Futures up in the air

Bettors into the fifth and final pool of the 2021 Kentucky Derby Future Wager were decidedly undecided as to which horse will wear the roses after the 147th Derby is run May 1 at Churchill Downs.

Essential Quality, the reigning divisional champion who will make his final pre-Derby start Saturday in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, closed as a lukewarm favorite in Pool 5, which closed Sunday evening following the customary three-day run.

Essential Quality closed at 4-1 and was followed by the mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, at 5-1. The Pool 5 mutuel field includes Florida Derby winner Known Agenda and Jeff Ruby Steaks winner Like the King, among others not separately listed. After the field were Concert Tour (5-1), Greatest Honour (9-1), Hot Rod Charlie (12-1), Medina Spirit (13-1), and Prevalence (21-1).

Combined handle in Pool 5 was $369,695, with $242,140 bet to win and $127,555 in exactas. The lowest $2 exacta will-pay is Essential Quality over Concert Tour (7-4), worth $42.60.

The field closed as the 6-5 favorite in Pool 1, held Nov. 26-29 in tandem with the Derby Sires Future Wager, then at 9-5 in Pool 2 (Jan. 22-24) and 3-1 in Pool 3 (Feb. 12-14). Life Is Good, since sidelined by injury, was the 2-1 favorite in Pool 4 (March 5-7), which coincided with the Kentucky Oaks futures and Oaks-Derby double.

Cumulative handle on the five pools toward the 2021 Derby, along with the three additional pools – the Sires futures, the Oaks futures, and the Oaks-Derby double – totaled $1,847,539.

Churchill had offered four parimutuel 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. Churchill has offered futures annually since 1999.

Last year, Authentic, the eventual Derby winner, was one of four horses listed separately in every pool. Toward the 2021 Derby, there are five such horses – Caddo River, Essential Quality, Highly Motivated, Hot Rod Charlie, and Midnight Bourbon.

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