2022 Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 Opens; Smile Happy, White Abarrio Co- Single-Entry Favorites

Mike “Somobomb” Somich discusses Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which runs February 11-13, then gives his top picks and longshot plays from the group of 24. Smile Happy is 8/1 after ending both Pool 1 and Pool 2 on top, but joining him for single-entry co-favoritism is White Abarrio. Tell us your top pick in the Comments section!

Check out our NEW free sports picks for all the biggest games in the NFL, NCAA, NHL, NBA, and more!

Here’s the complete Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 field (with trainer and morning line odds):

The third of five pools for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”) is set for its three-day stand Friday at noon with the pari-mutuel field of “All Other 3-Year-Olds” tabbed as the clear 5-2 morning line favorite while Lucky Seven Stable’s undefeated Smile Happy along with C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable’s $250,000 Holy Bull (Grade III) winner White Abarrio lead the individual choices at 8-1. 

The third KDFW pool will run 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 the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs Incorporated.

Like in Pools 1 and 2, the KDFW pools assumes that horses under the care of trainers suspended from competing in the 2022 Kentucky Derby will not be under consideration. Those horses are included in the “All Other 3-Year-Olds” pari-mutuel field.

Smile Happy, the 3 ¼-length winner of the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (Grade II) in late November at Churchill Downs, is slated to make his 3-year-old debut in the $400,000 Risen Star (GII) on Feb. 19 at Fair Grounds, according to his trainer Kenny McPeek.

Smile Happy closed as the 8-1 individual favorite in Pools 1 and 2 of the KDFW in November and January.

White Abarrio closed at odds of 171-1 in Pool 2 but has since jumped into serious Derby contention following his emphatic 4 ½-length score in last Saturday’s Holy Bull. Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., White Abarrio is targeting the $1 million Florida Derby (GI) on Saturday, April 2 as his final prep prior to the Kentucky Derby, according to his connections

There are eight new individual interests from Pool 2 in the KDFW. They are Southwest Stakes (GIII) runner-up Barber Road; Lecomte (GIII) winner Call Me Midnight; Withers (GIII) winner Early Voting; San Vicente (GII) winner Forbidden Kingdom; Grey Stakes (GIII) winner God of Love; maiden winner Happy Boy Rocket; Street Sense winner Howling Time; and fast first-level allowance winner In Due Time.

Combined handle for the first two KDFW pools was $687,657, up 20.4% from last year’s $571,366.

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 148^th running of Kentucky Derby, America’s greatest race and the first leg of the Triple Crown, is set for Saturday, May 7, 2022 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 three-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.         

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.

The other Future Wager dates are March 11-13 (Pool 4) and March 31-April 2 (Pool 5). The lone Longines Kentucky Oaks Future Wager will coincide with Pool 4 of the KDFW on March 11-13.