Game Winner and Improbable, both from the stable of Bob Baffert, are expected to attract the most individual Kentucky Derby future book wagering action when the second phase of the popular bet opens Friday.
Bettors also have an “all others†option covering any horse not listed by veteran linemaker Mike Battaglia. Battaglia sets an opening line for the total of 24 unique betting markets – 23 individual horses and “All Others.â€
Horse Racing’s New Magic Man
Baffert is the Hall of Fame trainer with the magical touch when it comes to the “Run for the Roses†— winning five Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakness Stakes, three Belmont Stakes, and three Kentucky Oaks. American Pharoah and Justify are Baffert students who won horse racing’s two most recent Triple Crowns in 2015 and 2018.
Churchill Downs conducts the Kentucky Derby future book wagering in phases. Wagering for Pool 2 opens Friday at race tracks, simulcast outlets and online at noon (EST) nationwide and concludes Sunday at 6 p.m. (EST).
Total handle for Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager conducted Nov. 22-25 was $258,389. The “All Other 3-Year-Old Colts and Geldings†closing as the 6/5 favorite with Game Winner at 5/1.
Game Winner is the unbeaten 2-year-old champion and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner. Game Winner is expected to garner the most support among the 23 individual betting interests with opening line odds of 6/1. Los Alamitos Futurity victor Improbable projects as the 8/1 third choice. The “All Others†option projects as the Pool 2 favorite at 5/2.
Win and Exacta Pools
The Kentucky Derby future wagering features minimum $2 Win and Exacta (first two finishers is exact order) wagering. Future book wagers are non-refundable. If a horse doesn’t race for any reason, the bet is a loser.
Overall, Baffert trains four of the betting interests. He also conditions maiden winner Coliseum (15/1), who impressively won his debut but disappointed in his first attempt around two turns, and multiple graded stakes-winner Mucho Gusto (15/1), who won last weekend’s Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita.
To view the entire field, trainers and the projected opening line click here.
The 145th running of Kentucky Derby, America’s most prestigious race and the first leg of the Triple Crown, is set for Saturday, May 4 at Churchill Downs.
Fixed Odds vs. Pari-Mutuel Future Books
Future book wagers have had a long standing appeal to bettors who believe a horse may go off at lesser odds on race day than those offered in each future book market when it closes. Traditional sports future book wagers, such as those for the NFL, MLB, NBA and many other sports differs from these Kentucky Derby future book bets because the bettor gets “fixed odds” that do not vary after the wager is made.
Dates for the remaining 2019 Kentucky Derby future pools are March 8-10 (Pool 3) and April 5-7 (Pool 4).