2022 Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 2 Opens; Smile Happy Single-Entry Favorite

Mike “Somobomb” Somich discusses Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which runs January 21-23, then gives his top picks and longshot plays from the group of 24. Smile Happy is the 8/1 single-entry favorite after ending Pool 1 on top.

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The track press release:

Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”) is set to open at noon Friday with the pari-mutuel field of “All Other 3-Year-Olds” tabbed as the heavy 7-5 morning line favorite.

The second of five pools for the KDFW will run for three days through Sunday at 6 p.m. ET. Bettors can place win and exacta wagers at simulcast outlets throughout the country and online at TwinSpires.com, the official ADW of Churchill Downs Incorporated.

Like in Pool 1, the KDFW pools assumes that horses under the care of trainers suspended from competing in the 2022 Kentucky Derby will not be under consideration.

Lucky Seven Stable’s $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (Grade II) winner Smile Happy was installed as the 8-1 individual Pool 2 favorite by morning line oddsmaker Mike Battaglia. Trained by Kenny McPeek, Smile Happy is based at Gulfstream Park in South Florida and has been steadily working toward his 3-year-old debut. Smile Happy is one of four McPeek-trained colts in Pool 2. The others are Dash Attack (20-1), Rattle N Roll (30-1) and Tiz the Bomb (20-1).

In Pool 1, Smile Happy closed as the 8-1 individual favorite behind “All Other Colts and Geldings,” who was the odds-on 3-5 betting choice. Total handle for the Nov. 25-28 KDFW pool was $326,448 ($263,008 in the Win pool and $63,440 in Exactas), which was up 30.9% from last year’s $249,331.

Here’s the complete Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 2 field (with trainer and morning line odds):

The pari-mutuel field for the first pool of the New Year has closed as the bettors’ choice every year since the wager was inaugurated in 1999, and the final odds were 5-2 in five of the last seven years.

There are nine new individual interests from Pool 1 in the KDFW. They are first-level allowance winner Chasing Time; Jerome winner Courvoisier; Smarty Jones winner Dash Attack; debut maiden winner Emmanuel; Saratoga Special winner High Oak; Remington Springboard Mile winner Make It Big; Mucho Macho Man winner Simplification; Los Alamitos Futurity (GII) winner Slow Down Andy; and Kentucky Jockey Club third White Abarrio.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wagers provide fans of Thoroughbred racing with opportunities to place bets on possible entrants in the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade I) at odds that could be far greater and more attractive than those available on the day of the race. The 148th running of Kentucky Derby, America’s greatest race and the first leg of the Triple Crown, is set for Saturday, May 7 at Churchill Downs.

There are no refunds in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. Should Churchill Downs officials determine during the duration of this week’s four-day pool that one of the wagering interests has experienced an injury, illness or other circumstance that would prevent the horse from participating in the Kentucky Derby, betting on the individual horse will be suspended immediately.

The other Future Wager dates are set for Feb. 11-13 (Pool 3), March 11-13 (Pool 4) and March 31-April 2 (Pool 5). The lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager will coincide with Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 4 on March 11-13.

More information, Brisnet.com past performances and real-time odds on the Kentucky Derby Future Wager will be available before the pool opens Friday online at https://www.kentuckyderby.com/wager/future-wager.