Future Wager FAQ

Understanding the Future Wager

What is the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Future Wager?

The Kentucky Derby and Oaks Future Wager are pari-mutuel wagers offered by Churchill Downs that allow racing fans to wager early on prospective entrants in Kentucky Derby 138, which will be run on May 5, 2012, and the Kentucky Oaks, its companion race for 3-year-old fillies, to be run on May 4, 2012. Both the Kentucky Derby Future Wager and the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager offer win and exacta wagering. The minimum wager is $2 with a $1 minimum on exacta boxes. All Kentucky Derby Future wagers will be merged through the Kentucky hub located at Churchill Downs.

When will the wager be offered?

There will be three (3) separate wagering pools for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager and a single pool for the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager in the months leading up to the respective races.  Winning payouts in each pool will be determined by the official first place finisher in Kentucky Derby 138 on May 5 and Kentucky Oaks 138 on May 4. Each of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools will be open for a period of three days, running from each Friday at noon (all times Eastern) to each Sunday at 6 p.m.  Pool 1 is February 10-12, Pool 2 is scheduled for March 2-4 and the third and final pool will be conducted March 30 – April 1. Wagering on the lone 2012 Kentucky Oaks Future Wager is set for March 2-4. Please note:  Wagering on the single Kentucky Oaks Future Wager Pool will conclude on Sunday, March 4, at 6:30 p.m., 30 minutes after pools close on Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.Current odds and other merged pool information will be available Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 11 p.m. and Sundays from noon until 6 p.m. on all days except on March 4, when pool information will be available until 6:30 p.m.

How many wagering interests will be included?

Each pool in the Kentucky Derby and Oaks Future Wager will include 24 wagering interests. Those interests will include 23 individual horses chosen by a three-member committee of racing analysts and handicappers and the 24th wagering interest will be a mutuel field that consists of all other 3-year-old Thoroughbreds. The horses DO NOT have to be nominated to the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown to be included in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager's mutuel field. Wagering interests in each of the wagering pools will be listed alphabetically and will appear in the daily race program with morning line odds established by Churchill Downs and Kentucky Derby oddsmaker Mike Battaglia.

How will the final payout be determined?

The payout on the winning wagers in each of the three Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools and the one Kentucky Oaks Future Wager pool will be determined by the final odds at the time of closing of each respective pool. Remember, there will be a separate and independent calculation and distribution of winning wagers for each of the three Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools and the one Kentucky Oaks Future Wager pool.

What is the takeout on the Kentucky Derby Future Wager?

The takeout on the Future Wager is 16 percent, the standard takeout on a win wager under Kentucky Racing Commission regulations. Takeout on the exacta Kentucky Derby Future Wager is 19 percent, which is the standard takeout on an exacta wager at Churchill Downs.

When will patrons be eligible for refunds?

No refunds will be issued in any of the three wagering pools for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager or the one wagering pool for the Kentucky Oaks. All wagers are final once the patron has left the window. If Churchill Downs learns that a horse listed among the wagering interests in any of the three Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools will not be able to compete in the 2012 Kentucky Derby, or that a horse listed among the wagering interests in the one Kentucky Oaks Future Wager pool will not be able to compete in the 2012 Kentucky Oaks, wagering on that horse will be immediately suspended. Churchill Downs will make reasonable efforts to notify its patrons and participating tracks in that event and urges the participating tracks to do the same, but no refunds will be issued on the suspended number.

What if the Kentucky Derby and/or Kentucky Oaks, for whatever reason, is not run?

In the unlikely event that the 2012 Kentucky Derby and or Oaks is not run -- or does not produce an official winner -- all wagers on the Kentucky Derby and or Oaks Future Wager will result in a refund.

When will final payouts of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager be made?

All calculations and payouts for the Kentucky Derby and Oaks Future Wagers are governed by Kentucky Horse Racing Authority regulations. The winning payouts will be made within 24 hours of the posting of the official winner of the 2012 Kentucky Derby.

When will the respective fields for the Future Wager pools be determined?

The official fields for each of the Kentucky Derby and Oaks Future Wager pools will be released at the standard entry time of 48 hours before the start of wagering. At that time, past performance and program information will be made available through Brisnet.