Essential Quality Morning Line Favorite For Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 5

LOUISVILLE, KY – Undefeated Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) champion Essential Quality is the morning line favorite for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) Pool 5.

KDFW Pool 5 is the final round of $2 Win and Exacta wagering on possible entrants for the Kentucky Derby (G1). The three-day wagering event opens March 26 at 12 PM noon and closes March 28 at 6 PM (all times Eastern).

Essential Quality opened KDFW Pool 4 (held March 5-7) as the 7/2 favorite one weekend after impressively winning the Southwest Stakes (G3) in his 2021 debut and now stands a slightly better chance at victory after the Pool 4 closing favorite Life Is Good exited a workout with an injury that will keep him off the Triple Crown trail.

Essential Quality is one of three in Pool 5 from trainer Brad Cox. Caddo River (30/1) won the Smarty Jones Stakes to start the year but finished off the board in the Rebel Stakes (G2) as the 6/5 favorite. A week later, Mandaloun (30/1) suffered a similar fate in the Louisiana Derby (G2).

Saturday’s Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park serves as the weekend’s lone major prep race, where the KDFW Pool 5 morning line second choice Greatest Honour (4/1) is favored to complete his sweep of Gulfstream Park’s main events for 3-year-olds on dirt.

Here is the full list of wagering options for KDFW Pool 5:

There are no refunds in the KDFW. 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.

On March 23, Daily Racing Form’s Mary Rampellini reported that Big Lake was out indefinitely, as a condylar fracture was discovered following his third-place finish in the Rebel. As such, betting on Big Lake will be unavailable when wagering opens.

More information and real-time odds are available online at www.KentuckyDerby.com/FutureWager.