Fierceness, the winner of the Nov. 3 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the leading candidate for 2-year-old champion colt, has been made the 15-1 individual betting favorite for the second Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool, which will open on Thursday at noon.

Fierceness is one of 38 individual betting interests listed in the pool. The overwhelming favorite is expected to be an entry of “all other colts and geldings” that are not listed individually, tabbed at 4-5 on the morning line. Another entry comprises “all other fillies.”

The entry of “all other colts or geldings” in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager that closed on Thursday night was the 4-5 favorite, with Locked, the morning-line favorite in Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, the lowest-priced individual horse, at 14-1.

Offered six months prior to the May 4 Kentucky Derby, the “all others” entry was expected to attract the most interest in the parimutuel pool, which offered bettors 38 individual horses, plus the “all other colts and geldings” entry and an entry covering “all other fillies,” which closed at 61-1.

Two of the leading contenders in Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile among the 38 individual horses comprising the first Kentucky Derby Future Wager parimutuel pool, which will open on Tuesday and close on Thursday.

Churchill Downs has modified the system that awards points to horses seeking a berth in the Kentucky Derby by increasing the amount of points for second-place finishes in the 37 races that are a part of the series in the U.S., the company announced on Friday.

Forte, the morning-line Kentucky Derby favorite who was scratched the morning of the race, had a positive drug test after winning the Sept. 5 Hopeful Stakes last year that has yet to be fully adjudicated, officials confirmed on Wednesday.

The final hour of the NBC broadcast of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday evening drew a 6.9 rating with a 24 share, according to the network, while drawing the largest audience for a sports broadcast since the Super Bowl.

The rating was a 10.4 percent decline from last year’s rating of 7.7, but the share was identical to last year. Share measures the percentage of televisions in use that are tuned to a broadcast.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Heavy rain, thunder and lightning populated the Churchill Downs backstretch Sunday morning, but it was all sunshine and rainbows at Barn 42, where Kentucky Derby winner Mage was ambivalent to Mother Nature and a small crowd that jammed into the barn to avoid the elements.

“The horse looks pretty amazing this morning,” said Ramiro Restrepo, part owner and the bloodstock agent who selected Mage at auction. “He’s the same cool, calm customer as he’s been from his maiden on through.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Trainer Todd Pletcher sat quietly in his office back in his barn just minutes after the conclusion of Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, watching the replay of the race several times and assessing the performances of his two starters, Tapit Trice and Kingsbarns, who finished, seventh and 14th. Tapit Trice raced at the rear of the field for nearly the opening six furlongs, while Kingsbarns shortened stride down the stretch after prompting the lively pace for more than a mile.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Trainer Gustavo Delgado knew the disappointment of missing the Kentucky Derby due to injury. In 2020, when the Derby was delayed four months by the pandemic, Delgado’s Caracaro had suffered a leg injury after finishing second to the top 3-year-old Tiz the Law in the Travers at Saratoga, a race that set Tiz the Law up as the Kentucky Derby favorite.

Javier Castellano felt the disappointment of Derbies past, going 0 for 15 in the race from 2005 to 2021, equaling the second most rides by a jockey without a Derby victory.

Betting on the Kentucky Derby this year again established a record at $180.16 million, with the total benefiting from an enormous surge in wagering in the straight pools, according to charts.

Overall, betting on the Derby was up 6.8 percent compared to last year’s record, or approximately $11.4 million. Betting in the win, place, and show pools was up 18.0 percent, or $13.8 million, making up for declines in the trifecta and superfecta pools. The straight pool total was $89.2 million, easily a record.