Kentucky Derby: Fierceness closes at 8-1 in futures pool
With Kentucky Derby 2024 still 23 weeks away, the pari-mutuel field of all other colts and geldings from the 2021 foal crop closed as the 6-5 favorite in pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Fierceness was the 8-1 second choice.
Other horses who attracted mild interest from bettors: Breeders’ Cup Juvenile third Locked, 14-1; 10 1/4-length maiden winner Nash, 18-1; 10 1/2-length debut winner Knightsbridge, 19-1; and maiden special weight winner and full brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage, Dornoch, 19-1.
| KDFW pool 2 | Win odds | $2 will pay | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40. All other 2yos | 6-5 | $4.54 | |
| 13. Fierceness | 8-1 | $19.74 | Todd Pletcher |
| 20. Locked | 14-1 | $31.40 | Todd Pletcher |
| 24. Nash | 18-1 | $38.00 | Brad Cox |
| 17. Knightsbridge | 19-1 | $41.36 | Bill Mott |
| 11. Dornoch | 19-1 | $41.64 | Danny Gargan |
| 36. Timberlake | 27-1 | $56.26 | Brad Cox |
| 27. Parchment Party | 35-1 | $72.72 | Bill Mott |
| 31. Sierra Leone | 36-1 | $75.16 | Chad Brown |
| 2. Bentornato | 43-1 | $89.06 | Jose D'Angelo |
| 18. Liberal Arts | 46-1 | $95.32 | Robby Medina |
| 38. Where's Chris | 48-1 | $98.50 | Rick Dutrow |
| 6. Carbone | 49-1 | $101.04 | Steve Asmussen |
| 35. The Wine Steward | 50-1 | $103.38 | Mike Maker |
| 7. Catching Freedom | 52-1 | $107.72 | Brad Cox |
| 5. Booth | 53-1 | $109.26 | Steve Asmussen |
| 1. Awesome Road | 53-1 | $109.52 | Dale Romans |
| 33. Stretch Ride | 59-1 | $121.16 | Dale Romans |
| 39. All 2yo fillies | 64-1 | $130.64 | |
| 30. Risk It | 65-1 | $132.64 | Steve Asmussen |
| 3. Bergen | 77-1 | $157.58 | Brad Cox |
| 22. Moonlight | 87-1 | $176.50 | Todd Pletcher |
| 16. Kitty Hawk | 92-1 | $186.80 | Vicki Oliver |
| 26. Otto the Conqueror | 92-1 | $187.06 | Steve Asmussen |
| 25. Nutella Fella | 93-1 | $188.10 | Gary Contessa |
| 8. Copper Tax | 103-1 | $208.84 | Gary Capuano |
| 23. Mystik Dan | 105-1 | $212.14 | Kenny McPeek |
| 10. Domestic Product | 113-1 | $229.52 | Chad Brown |
| 29. Real Men Violin | 122-1 | $246.34 | Kenny McPeek |
| 19. Lightline | 124-1 | $251.40 | Brad Cox |
| 37. West Saratoga | 135-1 | $273.66 | Larry Demeritte |
| 4. Billal | 137-1 | $276.76 | Bill Mott |
| 12. Drum Roll Please | 139-1 | $281.38 | Brad Cox |
| 32. Stolen Magic | 145-1 | $292.08 | Linda Rice |
| 14. Glengarry | 146-1 | $294.32 | Doug Anderson |
| 21. Merit | 154-1 | $311.34 | Saffie Joseph Jr. |
| 9. Dancing Groom | 155-1 | $313.88 | Antonio Sano |
| 28. Private Desire | 169-1 | $340.08 | Todd Pletcher |
| 15. Informed Patriot | 172-1 | $346.66 | Steve Asmussen |
| 34. Stronghold | 182-1 | $367.50 | Phil D'Amato |
Total handle for the Nov. 23-26 KDFW pool, the second of six scheduled wagering pools in advance of the Kentucky Derby on May 4, was $206,800, with $163,037 in the win pool and $43,763 in exactas. That's a 27.6 percent increase from last year’s $162,112, with $129,213 in the win pool and $32,899 in exactas.
This year’s early Derby betting menu also included the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager, which, for the ninth consecutive year, provided bettors with a unique opportunity to wager on select breeding stars and their entire crop of juveniles with the hope of winning next year’s Kentucky Derby.
"All other sires" at 7-2 and Nyquist and Gun Runner progeny, both at 11-1, attracted the most attention from bettors.
Sires in order of favoritism for the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager:
| Sire | Odds | $2 win will pay |
|---|---|---|
| 40. All other sires | 7-2 | $9.26 |
| 27. Nyquist | 11-1 | $24.88 |
| 15. Gun Runner | 11-1 | $25.12 |
| 8. City of Light | 12-1 | $26.46 |
| 18. Justify | 15-1 | $32.44 |
| 22. Medaglia d'Oro | 18-1 | $38.30 |
| 17. Into Mischief | 18-1 | $39.54 |
| 14. Good Magic | 19-1 | $41.56 |
| 10. Constitution | 23-1 | $49.16 |
| 11. Curlin | 23-1 | $49.30 |
| 30. Quality Road | 24-1 | $49.30 |
| 33. Street Sense | 31-1 | $65.64 |
| 2. Arrogate | 32-1 | $67.12 |
| 1. American Pharoah | 34-1 | $70.68 |
| 37. Vino Rosso | 34-1 | $70.84 |
| 23. Mitole | 36-1 | $75.08 |
| 34. Tapit | 39-1 | $80.68 |
| 35. Uncle Mo | 45-1 | $92.02 |
| 7. Candy Ride | 58-1 | $119.14 |
| 26. Not This Time | 64-1 | $130.06 |
| 29. Practical Joke | 64-1 | $130.06 |
| 19. Liam's Map | 66-1 | $135.44 |
| 28. Omaha Beach | 68-1 | $139.30 |
| 3. Audible | 74-1 | $150.80 |
| 16. Hard Spun | 75-1 | $152.60 |
| 5. Bolt d'Oro | 80-1 | $162.92 |
| 25. Munnings | 83-1 | $168.06 |
| 13. Ghostzapper | 85-1 | $172.14 |
| 21. Maximus Mischief | 89-1 | $181.96 |
| 4. Bernardini | 91-1 | $184.06 |
| 9. Classic Empire | 111-1 | $224.88 |
| 31. Runhappy | 118-1 | $238.76 |
| 39. War Front | 123-1 | $249.96 |
| 12. Flameaway | 124-1 | $250.94 |
| 6. Cairo Prince | 127-1 | $256.50 |
| 20. Malibu Moon | 127-1 | $257.00 |
| 38. Violence | 128-1 | $258.04 |
| 32. Speightstown | 134-1 | $271.78 |
| 24. More Than Ready | 139-1 | $280.74 |
| 36. Union Rags | 154-1 | $310.04 |
Total betting on the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager was $104,112, with $77,417 in the win pool and $26,695 in the exactas. That was up 208.6 percent from last year’s $33,732, with $24,557 in the win pool and $9,175 in the exactas.
The KDFW pool 2 and Sire Future Wager combined to handle $310,912, up 58.8 percent from last year’s $195,844.
Pool 1, which covered Oct. 31-Nov. 2, had total betting of $164,278, with $132,033 in the win pool and $32,245 in exactas. That pool also was a 43 percent jump from last year’s $114,910.
Inaugurated in 1999, the Kentucky Derby Future Wager has been offered for a 26th consecutive year.
Other future wager dates are set for Jan. 19-21 for pool 3, Feb. 16-18 for pool 4, March 15-17 for pool 5, and April 4-6 for pool 6. The lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager will coincide with Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool 5.