23 individual interests. The field also was favored in the first three pools when offered Nov. 26-29, Jan. 21-23, and Feb. 11-13, respectively, closing at odds of 3-5, 9-5, and 2-1.

Next in Pool 4 were Forbidden Kingdom (7-1), Classic Causeway (10-1), Epicenter (13-1), Charge It (17-1), Morello (17-1), Simplification (19-1), and Early Voting (19-1). No horse is higher than 71-1.

The lowest $2 exacta will-pay is Forbidden Kingdom over Classic Causeway (10-4), worth $91.20. Win and exacta handle was $374,701, up 16 percent from the corresponding 2021 pool.

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Pool 4 coincided with the only Kentucky Oaks futures and Oaks-Derby double to be offered by Churchill Downs prior to both classics.

Echo Zulu (5-2), the champion 2-year-old filly of 2021, is followed atop the Oaks pool by Secret Oath (7-2), the field (6-1), Kathleen O. (9-1), Nest (14-1), and Valenti Valentine (15-1). The lowest $2 exacta will-pay is Echo Zulu over Secret Oath (7-18), worth $26.80. Combined handle was $90,736.

The lowest $2 Oaks-Derby double will-pay combines Echo Zulu with Forbidden Kingdom (7-10), worth $32. Handle was $84,591.

As with the first three Derby pools, there were no Bob Baffert trainees listed separately in Pool 4. Baffert has been banned by Churchill from running horses in the Derby the next two years, a policy stemming from his disqualified winner of 2021, Medina Spirit, who tested positive for a medication overage. All Baffert trainees again were lumped into the field for Pool 4.

The same policy was in place for the Oaks pool, meaning a would-be Baffert contender such as Adare Manor was missing from the lineup of 23 individual interests.

Last year in Pool 4, Life Is Good closed as the 2-1 favorite, the lowest price ever for an individual horse in March since Churchill began offering parimutuel futures in 1999. While Life Is Good did not make the Derby, the eventual first-place finisher, Medina Spirit, was 39-1 in Pool 4.

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In the case of field horses finishing first and second, the highest-placed horse counts as the bottom half of the exacta.

Derby Pool 5 is set for March 31 through April 2, a Thursday-to-Saturday window that deviates from the Friday-to-Sunday schedule long used by Churchill. Pool 5 will close before the first qualifying-points race is run April 2 in an effort to make it more of a true “futures” pool.

The Oaks will be run May 6 and the Derby will run on May 7.

Kentucky Derby Futures Pool 4 odds
(No., Horse, Trainer, P1, P2, P3, P4)

1. Barber Road, J. Ortiz, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 63-1, 39-1

2. Call Me Midnight, K. Desormeaux, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 56-1, 68-1

3. Charge It, T. Pletcher, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 2-1(f), 17-1

4. Classic Causeway, B. Lynch, 44-1, 51-1, 13-1, 10-1

5. Cyberknife, B. Cox, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 2-1(f), 36-1

6. Early Voting, C. Brown, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 19-1, 19-1

7. Emmanuel, T. Pletcher, 3-5(f), 17-1, 15-1, 33-1

8. Epicenter, S. Asmussen, 52-1, 24-1, 24-1, 13-1

9. Ethereal Road, D. Lukas, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 2-1(f), 32-1

10. Forbidden Kingdom, R. Mandella, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 18-1, 7-1

11. In Due Time, K. Breen, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 37-1, 48-1

12. Major General, T. Pletcher, 43-1, 41-1, 32-1, 65-1

13. Mo Donegal, T. Pletcher, 37-1, 23-1, 14-1, 24-1

14. Morello, S. Asmussen, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 2-1(f), 17-1

15. Pioneer of Medina, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 2-1(f), 71-1

16. Rattle N Roll, K. McPeek, 21-1, 20-1, 19-1, 31-1

17. Shipsational, E. Barker, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 2-1(f), 51-1

18. Simplification, A. Sano, 3-5(f), 43-1, 43-1, 19-1

19. Smile Happy, K. McPeek, 8-1, 8-1, 8-1, 6-1

20. Un Ojo, R. Courville, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 2-1(f), 36-1

21. White Abarrio, S. Joseph, 3-5(f), 171-1, 18-1, 22-1

22. Zandon, C. Brown, 56-1, 25-1, 21-1, 22-1

23. Zozos, B. Cox, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 2-1(f), 30-1

24. Field (all others), n/a, 3-5, 9-5, 2-1, 4-1

(f) – denotes P1/P2/P3 field horse.

Win handle, $284,502

Exacta handle, $90,199

Total handle, $374,701

Kentucky Oaks Futures final odds
(No., Horse, Trainer, CD M/L)

1. A Mo Reay, T. Pletcher, 36-1

2. Ain’t Easy, P. D’Amato, 27-1

3. Awake At Midnyte, D. O’Neill, 45-1

4. Bernabreezy, M. Shirer, 84-1

5. Bubble Rock, B. Cox, 37-1

6. Classy Edition, T. Pletcher, 38-1

7. Echo Zulu, S. Asmussen, 5-2

8. Fannie and Freddie, A. Stall, 154-1

9. Favor, T. Pletcher, 71-1

10. Goddess of Fire, T. Pletcher, 51-1

11. Hidden Connection, B. Calhoun, 41-1

12. Ice Orchid, J. Ortiz, 88-1

13. Juju’s Map, B. Cox, 22-1

14. Kathleen O., S. McGaughey, 9-1

15. Nest, T. Pletcher, 14-1

16. Nostalgic, B. Mott, 46-1

17. Sandstone, K. McPeek, 81-1

18. Secret Oath, D. Lukas, 7-2

19. Shahama, F. Nass, 24-1

20. Turnerloose, B. Cox, 24-1

21. Venti Valentine, J. Abreu, 15-1

22. Veterans Highway, R. Arnold, 93-1

23. Yuugiri, R. Brisset, 108-1

24. Field (all others), n/a, 6-1

Win handle, $64,479

Exacta handle, $26,257

Total handle, $90,736

Oaks-Derby double, $84,591