Epicenter is early favorite in Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 5
Epicenter, winner of the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, is the 5-1 early morning-line favorite for Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.
Wagering opens Thursday at noon EDT and closes Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Unlike the previous three-day Kentucky Derby Future Wager opportunities, Pool 5 will feature an early start on Thursday and will close Saturday before the first Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series event held that day.
Nine individual betting interests in Saturday’s pool are expected to run in that day’s $1 million Blue Grass (G1), $750,000 Santa Anita Derby (G1) and $750,000 Wood Memorial (G2).
Betting for Pool 5 of the KDFW is available at simulcast centers across the country as well as most wagering platforms.
Epicenter stamped himself as the early Kentucky Derby favorite with an authoritative 2 1/2-length score in the Louisiana Derby. The Steve Asmussen trainee was offered in each of the first four KDFW pools and closed at 52-1 in Pool 1, which closed Nov. 28. Over the next three months, bettors quickly began to take notice of Epicenter’s Kentucky Derby potential as he closed at odds of 24-1 in Pools 2 and 3 and 13-1 in Pool 4.
One of the other top betting choices in Pool 5 of the KDFW is Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) winner Smile Happy. The Runhappy colt, trained by Kenny McPeek, is expected to be the favorite in Saturday’s Blue Grass at Keeneland.
Here is the complete field for Pool 5 of the KDFW, with trainer and morning-line odds:
| KDFW Pool 5 | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Barber Road | John Ortiz | 50-1 |
| 2. Charge It | Todd Pletcher | 12-1 |
| 3. Crown Pride | Koichi Shintani | 50-1 |
| 4. Cyberknife | Brad Cox | 12-1 |
| 5. Early Voting | Chad Brown | 20-1 |
| 6. Emmanuel | Todd Pletcher | 20-1 |
| 7. Epicenter | Steve Asmussen | 5-1 |
| 8. Ethereal Road | D. Wayne Lukas | 50-1 |
| 9. Forbidden Kingdom | Richard Mandella | 8-1 |
| 10. In Due Time | Kelly Breen | 50-1 |
| 11. Messier | Tim Yakteen | 8-1 |
| 12. Mo Donegal | Todd Pletcher | 20-1 |
| 13. Morello | Steve Asmussen | 20-1 |
| 14. Pioneer of Medina | Todd Pletcher | 30-1 |
| 15. Simplification | Antonio Sano | 15-1 |
| 16. Slow Down Andy | Doug O'Neill | 50-1 |
| 17. Smile Happy | Kenny McPeek | 6-1 |
| 18. Summer Is Tomorrow | Bhupat Seemar | 50-1 |
| 19. Tawny Port | Brad Cox | 50-1 |
| 20. Tiz the Bomb | Kenny McPeek | 12-1 |
| 21. White Abarrio | Saffie Joseph Jr. | 8-1 |
| 22. Zandon | Chad Brown | 20-1 |
| 23. Zozos | Brad Cox | 30-1 |
| 24. All other 3-year-olds | 15-1 |
KDFW interests Early Voting (Wood Memorial), Ethereal Road (Blue Grass), Forbidden Kingdom (Santa Anita Derby), In Due Time (Blue Grass or Wood Memorial), Messier (Santa Anita Derby), Mo Donegal (Wood Memorial), Morello (Wood Memorial), Smile Happy (Blue Grass) and Zandon (Blue Grass) all are expected to enter Saturday’s Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series races.