Mutuel field favored in third pool of 2020 Kentucky Derby Future Wager

The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, closed as a lukewarm favorite over Authentic and Tiz the Law after three days of betting into Pool 3 of the 2020 Kentucky Derby Future Wager. The pool opened Friday at noon Eastern and closed Sunday evening when coinciding with the only futures pool toward the 2020 Kentucky Oaks.

The mutuel field closed at 4-1 in Pool 3, followed by Authentic (6-1), Tiz the Law (7-1), Nadal (10-1), Charlatan (12-1), Honor A. P. (14-1), Maxfield (15-1), and Ete Indien (16-1). The lowest $2 exacta will-pay is Authentic over Tiz the Law (1-22), worth $72.

Seven of the individually listed horses in Pool 3 were in action Saturday, with Authentic clearly faring best as winner of the San Felipe at Santa Anita.

Combined handle on Pool 3 was $356,667, with $260,270 bet to win and $96,397 in exactas. The total was down 7.5 percent from the corresponding 2019 pool.

The field closed as the 6-5 favorite in Pool 1, which drew total handle of $350,312 when held Nov. 28-Dec. 1 in tandem with the Derby Sires Future Wager. The field also was the 2-1 favorite in Pool 2, which drew handle of $590,911 when held Feb. 7-9. The fourth and final pool is set for April 3-5.

The record for handle in a single pool is $631,304, set in 2012, while the record for aggregate handle in a single year is $1,893,353, set last year.

In the Oaks pool, the field also was the slight favorite over 22 separate interests, with No. 17 O Seraphina having been scratched before the pool opened. Next came Venetian Harbor (4-1), Finite (8-1), Tonalist’s Shape (9-1), Harvey’s Lil Goil (11-1), Donna Veloce (12-1), and British Idiom (12-1).

The Oaks pool drew $74,065 in win handle and $27,776 in exactas, with the total of $101,841 being up 16.2 percent over last year. The lowest $2 exacta will-pay was Venetian Harbor over the field (22-24), worth $42.40.

The Oaks-Derby double, being offered for the third year, handled $87,175, up 11 percent over last year. The lowest $2 will-pay combines the Oaks field with Authentic (24-1), worth a mere $23.

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.

The Oaks is set for May 1 and the Derby for May 2.