Kentucky Derby / Kentucky Oaks Future Wager: Pool 2 News

ESKENDEREYA, LOOKIN AT LUCKY FAVORED INDIVIDUALS, BUT ‘ALL OTHERS' THE CHOICE IN DERBY FUTURES POOL 2

A dominating victory in the Fountain of Youth (Grade II) stakes has made Eskendereya the co-morning line favorite with champion Lookin At Lucky among individual wagering interests for Pool 2 of Churchill Downs' 2010 Kentucky Derby Future Wager ("KDFW"), but it's the mutuel field, or "all others," that will be favored again when the three-day pool opens its March 5-7 run on Friday.

The "all others" wagering interest - which includes all 3-year-olds other than the 23 individual horses in each KDFW Pool - was a strong 3-2 favorite at the conclusion of Feb. 12-14 opening pool of the Derby Future bet. Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia installed the mutuel field as the 7-2 favorite in the morning line odds for this weekend's Pool 2, while Eskendereya and Lookin At Lucky are the co-second choices at 6-1.  Eskendereya closed at 22-1 in February's opening KDFW pool, but his status rose sharply following an 8 1/2-length victory in the Feb. 20 Fountain of Youth.  The Bob Baffert-trained Lookin At Lucky, the 8-1 favored individual in KDFW Pool 1, is scheduled to make his 2010 debut in the March 13 Rebel (GII) at Oaklawn Park.

Betting on KDFW Pool 2 is set to open at noon (all times EST) Friday, March 5 for wagering at racetracks and satellite wagering centers, along with TwinSpires.com and other on-line wagering platforms.  Wagering will conclude at 6 p.m. Sunday.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager provides fans with an opportunity to bet weeks in advance on contenders for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) at odds that could be more attractive than those they would receive on Derby Day.  All KDFW pools also include exacta wagering.  The Derby Future bet is a $2 minimum "win" wager.  The minimum wager for a straight exacta, which requires the bettor to select the Kentucky Derby's top two finishers in the exact order of finish, is $2, while the minimum for exacta boxes and wheels is $1.  There are no scratches and no refunds in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

Eskendereya is one of five Pool 2 horses trained by Todd Pletcher, the four-time Eclipse Award winner who has yet to win the Kentucky Derby in 24 attempts.  Other Pletcher trainees are Aikenite (50-1), El Camino Real Derby (GIII) winner Connemara (20-1), Risen Star (GIII) winner Discreetly Mine, and Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) winner Super Saver.

There are 10 new betting interests in KDFW Pool 2 that include Robert B. Lewis winner Caracortado, Connemara, Hutcheson (GII) winner D'Funnybone, Discreetly Mine, Nextdoorneighbor, Odysseus, Radiohead (GB), Setsuko, Sidney's Candy and Risen Star runner-up Tempted to Tapit.

Information on the Kentucky Derby Future Wager and real time odds are available online at www.kentuckyderby.com, the official Web site for the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands and the definitive online resource for information about the Kentucky Derby experience.

BLIND LUCK, AMEN HALLELUJAH SHOULD BE POPULAR, BUT ‘ALL OTHERS' FAVORED IN 2010 KENTUCKY OAKS FUTURES

Three-time Grade I stakes winner Blind Luck and rising star Amen Hallelujah are the favored individual fillies in Churchill Downs' 2010 Kentucky Oaks Future Wager ("KOFW"), but oddsmaker Mike Battaglia is betting that the mutuel field, or "all others," will be the favored betting interest when the three-day pool wraps up early on Sunday evening.

Battaglia installed "all others" - a betting interest that includes all 3-year-old fillies other than the 23 individual betting interests in the Oaks Future pool - as the narrow 4-1 choice in the 2010 pool.  Blind Luck, expected to be a heavy favorite to score her fourth Grade I win in Saturday's Santa Anita Oaks (GI), is close behind as the 5-1 second choice and the favored individual filly, while Amen Hallelujah, an impressive winner of last week's Davona Dale (GII) at Gulfstream, is next at 6-1.

The three-day pool that opens at noon (all times EST) Friday, March 5 provides the only opportunity for racing fans to place an early wager on 3-year-old fillies that are contenders for the $500,000-added Kentucky Oaks (Grade I), America's premier race for 3-year-old fillies.  The 1 1/8-mile race is scheduled for Friday, April 30 - the eve of the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI).  Wagering in the pool will conclude Sunday, March 7 at 6:30 p.m. 

The Kentucky Oaks Future Wager pool runs concurrently with Pool 2 of the 2010 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which also opens at noon Friday.  The Derby pool will close on Sunday at 6 p.m., 30 minutes prior to the end of Oaks pool betting.

The Oaks Future bet provides fans with an opportunity to wager on contenders for the Kentucky Oaks weeks in advance of the race at odds that could be more attractive than those they would receive on the day of the race.  The Kentucky Oaks Future bet is a $2 minimum "win" wager.  There are no scratches and no refunds in the Oaks Future Bet.  If Churchill Downs officials determine that injury or illness will prevent one of the individual fillies in the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager pool from participating in the race, wagering on that betting interest will be suspended immediately.

Eventual Preakness (GI) winner and Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra won last year's Kentucky Oaks by a record margin of 20 ¼ lengths, but she was not the favorite in the 2009 Oaks Future Bet.  The bettor's choice in the pool was Justwhistledixie, who closed as the 5-2 favorite over Rachel Alexandra (3-1) and Stardom Bound (9-2).

Christine Daae, an impressive allowance winner last week at Gulfstream Park, is listed 8-1.  Other respected members of this year's KOFW pool include 2009 2-year-old filly champion and Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) winner She Be Wild; Evening Jewel, a close runner-up to Blind Luck in the Las Virgenes (GI) at Santa Anita; and Switch, a close third in the Las Virgenes.  Each of those fillies is listed at 12-1.

Information and real time odds on the Kentucky Derby Future Wager are available at www.kentuckyoaks.com, the official event Web Site.