Dozen new shooters for Pool 2

Twelve new names are in the lineup for Pool 2 of the 2019 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opens Friday at noon Eastern for the customary three-day run.

The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, has been pegged as the 5-2 morning-line favorite in Pool 2 by Churchill Downs linemaker Mike Battaglia, with Game Winner the shortest individually listed interest at 6-1. Then come Improbable (8-1), Instagrand (10-1), and Hidden Scroll (12-1).

The new names for Pool 2 are Bourbon War, Global Campaign, Gray Attempt, Harvey Wallbanger, Hidden Scroll, Limonite, Owendale, Tacitus, Tax, Walking Thunder, War of Will, and Win Win Win.

Pool 1 individuals now in the field for Pool 2 are Cairo Cat, Code of Honor, Dunph, Epic Dreamer, King for a Day, Magic On Tap, Mucho, Preamble, Roadster, Tale of the Union, Uncle Benny, and an “any filly” option.

Win and exacta wagering are available, with odds and willpays locked in only when the pool closes Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern. Only one Derby qualifying-points prep, the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs, will be held concurrent to Pool 2.

The field closed as the 6-5 favorite in Pool 1, which was held Nov. 22-25 in tandem with the Derby Sires Future Wager. Combined Pool 1 handle was $258,389, with another $32,924 bet in the sires wager. This is the 21st year that Churchill has offered parimutuel futures. The field has closed as the favorite every year in a pool held at this time of year (formerly Pool 1 of three pools, and now Pool 2 of four pools).

Pool 3 is set for March 8-10 and Pool 4 for April 5-7. The lone Kentucky Oaks futures pool will coincide with Pool 3.

Last year, when Pool 2 was held in early February, the field was the 5-2 favorite and included the eventual Derby winner, Justify. Bolt d’Oro and Good Magic closed as the lowest individual choices at 8-1 each. Combined handle was $521,649, up 58 percent from the corresponding pool in 2017.

The record for handle in a single pool is $631,304, set in 2012, while the record for aggregate handle in a single year was $1,893,353, set last year.

Real-time odds and will-pays are available through various modes, including on television monitors at tracks and wagering outlets, as well as at kentuckyderby.com.

In the case of field horses filling both exacta slots, the nextbest finish by a separately listed horse will count toward the winning combination.

Composition of the 23-horse futures lineups is decided by the Churchill panel of Ben Huffman, Darren Rogers, Gary Palmisano, and Kevin Kerstein.

The 145th Kentucky Derby will be run May 4.