News Release _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: John Asher Vice President, Racing Communications Churchill Downs Racetrack (502) 636-4586 (office) (502) 494-3626 (mobile)
[email protected] CHAMP CLASSIC EMPIRE, UNBEATEN McCRAKEN ARE INDIVIDUAL FAVORITES, BUT ‘ALL OTHERS’ IS THE EXPECTED BETTING CHOICE IN DERBY FUTURES POOL 3 Stakes Winners One Liner, Royal Mo Top Seven Newcomers in Feb. 24-26 Betting Pool LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017) – The always-popular Mutuel Field (#24) , or “All Others,” looms as a solid betting favorite Pool 3 of Churchill Downs Racetrack ’s Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”), but the battle for the individual favorite is expected to be tight between reigning 2-year-old champion Classic Empire (#4, 8-1) and unbeaten rising stars McCraken (#15, 8-1), Mastery (#14, 10-1) and Irish War Cry (#11, 12-1) . Betting in the third of four 2017 KDFW pools is scheduled to open at noon (all times EST) on Friday, Feb. 24 and continue until 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26. The wager will be available at racetracks and satellite wagering facilities throughout North America and online at TwinSpires.com and other online internet wagering platforms. The lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager of 2017 also opens at noon on Friday and is set to close on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. The Mutuel Field, which includes all 3-year-old Thoroughbreds other than the 23 individual horses on the roster of 24 betting interests, was rated the 4-1 favorite for KDFW Pool 3 in the morning line odds set by Churchill Downs’ Mike Battaglia .