First 2020 Kentucky Derby Future Wager Opens Thursday

LOUISVILLE, KY – Unbeaten Nashua Stakes (G3) winner Independence Hall and upset Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Storm the Court are among the 24 betting interests in Pool 1 of the 2020 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which kicks off a four-day run at Churchill Downs on Thanksgiving Day.

Both Independence Hall and Storm the Court were made 12-1 individual co-favorites on veteran odds maker Mike Battaglia’s morning line. The pari-mutuel field of “All Other 3-Year-Old Colts and Geldings” is expected to be the overall first-pool favorite for the 22^nd consecutive year and Battaglia projects it to close as the 6-5 choice.

In addition to Independence Hall and Storm the Court, other promising juveniles expected to attract attention at the betting windows include Dennis’ Moment (15-1), the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile favorite who finished sixth after going to his knees at the start; impressive Breeders’ Futurity (G1) winner Maxfield (15-1); runaway Champagne (G1) winner Tiz the Law (20-1), who’ll headline Saturday’s $300,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs; and Honor A.P. (20-1), a swift maiden winner who is expected to make his next start in the $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) on Dec. 7.

Here’s the complete Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 1 field (with trainer and morning line odds):

The pool, which features $2 Win and Exacta wagering, opens Thursday and will close Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager will be offered concurrently with the fifth annual Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager, which provides bettors with a unique opportunity to wager on select breeding stars and their entire crop of juveniles with the hope of winning next year’s Kentucky Derby.

Offspring sired by Constitution – including Independence Hall, Tiz the Law and Breeders’ Futurity (G1) runner-up Gouverneur Morris – are 6-1 on the morning line for the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager. Offspring sired by popular 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah are listed at 8-1.

Here’s the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager field (with morning line odds):

This marks the seventh consecutive year that Churchill Downs has hosted Future Wager pools in November on closing weekend of its Fall Meet. “All Other 3-Year-Olds” has won four of the last six years: California Chrome ($3.20 in 2014), Always Dreaming ($4.40 in 2017), Justify ($4.40) and Country House ($4.60). An early Pool 1 win bet on eventual Triple Crown winner American Pharoah netted $27.60 in 2015, and Nyquist’s 2016 Derby victory resulted in a $21.80 payoff.

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 (G1) at odds that could be far greater and more attractive than those available on the day of the race. The 146^th running of Kentucky Derby, America’s greatest race and the first leg of the Triple Crown, is set for Saturday, May 2, 2020 at Churchill Downs.

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

Dates for the remaining 2020 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks future pools are Feb. 7-9 (Pool 2), March 6-8 (Pool 3) and April 3-5 (Pool 4). The lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager will coincide with the Derby’s Pool 3 on March 6-8. See more here.