Smile Happy, White Abarrio top individual interests in Pool 3 of Kentucky Derby Future Wager

The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, is the 5-2 morning-line favorite for the third of five pools in the 2022 Kentucky Derby Future Wager. Pool 3 opens Friday at noon Eastern and runs through Sunday at 6 p.m.

As with the first two pools, which were held Nov. 26-29 and Jan. 21-23, there are no Bob Baffert trainees listed as separate wagering interests in Pool 3. Baffert has been banned by Churchill Downs from running horses in the Derby the next two years, a policy stemming from his 2021 winner, Medina Spirit, having tested positive for a medication overage. This means the Baffert-trained Corniche, winner of the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and Messier, a 15-length winner of the Robert Lewis Memorial on Sunday, again are lumped into the field for Pool 3, as are several of his other top 3-year-olds.

There are eight new names for Pool 3: Barber Road, Call Me Midnight, Early Voting, Forbidden Kingdom, God of Love, Happy Boy Rocket, Howling Time, In Due Time.

Gone from Pool 2 are Courvoisier, Dash Attack, Giant Game, High Oak, Jack Christopher, Tiz the Bomb, Trafalgar, and Varatti.

After the field, the morning-line favorites for Pool 3 are Smile Happy (8-1), White Abarrio (8-1), Emmanuel (10-1), Forbidden Kingdom (10-1), and Early Voting (12-1), none of whom will race this weekend. Two Derby points qualifiers will be run this weekend, the Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs and the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate, both awarding points on a 10-4-2-1 scale.

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Given that odds are locked in only when the pool closes, it typically behooves fans to wait until all preps are run before bets are made. Pool 3 horses expected to run in the Davis include Classic Causeway, God of Love, Howling Time, and Make It Big.

The field, as usual, was favored in Pool 1 (3-5) and Pool 2 (9-5).

Pool 1 drew a combined handle of $326,448; the annual Derby Sires futures also were held concurrent with Pool 1. Total handle for Pool 2 was $361,209.

Last year in Pool 3, the field closed as the 3-1 favorite, followed by Life Is Good (7-1) and Essential Quality (8-1). Medina Spirit was 25-1 in Pool 3. Total handle was $388,987.

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Pool 4 will be held March 11-13 and Pool 5 from March 31-April 2. A Kentucky Oaks futures pool will coincide with Pool 4.

Win and exacta wagering are available at a $2 minimum ($1 boxes or part-wheels are permitted).

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

Real-time odds and will-pays are available through various modes, including on television monitors at tracks and wagering outlets, as well as at kentuckyderby.com.

The 148th Derby will be run May 7.

Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3
No., Horse, Trainer, P1, P2, P3 M/L

1. Barber Road, J. Ortiz, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 20-1

2. Call Me Midnight, K. Desormeaux, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 20-1

3. Chasing Time, S. Asmussen, 3-5(f), 17-1, 15-1

4. Classic Causeway, B. Lynch, 44-1, 51-1, 50-1

5. Commandperformance, T. Pletcher, 31-1, 41-1, 50-1

6. Early Voting, C. Brown, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 12-1

7. Emmanuel, T. Pletcher, 3-5(f), 17-1, 10-1

8. Epicenter, S. Asmussen, 52-1, 24-1, 15-1

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

10. God of Love, M. Casse, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 50-1

11. Happy Boy Rocket, B. Mott, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 50-1

12. Howling Time, D. Romans, 43-1, 9-5(f), 50-1

13. In Due Time, K. Breen, 3-5(f), 9-5(f), 30-1

14. Major General, T. Pletcher, 43-1, 41-1, 30-1

15. Make It Big, S. Joseph, 3-5(f), 85-1, 50-1

16. Mo Donegal, T. Pletcher, 37-1, 23-1, 30-1

17. Pappacap, M. Casse, 23-1, 24-1, 15-1

18. Rattle N Roll, K. McPeek, 21-1, 20-1, 30-1

19. Simplification, A. Sano, 3-5(f), 43-1, 30-1

20. Slow Down Andy, D. O’Neill, 3-5(f), 20-1, 20-1

21. Smile Happy, K. McPeek, 8-1, 8-1, 8-1

22. White Abarrio, S. Joseph, 3-5(f), 171-1, 8-1

23. Zandon, C. Brown, 56-1, 25-1, 30-1

24. Field (all others) 3-5, 9-5, 5-2

(f) – denotes P1 or P2 field horse