Mississippi won't target Kentucky Derby 2018, out of Future Wager
Churchill Downs has announced that betting will be suspended on trainer Mark Casse’s promising Mississippi in the fourth and final pool of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opens its three-day run at noon (all times EST) on Friday and will conclude at 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Casse informed Churchill Downs officials on Thursday that the 3-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile would not be pointed to the 2018 Kentucky Derby. The trainer reported that Mississippi, the third-place finisher in the recent Florida Derby (GI) at Gulfstream Park, is instead targeting an earlier Derby Day race, Grade 3, $300,000 Pat Day Mile (Grade III). The latter is a one-mile race on the main track for 3-year-olds.
With the defection of Mississippi, the year’s final Kentucky Derby Future pool will consist of a total of 23 betting interests that include 22 individual horses and the Mutuel Field (#24), or “All Others," a wager that includes all 3-year-old Thoroughbreds other than the remaining individuals.
Mississippi – who is owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, John C. Oxley, Derrick Smith and Markus Jooste– had been installed as a 50-1 risk in Churchill Downs odds maker Mike Battaglia’s morning line for Pool 4.
The Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which is being offered for a 20th consecutive year, enables bettors to wager on possible contenders in advance of America’s greatest race at odds that could be more attractive than those available on Derby Day. The classic race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds will be run at Churchill Downs for the 144th consecutive year on Saturday, May 5.
Scratches are not permitted in the official rules for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, but wagering can and will be suspended on a wagering interest should that individual suffer an injury or other circumstance that would prohibit the horse from competing in the big race on the first Saturday in May. While Mississippi has not suffered a physical ailment or training setback, Casse assured Churchill Downs officials on Thursday that Mississippi is being pointed to the Pat Day Mile and there was no chance that he would compete in the day’s main event.