‘All others,’ Smile Happy are top bets in Ky. Derby Future Wager
Eight weeks in advance of the $3 million classic, “all other 3-year-olds” closed as the 4-1 favorite in Pool 4 of the 2022 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, a national pari-mutuel offering from Churchill Downs.
Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) winner and Risen Star (G2) runner-up smile happy closed as the 6-1 second betting choice, spurred in part by a “couple-thousand-dollar” wager Saturday by Jim McIngvale, the owner of the colt’s stallion Runhappy. Better known as “Mattress Mack,” McIngvale confirmed the bet Sunday in a conversation with Horse Racing Nation.
San Vicente (G2) and San Felipe (G2) winner Forbidden Kingdom was the third choice at 7-1.
This marked the 15th time in the last 20 years that the pari-mutuel field of “all other 3-year-olds” went favored in the March future pool.
Horses in order of favoritism in the three-day March 11-13 KDFW Pool 4, including trainers, odds, $2 win will-pays and the win handle for each entry:
| KDFW Pool 4 | Trainer | odds | $2 pays | Wagers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24. All other 3-year-olds | 4-1 | $10.40 | $45,003 | |
| 19. Smile Happy | Kenny McPeek | 6-1 | $15.00 | $30,989 |
| 10. Forbidden Kingdom | Richard Mandella | 7-1 | $16.60 | $28,117 |
| 4. Classic Causeway | Brian Lynch | 10-1 | $23.00 | $20,269 |
| 8. Epicenter | Steve Asmussen | 13-1 | $28.40 | $16,440 |
| 3.Charge It | Todd Pletcher | 17-1 | $37.20 | $12,571 |
| 14. Morello | Steve Asmussen | 17-1 | $37.20 | $12,567 |
| 18. Simplify | Antonio Sano | 19-1 | $40.00 | $11,687 |
| 6. Early Voting | Chad Brown | 19-1 | $41.60 | $11,235 |
| 22. Zandon | Chad Brown | 22-1 | $46.00 | $10,165 |
| 21. White Abarrio | Saffie Joseph Jr. | 22-1 | $47.80 | $9,798 |
| 13. Mo Donegal | Todd Pletcher | 24-1 | $50.40 | $9,300 |
| 23. Zozos | Brad Cox | 30-1 | $62.20 | $7,542 |
| 16. Rattle N Roll | Kenny McPeek | 31-1 | $64.00 | $7,328 |
| 9. Ethereal Road | D.Wayne Lukas | 32-1 | $67.40 | $6,949 |
| 7.Emmanuel | Todd Pletcher | 33-1 | $69.60 | $6,741 |
| 5. Cyberknife | Brad Cox | 36-1 | $74.80 | $6,275 |
| 20. An Ojo | Ricky Courville | 36-1 | $74.80 | $6,266 |
| 1. Barber Road | John Ortiz | 39-1 | $80.20 | $5,847 |
| 11. In Due Time | Kelly Breen | 48-1 | $99.40 | $4,716 |
| 17. Shipsational | Ed Barker | 51-1 | $104.20 | $4,498 |
| 12. Major-General | Todd Pletcher | 65-1 | $132.60 | $3,536 |
| 2. Call Me Midnight | Keith Desormeaux | 68-1 | $138.20 | $3,393 |
| 15. Pioneer of Medina | Todd Pletcher | 71-1 | $144.00 | $3,258 |
The KDFW did not include Bob Baffert-trained horses like Messier, a two-time Grade 3 winner who is best priced at 15-1 with Las Vegas oddsmakers. Because of a drug ban imposed on the trainer, Baffert horses will remain ineligible for the Derby unless they are transferred to other trainers in time to qualify for the race.
The Kentucky Derby Future Wager, offered for a 24th consecutive year, enables bettors to wager on possible Derby contenders in advance at odds that could be more attractive than those available on the day of the race. The 148th running of the Derby will be Saturday, May 7.
In the lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager, which was conducted concurrently with the KDFW, unbeaten champion 2-year-old filly Echo Zulu closed as 5-2 favorite over runaway Honeybee (G3) winner Secret Oath, who was 7-2.
The final odds for the Oaks Future Wager:
| Ky. Oaks Future Wager | Trainer | odds | $2 pays | Wagers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7. Echo Zulu | Steve Asmussen | 5-2 | $7.60 | $13,890 |
| 18. Secret Oath | D.Wayne Lukas | 7-2 | $9.80 | $10,691 |
| 24. All other 3yo girls | 6-1 | $15.00 | $7,029 | |
| 14. Kathleen O. | Shug McGaughey | 9-1 | $20.40 | $5,196 |
| 15. Nest | Todd Pletcher | 14-1 | $31.00 | $3,431 |
| 21. Venti Valentine | Jorge Abreu | 15-1 | $32.40 | $3,279 |
| 13. Juju’s Map | Brad Cox | 22-1 | $47.00 | $2,260 |
| 20. Turnerloose | Brad Cox | 24-1 | $50.00 | $2,127 |
| 19. Shahama | Todd Pletcher | 24-1 | $51.80 | $2,050 |
| 2. Ain’t Easy | Phil D’Amato | 27-1 | $56.20 | $1,889 |
| 1. A Mo Reay | Todd Pletcher | 36-1 | $75.40 | $1,409 |
| 5.Bubble Rock | Brad Cox | 37-1 | $77.80 | $1,366 |
| 6.Classy Edition | Todd Pletcher | 38-1 | $78.40 | $1,353 |
| 11. Hidden Connection | Bret Calhoun | 41-1 | $85.80 | $1,237 |
| 3. Awake At Midnyte | Doug O’Neill | 45-1 | $92.80 | $1,144 |
| 16. Nostaglic | Bill Mott | 46-1 | $94.00 | $1,130 |
| 10. Goddess of Fire | Todd Pletcher | 51-1 | $105.80 | $1,004 |
| 9.Favor | Todd Pletcher | 71-1 | $145.20 | $732 |
| 17. Sandstone | Kenny McPeek | 81-1 | $165.80 | $641 |
| 4. Bernabreezy | Matt Shirer | 84-1 | $171.00 | $622 |
| 12. Ice Orchid | John Ortiz | 88-1 | $178.60 | $595 |
| 22. Veterans Highway | Rusty Arnold | 93-1 | $189.20 | $561 |
| 23. Yuugiri | Rodolphe Brisset | 108-1 | $218.60 | $486 |
| 8. Fannie and Freddie | Al Stall Jr. | 154-1 | $310.60 | $342 |
Baffert fillies also are conspicuous by their absence because of the drug ban. Otherwise, Adare Manor might have been included. The Las Virgenes (G3) winner was listed during the weekend as a 5-1 second choice in foreign betting on the Oaks.
Betting on all future wagers over the three-day period was up 16.7 percent to $550,030. Last year’s March handle totaled $471,494.
The total handle for the March 11-13 KDFW pool, the fourth of five wagering pools in advance of the Derby, was $374,702 ($284,503 in the win pool and $90,200 in the exacta), up 16.2 percent compared with last year’s $322,477 ($231,632 win , 90.844 exacta).
Betting on the Oaks Future Wager totaled $90,737 ($64,480 win, $26,257 exacta), a 15.9 percent increase vs. last year’s $78,290 ($57,219 win, $20,771 exacta).
The Oaks-Derby Future Double, which requires fans to correctly select the winners of both the Kentucky Oaks on May 6 and the next day’s Kentucky Derby, handled $84,591, a 19.6 percent jump from last year’s $70,727.
The year’s fifth and final Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool is set for Thursday, March 31, through Saturday, April 2. Different from the first four pools of the KDFW, Pool 5 will close prior to earliest Road to the Kentucky Derby 100-40- 20-10 prep points April 2.
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