Grade 1, $500,000 Breeders’ Futurity, 1 1/16 miles, Keeneland, Oct. 4, 2014
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth
Winner: Carpe Diem
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: John Velazquez
Owner: WinStar Farm LLC and Stonestreet Stables LLC
Beyer Speed Figure: 93
Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne Stakes, one mile, Belmont Park, Oct. 4, 2014
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)
Winner: Daredevil
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Javier Castellano
Owner: Let’s Go Stable
Beyer Speed Figure: 107
Grade 3, $100,000 Iroquois Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Churchill Downs, Sept. 6, 2014
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)
Winner: Lucky Player
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Ricardo Santana Jr.
Owner: Jerry Durant
Beyer Speed Figure: 82
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The mutuel field has closed as an odds-on favorite in Pool 1 of the 2015 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, with Dortmund the heaviest-backed individual interest.
When closing Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern, the field, the 24th or “all others” option, was 3-5, the lowest price ever in the 17-year history of Churchill Downs offering parimutuel futures. Then came Dortmund (9-1), American Pharoah (12-1), Texas Red (14-1), and Carpe Diem (15-1). The other 19 separately listed horses are 27-1 or higher, with five of them 99-1 and above.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Last fall, when Churchill Downs tried a future wager pool in late November for the first time, only one of the 23 separately listed horses eventually made it to the 2014 Kentucky Derby: Ride On Curlin, who ran seventh at 17-1. The “all others” option returned an all-time low of $3.60 for a $2 win bet.
Based on those results, along with a combined handle of just $273,174, it was neither an artistic nor financial success.
But whom did it hurt? And why not try it again?
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The mutuel field is an overwhelming morning-line favorite in the first pool of the 2015 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which is set to open Friday.
Churchill Downs on Tuesday released the names of the 23 separately listed entrants for Pool 1, which opens Friday at noon Eastern. The field, the 24th or “all others” option, is pegged as the 3-5 favorite, followed by American Pharoah at 12-1, Texas Red at 15-1, and the rest at 20-1 or higher. Todd Pletcher has five of the 23 named, and Bob Baffert has four.
The first pool closes Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern.
VINTON, La. – Ocho Ocho Ocho will be put on the Santa Anita Derby trail next year, trainer Jim Cassidy said on Sunday, a day after the horse won his two-turn debut in the Grade 3, $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot. Ocho Ocho Ocho fought for a nose win over Mr. Z to remain undefeated in three starts. He left the Delta Downs stable area Sunday morning to return home to Santa Anita.
VINTON, La. – Ocho Ocho Ocho remained undefeated in three starts Saturday after he won a photo over Mr. Z in the Grade 3, $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot, and then withstood both a stewards’ inquiry as well as an objection from the rider of third-place finisher Far Right. With the win, Ocho Ocho Ocho earned $600,000 and 10 preference points for next year’s Kentucky Derby.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Churchill Downs has released the dates for the 2015 Kentucky Derby Future Wager and once again will offer Pool 1 during the final weekend of the current fall meet while also reverting to a Friday-to-Sunday wagering window.
These are the dates for the four futures pools toward the 141st Kentucky Derby on May 2: Pool 1, Nov. 28-30; Pool 2, Feb. 6-8; Pool 3, Feb. 27 to March 1; and Pool 4, March 27-29.
Yum! Brands will remain the presenting sponsor of the Kentucky Derby through 2020 under a five-year contract extension the company reached with Churchill Downs, the companies announced Monday.
Yum! Brands first reached a deal with Churchill to be the presenting sponsor of the Derby in 2005. The company owns the fast-food brands KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell and operates approximately 40,000 restaurants worldwide.
