Nine new shooters join Pool 3 lineup

Nine new names are in the lineup for Pool 3 of the 2018 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opens Friday at noon Eastern for the customary three-day run. Pool 3 runs concurrent to the lone annual Kentucky Oaks Future Wager.

The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, and Bolt d’Oro have been pegged as 6-1 co-favorites for Pool 3 by Churchill Downs linemaker Mike Battaglia. They are followed by Audible, McKinzie, and Promises Fulfilled, all at 8-1. Good Magic, who finished third in the Fountain of Youth last Saturday, is 15-1 on the early line after having closed at 8-1 in Pool 2.

Many of the individually listed horses in Pool 3 will be in action Saturday in one of three Kentucky Derby preps – the Tampa Bay Derby, Gotham, and San Felipe. Pool 3 closes Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern, and the Oaks pool closes 30 minutes later.

New names for Pool 3 are Bravazo, Flameaway, Gold Town, Justify, Kanthaka, Magnum Moon, My Boy Jack, Noble Indy, and Vino Rosso.

Pool 2 individuals now relegated to the field are Copper Bullet, Enticed, Firenze Fire, Mask, Mourinho, Principe Guilherme, Retirement Fund, Tiz Mischief, and Untamed Domain.

The field closed as the 6-5 favorite in Pool 1, which was held Nov. 23-26 in tandem with the Derby Sires Future Wager, and as the 5-2 favorite for Pool 2, which ran Feb. 9-11. The fourth and final Derby pool will be held April 6-8.

As for the Oaks, which lost one of its early favorites when Fly So High was declared from consideration early this week, the lukewarm morning-line choice is Monomoy Girl at 5-1, followed by Dream Tree (6-1), Midnight Bisou (6-1), the field (8-1), and Caledonia Road (10-1).

Win and exacta wagering are available as well as betting on the Oaks/Derby Future Double, which is being offered for the first time. The Kentucky Oaks Future Wager, which includes the Oaks/Derby Future Double, will close a half-hour later than the KDFW at 6:30 p.m.

The Oaks will be run May 4 and the Derby on May 5. This is the 20th year that Churchill has offered parimutuel futures.