Conflicted Derby 139 Fans Favor 'All Others' in Tight Final Futures Pool

May 02, 2013 John Asher

For most of three days of betting in the third and final pool of Churchill Downs Racetrack’s (CDRT) 2013 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”), fans flirted with making unbeaten Verrazano (#20) the overall betting favorite.  But, in the end, those fans could not commit to an individual horse as their favorite to win the 139^th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) and settled on the always popular Mutuel Field (#24) to be the people’s choice.

The betting interest that included all 3-year-olds other than the 23 individual horses on the KDFW Pool 3 betting roster closed as the 5-1 favorite, with Verrazano close behind as the 7-1 second choice.  Verrazano,winner of the Tampa Bay Derby (GIII) and one of five KDFW Pool 3 betting interests trained by Todd Pletcher, opened as the pool’s 7-2 favorite in Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia’s morning line odds and was favored over “All Others” during the first two days of Pool 3 betting.  But “All Others” gained momentum when Sunday betting opened at noon (all times Eastern) and the top two flipped positions by mid-afternoon.

Fans at racetracks and off-track betting centers across North America and online bettors at TwinSpires.com and other advance deposit wagering outlets wagered $402,167 in $2 win and exacta bets during the three days of future betting that concluded at 6 p.m. on Sunday.  The final total ranked seventh in Pool 3 betting in 15 years of Derby Future bet history.  Total betting in all three 2013 Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools was $1,430,699 – the fifth highest total since the bet was introduced in 1999.

Perhaps Kentucky Derby fans had too many enticing Derby Future possibilities before them in Pool 3 and simply could not make up their minds.  When betting concluded Sunday at 6 p.m., the closing odds on 14 of the pool’s 24 betting interests ranged from  5-1 on “All Others” to 21-1.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager annually offers racing fans an opportunity to bet on possible contenders for the famed “Run for the Roses” well in advance of the race at odds that could be significantly more attractive than those available in Kentucky Derby Day betting.

Each Kentucky Derby Future pool offers $2 minimum win betting and exacta wagering, which is available in the form of $2 minimum straight exacta bets or $1-minimum exacta boxes and part-wheels. Mutuel payouts in Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools are based on the odds that are in place at the conclusion of each respective pool.

The Kentucky Derby is scheduled for Saturday, May 4 at Churchill Downs and will be televised live by NBC Sports, 

Lined up in that tight pack of Pool 3 betting interests behind “All Others” and Verrazano were Gotham (GIII) winner Vyjack (#21) and Holy Bull (GIII) winner Itsmyluckyday (#7), both at 10-1; Withers (GIII) winner Revolutionary (#16) at 12-1; Fountain of Youth (GII) winner Orb (#12), at 13-1; Flashback (#4), winner of the Robert B. Lewis (GII), and San Felipe (GII) winner Hear the Ghost (#6) at 15-1; reigning 2-year-old champion Shanghai Bobby (#18), War Academy (#22), a winner of two of three races, and Remsen (GII) runner-up Normandy Invasion (#11) at 18-1; Rebel (GIII) winner Will Take Charge (#23), trained by four-time Kentucky Derby winner D. Wayne Lukas, at19-1, and Lukas-trained stablemate Oxbow (#14) and Palace Malice (#15) were next at 21-1.

Only one wagering interest KDFW Pool 3 was in action during the pool.  Uncaptured (#19) finished second to Black Onyx, who was part of the “All Others” interest, in his 2013 racing debut in Saturday’s Spiral Stakes (GII) at Turfway Park. Two other weekend Kentucky Derby preps were won by horses that are part the “All Others” interest: Govenor Charlie took Sunday’s Sunland Derby (GIII) at Sunland Park and Crop Report won Saturday’s Rushaway on the Spiral undercard at Turfway Park.

Govenor Charlie is trained by Bob Baffert, who like Pletcher, trained five betting interests in KDFW Pool 3.

Betting on the 2013 Kentucky Derby Future Wager was offered by racetracks and off-track betting centers throughout North America.  Wagering was also available online at TwinSpires.com, the official online wagering site of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby, and other advance deposit wagering platforms.

Information on the Kentucky Derby is available online at the official event Web site at www.KentuckyDerby.com, along with final odds and $2 mutuel and exacta payouts for betting interests in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager’s final 2013 pool.

 For a look at KDFW Pool 3 final odds and $2 win wager will pays, click here.

Click here for $2 exacta payouts for KDFW Pool 3.