Pool 4 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager opens Friday with Grade 2 Remsen Stakes winner Paladin as the 8-1 morning line favorite among individual horses. The overall favorite is all other 3-year-olds at 4-1 odds. This shift follows the removal of Eclipse Award champion Ted Noffey from the Derby trail due to bone bruising.
The Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 4 begins Friday at noon EST and runs through Sunday at 6 p.m. EST, offering $2 win and exacta wagering on 39 individual 3-year-olds and the 'all others' category. Paladin, who won the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes, takes over as the leading individual choice at 8-1 odds. Owned by a partnership including Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Peter Brant, Brook T. Smith, and Summer Wind Equine, Paladin is set to compete in Saturday's Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds. Other entrants in that race included in the pool are Carson Street, Chip Honcho, Courting, and Golden Tempo.
This pool marks a change in the betting landscape after Ted Noffey, the Eclipse Award champion, was sidelined by bone bruising. Noffey had closed as the individual favorite in the previous three pools, with odds of 10-1, 7-1, and 6-1. In Pool 3, Paladin finished as the 14-1 third choice, behind all other 3-year-olds at 7-2 and Noffey at 6-1.
Churchill Downs officials emphasize that there are no refunds in the wager. If a horse suffers an injury, illness, or other issue preventing participation in the Kentucky Derby, betting on that individual will be suspended immediately. Future pools are scheduled for March 13-15 (Pool 5, including the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager) and April 2-4 (Pool 6). The pool coincides with the start of the road to the Kentucky Derby championship series.
