24 Wagering Interests Include Six Newcomers In March 31-April 2 Derby Futures Pool
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Two veterans of this year’s Road to the Kentucky Derby – Whitham Thoroughbreds LLC’s unbeaten McCraken (#15, 6-1) and Peacock Racing Stables LLC’s Gunnevera (#10, 6-1) – are the morning line co-favorites for the fourth and final pool of Churchill Downs Racetrack’s 2017 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”), which launches its three-day run on Friday, March 31.
The Ian Wilkes-trained Sam F. Davis (GIII) winner McCraken and Fountain of Youth (GII) winner Gunnevera, trained by Antonio Sano, are listed at odds of 6-1 in Churchill Downs’ handicapper Mike Battaglia’s morning line for Pool 4. There’s a fourway tie for third choice at 10-1 between KDFW newcomer J Boys Echo (#13), unbeaten Southwest (GIII) winner One Liner (#17), Tampa Bay Derby (GII) winner Tapwrit (#21) and the always-popular Mutuel Field (#24). The latter includes all 3-year-old Thoroughbreds other than the 23 individual horses listed on the Pool 4 betting roster, including notable horses such as American Anthem, Blueridge Traveler, Fast and Accurate, Hence, Local Hero, Lookin At Lee, Patch, Petrov, Silver Dust, Sonneteer and Wild Shot to name a few.
The co-favorites have been wagering interests in each of three previous KDFW pools. McCraken’s closing odds in the previous pools were 12-1 (P1), 9-1 (P2) and 6-1 (P3), while Gunnevera’s final odds were 22-1 (P1), 24-1 (P2) and 22-1 (P3). The “All Others” interest closed as the favorite in each of the previous 2017 pools.
Betting in the final KDFW pool of 2017 is set to open at 11 am central on Friday and continue through Sunday, April 2 at 5 p.m. The wager, which has been offered annually to Kentucky Derby fans since 1999, will be available at Canterbury Park.
The KDFW provides racing fans with the opportunity to wager on contenders for the Kentucky Derby at odds that could be more attractive than those available on the day of America’s greatest race. Payouts in the win and exacta wagering in Pool 4 will be determined by the odds in place at Sunday’s conclusion of wagering.
The KDFW offers $2 minimum win wagering on 24 betting interests that include 23 individual horses and the Mutuel Field, which includes all 3-year-old Thoroughbreds other than the individual wagering interests in a respective pool. Each pool also offers $2 exacta wagering on the 24 wagering interests, with the latter also available in $1 minimum increments in boxes and other multiple number configurations. Total betting in the three 2017 KDFW pools – including both win and exacta pools – stands at $925,197.
The 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI), America’s oldest continuously-held sports event, is set for Saturday, May 6 at Churchill Downs and will be simulcast at Canterbury Park. Live racing begins at Canterbury on May 5.
Find live odds at https://www.kentuckyderby.com/
Here are the betting interests and morning lines for Pool 4.
Road to Kentucky Contest continues Saturday
Canterbury’s free-to-enter handicapping contest continues Saturday with the races from Gulfstream Park plus the Fair Ground Derby prep, the Louisiana Derby.
Congrats to last week’s winners:
David Johnson 2,852 points
Bruce Meyer 2,812
Heather Andreason 2,610
April Pfeiffer 2,531
Tony Spano 2,405
Horse Player World Series this week
Four Canterbury Park horse players won their way to The Orleans Casino Hotel in Las Vegas to compete in the annual Horse Player World Series held this weekend. Best of luck to those four, who were victorious in qualifying contests held at Canterbury in 2016: Bob Moore, Steve Laurent, Kelly Frost, and Mike Ferrozzo, who last week had a big score in a contest held at Hawthorne Race Course. Ferrozzo turned his $400 live bankroll into $40,000 by hitting the Rainbow at Gulfstream, earning himself the $40k plus entries to the 2018 NHC and 2017 BCBC. See those results here.
