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Life Is Good Tabbed Individual Favorite In Second Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool

CHC Inc and WinStar Farm's undefeated $100,000 Sham Stakes (Grade 3) winner Life Is Good was made the 6-1 individual morning line favorite in Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”), but the pari-mutuel field of “All Other 3-Year-Olds” is expected to be the overall choice in the three-day wager that begins Friday.

While Life Is Good was made the individual favorite in Pool 2 of the KDFW, veteran oddsmaker Mike Battaglia tabbed “All Other 3-Year-Olds as the overall 9-5 morning line favorite in the field of 24 betting interests. The pari-mutuel field for the first pool of the New Year has closed as the bettors' choice every year since the wager was inaugurated in 1999, and the final odds were 5-2 in five of the last six years.

The pool will open Friday at noon and close Sunday at 6 p.m. (all times Eastern). Wagers can be placed online at www.TwinSpires.com, as well as racetracks and simulcast centers throughout the country.

Life Is Good, based at Santa Anita with six-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert, scored a front-running victory in the Jan. 2 Sham besting his stablemate Medina Spirit. Life is Good is one of five 3-year-olds in Pool 2 for Baffert. The others are debut winner Concert Tour; $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) winner Spielberg; and the unraced, highly-touted colt Bezos. This is the first time an unraced horse has made the field in the KDFW.

Another horse expected to receive strong backing is $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Essential Quality. Listed at 8-1 on the morning line odds, Essential Quality has a perfect record through three starts with a three-quarters of a length win in the Juvenile over fellow Pool 2 interests Hot Rod Charlie, Keepmeinmind and Jackie's Warrior. Trained by Brad Cox, Essential Quality is preparing for his 3-year-old campaign at Fair Grounds where he has worked five times since his Juvenile score.

Cox is represented in KDFW Pool 2 with three other wagering interests: nine-length maiden winner and likely favorite in Friday's $150,000 Smarty Jones Caddo River; $200,000 Lecomte (G3) third-place finisher Mandaloun; and eye-catching debut winner Prate.

The complete field for Pool 2 of the KDFW (with trainer and morning line odds): #1 Bezos (Baffert, 20-1); #2 Caddo River (Cox, 30-1); #3 Capo Kane (Harold Wyner, 30-1); #4 Concert Tour (Baffert, 15-1); #5 Essential Quality (Cox, 8-1); #6 Fire At Will (Mike Maker, 30-1); #7 Greatest Honour (Shug McGaughey III, 50-1); #8 Highly Motivated (Chad Brown, 20-1); #9 Hot Rod Charlie (Doug O'Neill, 30-1); #10 Jackie's Warrior (Steve Asmussen, 20-1); #11 Keepmeinmind (Robertino Diodoro, 20-1); #12 Life Is Good (Baffert, 6-1); #13 Mandaloun (Cox, 20-1); #14 Medina Spirit (Baffert, 12-1); #15 Midnight Bourbon (Asmussen, 30-1); #16 Mutasaabeq (Todd Pletcher, 30-1); #17 Olympiad (Bill Mott, 50-1); #18 Prate (Cox, 30-1); #19 Prime Factor (Pletcher, 30-1); #20 Proxy (Mike Stidham, 50-1); #21 Senor Buscador (Todd Fincher, 20-1); #22 Spielberg (Baffert, 30-1); #23 Wipe the Slate (O'Neill, 50-1); and #24 “All Other 3-Year-Olds” (9-5).

There are 14 new betting interests from Pool 1, which was staged Nov. 26-29. In that pool, “All Other 3-Year-Old Colts and Geldings” closed as the 6-5 favorite and was followed by Life Is Good (5-1); Essential Quality (8-1); Jackie's Warrior (18-1); Highly Motivated (18-1); Keepmeinmind (19-1); Caddo River (27-1); Speaker's Corner (29-1); Fire At Will (30-1); Hot Rod Charlie (34-1); Red Flag (35-1); Reinvestment Risk (35-1); Savile Row (36-1); Scarred (49-1); Ten for Ten (51-1); “All 3-Year-Old Fillies” (56-1); Midnight Bourbon (59-1); King Fury (60-1); Get Her Number (64-1); Sittin On Go (68-1); Dr. Shivel (72-1); Rombauer (88-1); Pickin' Time (96-1); and Super Stock (103-1).

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which features $2 Win and Exacta wagering, provide fans of Thoroughbred racing with opportunities to place bets on possible entrants in the $3 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade I) at odds that could be far greater than those available on the day of the race. The 147th running of Kentucky Derby, America's greatest race and the first leg of the Triple Crown, is set for Saturday, May 1 at Churchill Downs.

There are no refunds in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. Should Churchill Downs officials determine during the duration of this week's three-day pool that one of the wagering interests has experienced an injury, illness or other circumstance that would prevent the horse from participating in the Kentucky Derby, betting on the individual horse will be suspended immediately.

More information and real-time odds are available online at www.KentuckyDerby.com/FutureWager.

Dates for the remaining 2021 Kentucky Derby future pools are Feb. 12-14 (Pool 3), March 5-7 (Pool 4) and March 26- 28 (Pool 5). The lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager will coincide with Pool 4 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

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Kentucky Derby Museum Launches ‘Dreaming Of Derby’ Deal

With just about 100 days left until the 147th Run for the Roses, the Kentucky Derby Museum is giving guests the taste of the Derby that many people have been dreaming of after a difficult year in 2020.

Every Friday and Saturday now through February, Kentucky Derby Museum is offering a bundled package of $25 per person which includes Museum entrance, choice between a free lunch (Hot Brown panini and bourbon bread pudding in the Derby Cafe Express) or a complimentary Mint Julep, a tour of Churchill Downs, full access to all exhibits, viewing of the Museum's signature movie The Greatest Race, a free gift from the Kentucky Derby Museum Gift Shop plus 15 percent off all regular-priced merchandise.

“We've all been looking forward to better days ahead and celebrating the grandeur of the Kentucky Derby once again,” said Patrick Armstrong, President & CEO of the Kentucky Derby Museum. “We are open for business, and the travel reviews for our cleanliness and COVID safety practices are outstanding. So many people have been dreaming of a Derby that includes the traditional celebrations, pageantry, food and fashion, and this deal is the perfect way to fill that Derby void during the winter months! We invite hometown tourists and out of town visitors to get in the Derby spirit with us as we count down to 'The Greatest Race' in the world.”

Visitors can purchase tickets at the Museum or online.

To sweeten the deal, all Derby 146 merchandise is currently 75 percent off as the Museum Gift Shop makes space for new Derby 147 items.

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Late-Developing Idol, Runner-Up In San Antonio, Has Connections Thinking Big ‘Cap

Richard Baltas, an active participant at Santa Anita Park's entry box, has San Antonio runner-up Idol pointed to the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes on Jan. 30, a major steppingstone to the G1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 6.

Owned by Calvin Nguyen, the son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin had won two overnight races at Churchill Downs by daylight margins as a 3-year-old before tackling older in the San Antonio on Dec. 26.

Out of stakes-winning A.P. Indy mare Marion Ravenwood, Idol commanded a final bid of $375,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The late-developing colt did not debut until Sept. 5 of his sophomore season, then broke his maiden and won an allowance, both at Churchill Downs, by a combined 8 1/4 lengths. Idol's second-place finish in the San Antonio came in just his fourth career start.

Through 12 racing days, Baltas has run 42 horses to rank third behind perennial category leader Doug O'Neill (55) and Peter Miller (44).

Meanwhile, Venetian Harbor is “almost ready to come in” from Kentucky after a three-month freshening following her race in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Keeneland on Nov. 6, in which she finished far back after attending the pace early in the seven-furlong event.

“We gave her 90 days off at the farm and she's coming back into training,” Baltas said of the daughter of Munnings, winner of two Grade 2 stakes last year, the Las Virgenes at Santa Anita and the Raven Run at Keeneland.

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From TDN Look: While the Horses are Away

It’s three days before Christmas, a time when most young Americans can be found lounging on the couch binging on Netflix and cookies, but Merlin Cano is busy on the backside of Churchill Downs.

Most of the trainers have already packed up and headed for warmer climates. A few trucks roll by carrying used straw or unused hay, remnants of the hive of activity this backstretch was just a few weeks ago. All is quiet for now, but Merlin knows there is still much to be done.

Merlin is a member of the team at the Backside Learning Center (BLC)–an organization located on the Churchill Downs backside that serves as a resource center for the equine backstretch community, providing educational programs and services and promoting community amongst the backstretch workers and their families.

At 20 years old and around a hundred pounds, Merlin loads up the BLC’s van to the brim with holiday gift baskets filled with blankets, fruits, gift cards, coats and more. She heads out to Oakdale Avenue to journey through the streets of downtown Louisville.

She knows the roads surrounding the track like the back of her hand and soon arrives at the house of Angelica Solano and her four children. The family receives new shoes for each of the children along with food for a holiday feast.

When asked what the BLC has done for her family, Solano replied, “The Backside Learning Center has helped me translate the letters and mail I receive. I’m thankful because they have supported my kids with homework and they’ve provided us with several food distributions. They’re always making sure we’re doing okay and helping us with whatever we need.”

Click to continue reading and to see the video at TDN Look.

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