Nyquist Heads Pool 1 of Derby Future Wager

Reddam Racing's Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) winner Nyquist is the likely individual choice, but the ever-popular "all others" wager is the morning-line favorite for the first of four pools of the 2016 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) that opens a four-day run Thanksgiving Day at Churchill Downs, TwinSpires.com, and other online wagering outlets and satellite wagering centers across North America.

Nyquist, who completed a perfect five-race 2-year-old campaign for trainer Doug O'Neill with his Breeders' Cup win at Keeneland on Oct. 31, is listed as the 10-1 choice among 23 individual horses in the field of 24 wagering interests in KDFW Pool 1. But Churchill Downs odds maker Mike Battaglia has tabbed "all others"—which includes all 2-year-old Thoroughbreds other than the 23 individuals on the Pool 1 roster—as a strong morning-line favorite at odds of 7-5.

The first pool of the 2016 Kentucky Derby Future Wager opens at noon (all times EST) on Thursday, Nov. 26, and betting will conclude on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 6 p.m. The wager, which was introduced in 1999, will enable racing fans to wager on candidates for the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) well in advance of the race at odds that could be much more attractive than those available on the day of the race. The pool also includes exacta wagering on the 24 wagering interests in the four-day pool.

The opening pool of the 2016 Kentucky Derby Future Wager will be accompanied this year by the first Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager, which allows Derby fans to wager on the sire of the winner of the 2016 Run for the Roses. Like the Future Wager, the sire wager features 23 individual sires of horses in this year's crop of Kentucky Derby-age Thoroughbreds, along with an "All Others" betting interest. The Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager, like the KDFW, offers $2 Win and Exacta wagering. It will run concurrently with the opening KDFW Pool and both are schedule to close Sunday at 6 p.m.

The wagering interests for each pool of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager are chosen by a Churchill Downs team that includes racing secretary Ben Huffman, senior director of communications Darren Rogers, pari-nutuel marketing manager Gary Palmisano and vice president of racing communications John Asher.

Last year's Kentucky Derby, won by eventual Triple Crown winner American Pharoah  , resulted in a $7.80 return for a $2 win wager on the day of the race. The respective win payouts on a $2 KDFW win wager on American Pharoah were $27.60 (Pool 1), $23 (P2), $18.20 (P3) and $13 (P4). The winning Derby Day payout for a $2 exacta bet for the 1-2 finish by American Pharoah and runner-up Firing Line was $72. But the KDFW exacta payouts on the Derby's 2015 final result returned $58 in Pool 1 as runner-up Firing Line was part of the "All Others" and not an individual betting choice, with returns in the remaining pools of $658.80 (Pool 2), $508 (P3) and $109.80 (P4).

Other top early contenders for the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby in KDFW Pool 1 include Albaugh Family Stable's Brody's Cause, winner of the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (gr. I) at Keeneland; Shadwell Stable's Mohaymen, an unbeaten son of Tapit   and winner of the Nov. 4 Nashua (gr. II) at Aqueduct Racetrack, and Big Chief Racing and James Justice's Swipe, a winner only once in seven 2015 races but runner-up to Nyquist in all four of the latter's stakes victories.

Bob Baffert, whose triumph with American Pharoah in the 2015 Kentucky Derby raised his victory total in America's greatest race to four, leads all trainers with three KDFW Pool 1 wagering interests. The Baffert trainees are Drefong, Mor Spirit, and Toews On Ice.

No scratches or refunds of wagers are permitted in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. If it is determined during a pool that a wagering interest will not be able to participate in the Kentucky Derby, wagering on that interest will be suspended immediately. Dates for the remaining 2016 Kentucky Derby and Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) future pools are: Feb. 12-14 (KDFW Pool 2), March 11-13 (KDFW Pool 3), March 11-13 (Kentucky Oaks Future Wager), April 1-3 (KDFW Pool 3).

Information on the Kentucky Derby is available online at the redesigned official event web site at www.KentuckyDerby.com/FutureWager. Real-time odds on the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager and the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager will be presented on that site throughout each pool.