Life Is Good pounded down

Encouraged by the way Life Is Good dominated his latest prep with a 107 Beyer Speed Figure, bettors pounded the colt down to 2-1 favoritism in Pool 4 of the 2021 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which closed Sunday evening following a customary three-day wagering window.

Life Is Good stayed unbeaten in three career starts with an eight-length romp Saturday in the San Felipe at Santa Anita. The Bob Baffert-trained colt became a decisive Pool 4 favorite on the strength of that triumph, with Essential Quality closing as the second choice at 5-1 and Greatest Honour next at 6-1.

The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, was the fourth choice at 7-1, followed by Caddo River (16-1), Mandaloun (17-1), and Concert Tour (17-1).

The lowest $2 exacta will-pay is Life Is Good over Essential Quality (13-6), worth $42.

Combined wagering handle (win and exacta) was $322,476, down 9.6 percent from when Pool 3 was held on the same weekend in 2020.

Pool 4 coincided with the only Kentucky Oaks futures and Oaks-Derby double to be offered by Churchill Downs prior to both classics. The fifth and final Derby pool is set for March 26-28.

The field closed as the 6-5 favorite in Pool 1, held Nov. 26-29 in tandem with the Derby Sires Future Wager. The field was the 9-5 favorite in Pool 2 and the 3-1 favorite in Pool 3.

Churchill had offered four pari-mutuel futures pools in recent years, although there were seven pools toward the 2020 Derby because of the race being postponed from May to

September due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In the 2021 Oaks pool, Clairiere closed as the 7-2 favorite, followed closely by the field (5-1), Travel Column (6-1), and Malathaat (7-1). The lowest exacta will-pay is Clairiere over Travel Column (2-18), worth $53.20.

Combined Oaks handle was $78,289, down 23 percent from last year, when it coincided with Pool 3 in early March. Handle on the Oaks-Derby double was $69,162, down 21 percent.

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

Churchill has offered Derby futures since 1999. The first year for Oaks futures was 2003.

The 147th Oaks will be run April 30 and the 147th Derby on May 1.