Mutuel field, Life Is Good sit 1-2 atop Kentucky Derby Future Pool 2

The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, closed as a solid favorite over Life Is Good after three days of betting into Pool 2 of the 2021 Kentucky Derby Future Wager. The pool opened Friday at noon Eastern and ran through 6 p.m. Sunday.

The field closed at 9-5, followed by Life Is Good (7-1), Essential Quality (8-1), Caddo River (13-1), Concert Tour (16-1), and Keepmeinmind (19-1). The lowest $2 exacta will-pay is Life Is Good over the field (24-5), worth $36.80.

Combined handle was $322,033, down 45 percent from the corresponding 2020 pool, with $240,767 bet to win and $81,266 in exactas. Total handle for Pool 2 last year was $590,911, up 10.7 percent from 2019.

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While Pool 2 was open, only one of the 23 individually listed horses was in action – Caddo River, an easy winner of the Smarty Jones on Friday at Oaklawn Park.

The field has always been the favorite in the pool held at this time of year (originally Pool 1, now Pool 2) since Churchill Downs began offering parimutuel futures in 1999. Last year, the field closed at 2-1 in Pool 2, while the eventual Derby winner, Authentic, was 15-1.

Five pools are scheduled this year. The field closed as the 6-5 favorite in Pool 1, which was held Nov. 26-29 in tandem with the Derby Sires Future Wager. Pool 3 is set for Feb. 12-14, Pool 4 for March 5-7, and Pool 5 for March 26-28. The Kentucky Oaks Future Wager will coincide with Pool 4.

Churchill had offered four futures pools in recent years, although there were seven pools toward the 2020 Derby because of the race being postponed from May to September due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The record for handle in a single pool is $631,304, set in 2012. The record futures payoff for a $2 win bet was set on Funny Cide ($188) in the second of three pools in 2003.

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 147th Kentucky Derby will be run May 1.

2021 KENTUCKY DERBY POOL 2

(No., Horse, Trainer, P1 odds, P2 odds)

1. Bezos, B. Baffert, 6-5(f), 26-1

2. Caddo River, B. Cox, 27-1, 13-1

3. Capo Kane, H. Wyner, 6-5(f), 66-1

4. Concert Tour, B. Baffert, 6-5(f), 16-1

5. Essential Quality, B. Cox, 8-1, 8-1

6. Fire At Will, M. Maker, 30-1, 45-1

7. Greatest Honour, S. McGaughey, 6-5(f), 40-1

8. Highly Motivated, C. Brown, 18-1, 24-1

9. Hot Rod Charlie, D. O’Neill, 34-1, 40-1

10. Jackie’s Warrior, S. Asmussen, 18-1, 23-1

11. Keepmeinmind, R. Diodoro, 19-1, 19-1

12. Life Is Good, B. Baffert, 5-1, 7-1

13. Mandaloun, B. Cox, 6-5(f), 42-1

14. Medina Spirit, B. Baffert, 6-5(f), 24-1

15. Midnight Bourbon, S. Asmussen, 59-1, 26-1

16. Mutasaabeq, T. Pletcher, 6-5(f), 47-1

17. Olympiad, W. Mott, 6-5(f), 64-1

18. Prate, B. Cox, 6-5(f), 48-1

19. Prime Factor, T. Pletcher, 6-5(f), 21-1

20. Proxy, M. Stidham, 6-5(f), 76-1

21. Senor Buscador, T. Fincher, 6-5(f), 34-1

22. Spielberg, B. Baffert, 6-5(f), 47-1

23. Wipe the Slate, D. O’Neill, 6-5(f), 87-1

24. Mutuel field, n/a, 6-5, 9-5

(f) – Mutuel field

Win pool: $240,767
Exacta pool: $81,266
Total handle: $322,033