Kentucky Derby odds: 38 horses (no Bafferts) are in new futures
CaveRock, 3-for-3 and already a two-time Grade 1 winner, was one of the six top-20betting options in Las Vegas who were left off the list of individual choicesin the KDFW. That was because horses in Baffert’s name remained ineligible tocompete in the May 6 Derby because of the late Medina Spirit’s failed drug testin the 2021 race.
“Aswas the case last year, pool 1 will assume that horses under the care oftrainers suspended from competing in the 2023 Kentucky Derby will not be underconsideration,” a Churchill Downs news release said Sunday night. “Instead,they will be included within the pari-mutuel field.”Thatchoice that includes all colts and geldings who were not among the 38individual nominees was listed as the 3-5 morning-line favorite for the KDFW’sfirst of five monthly pools. They will be open during selected long weekends fromnow until March.
Atthis time last year, Corniche was the 15-1 favorite in Las Vegas. At the timehe was in the Baffert barn, so he was not included among the then 22 individualchoices for the first KDFW pool during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Afterwinning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the Eclipse Award as the top 2-year-oldmale last year, Corniche missed the Derby, went on a break, raced once for ToddPletcher, got hurt and was retired.
Thisyear Cave Rock, an Arrogate colt, was the 14-1 Derby favorite Sunday night atCaesars Sportsbook in Nevada, where six Baffert horses were among the top 20 bettingchoices.
Forte,trained by Pletcher and owned by Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola, is a Violencecolt who is 3-for-4 with Grade 1 victories coming in the Hopeful at Saratogaand the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland. He will challenge Cave Rock on Fridayin the Breeders’ Cup.
ExtraAñejo (20-1), Winchell Thoroughbreds’ $1.35 million Into Mischief colt who wasnamed for a type of tequila and is trained by Steve Asmussen, was next on the morningline. He was followed by Blazing Sevens (30-1), who won the Champagne (G1) fortrainer Chad Brown, and Loggins (30-1), a close second to Forte for Brad Cox inthe Breeders’ Futurity. Cox has six of the 38 individual horses in the KDFW.
Accordingto Churchill Downs, a record total of $2,060,691 was bet on the KDFW’s fivepools for the Derby and the 2022 Kentucky Oaks.
Thistable includes the KDFW morning line and the quotes from the Caesars Sportsbookfixed-odds futures both Sunday night and where they opened Oct. 20.
