War Pass Holds Favoritism Heading Into Final Day of KDFW Pool 2

Robert LaPenta’s undefeated champion War Pass remained a very narrow favorite heading into the final day of betting in the second of three pools of Churchill Downs’ 2008 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, but an impressive victory by Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC’s Pyro in Saturday’s Louisiana Derby (Grade II) at New Orleans’ Fair Grounds turned the race into a virtual dead-heat.

War Pass, the Nick Zito-trained champion 2-year-old of 2007, and the Steve Asmussen-trained Pyro stood at odds of 4-1 at the conclusion of Saturday’s betting, with War Pass a narrow favorite in Pool 2 because his total betting of $27,941 was slightly larger than the $27,370 wagered on Pyro. Asmussen’s colt started the day at odds of 6-1, but his odds tumbled after he handily defeated a strong Louisiana Derby field that included five Pool 2 wagering interests: Blackberry Road (34-1 at the end of Saturday’s betting), Yankee Bravo (45-1), Tale of Ekati (41-1) and Majestic Warrior (23-1). The mutuel field, which consists of all 3-year-olds other than the 23 individual horses in Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 2, was a close third choice at odds of 5-1.

Fans across North America who hoped to place an early bet on the eventual winner of the 134th running of the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) on May 3 at Churchill Downs wagered $101,583 on Saturday to push the three-day pool total to $173,275. Betting on Pool 2 of the Derby Future bet is schedule to resume at noon (all times Eastern) on Sunday, March 9 and Pool 2 betting will conclude at 6 p.m. Winning payouts will be based on the odds in place at the conclusion of wagering.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager is a minimum $2 wager and a win bet only. It offers fans an opportunity to wager on contenders for the Kentucky Derby at odds that could be greater than those they would receive on the day of the race. There are no refunds in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

Southwest Stakes (GIII) winner Denis of Cork continued to attract strong support and was the 11-1 fourth choice, El Gato Malo stood at odds of 12-1, Court Vision was a 17-1 risk and Colonel John was an 18-1 shot. Odds on Visionaire opened at 96-1 on Saturday, but dropped to 36-1 after a stretch-running win in Aqueduct’s Gotham (GIII).

Real time odds on Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager are available on the official Kentucky Derby Web site at www.kentuckyderby.com. The wager’s third and final pool is set for April 3-6.

Final Pools (Day 3 - Pool 2)