Tiz the Law closes as 11-10 favorite in Pool 7 of Kentucky Derby Future Wager

Following his Saturday romp in the Runhappy Travers, Tiz the Law is by far the heaviest individually listed favorite in the 21-year history of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

Tiz the Law was the 11-10 favorite when the seventh and final pool toward the 2020 Derby closed Sunday following the customary three days of betting. Those odds easily break a record set when Empire Maker was 5-2 in the final pool of 2003. The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, has closed as low as 3-5 in prior years, but this is the lowest price ever on a separately listed interest.

Tiz the Law was followed by Honor A. P. (8-1), Art Collector (8-1), Authentic (11-1), and Uncle Chuck (15-1), with all others 24-1 or higher.

Pool 7 closed some 30 minutes before Art Collector was a convincing winner Sunday in the Runhappy Ellis Park Derby.

Tiz the Law also closed as the favorite in Pool 5, which ran June 26-28, and Pool 6 (July 17-19). The field closed as the favorite in each of the first four pools. Pool 1 was Nov. 27-30, Pool 2 was Feb. 7-9, Pool 3 was March 6-8, and Pool 4 was April 3-5.

:: KENTUCKY DERBY 2020: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more

Churchill Downs has never had more than four futures pools since they were first offered in 1999, but these are unprecedented times amid the coronavirus pandemic. The 146th Derby has been postponed from its original May 2 date until Sept. 5, and the Belmont became the first leg of the Triple Crown.

Because of the three additional pools, aggregate handle was expected to easily surpass the record for a four-pool year (nearly $1.9 million, 2018).

Combined Pool 7 handle was $194,215, with $122,573 bet to win and $71,642 in exactas. The lowest $2 exacta will-pay was Tiz the Law over Art Collector (22-2), worth $20.40.

Only four horses have been listed as separate interests in all six 2020 pools – Authentic, Honor A. P., Thousand Words, and Tiz the Law. All are expected to run in the Derby.

The highest $2 win payoff in futures history was $188 on Funny Cide in the first pool of 2003. Funny Cide was trained by Barclay Tagg, the trainer of Tiz the Law.