Smile Happy (8-1) individual betting choice in Derby Future Wager Pool 3

A Churchill Downs press release (Coady Photography photo of Smile Happy winning Kentucky Jockey Club)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022) – With the Kentucky Derby 12 weeks away, the pari-mutuel field of “All Other 3-Year-Olds” closed as the 2-1 favorite in Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) and Smile Happy was the 8-1 second betting choice. 

          Smile Happy, the 3 ¼-length winner of the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) at Churchill Downs in November, also closed as the 8-1 individual favorite in Pools 1 and 2 of the KDFW in November and January. 

Other horses that garnered attention from bettors include Saturday’s Sam F. Davis (GIII) winner Classic Causeway (13-1); Remsen (GII) winner and Holy Bull (GIII) third Mo Donegal (14-1); unbeaten first-level allowance winner Emmanuel (15-1); Holy Bull (GIII) winner White Abarrio (18-1); San Vicente (GII) winner Forbidden Kingdom (18-1): Withers (GIII) winner Early Voting (19-1); and Breeders’ Futurity (GI) winner Rattle N Roll.

          Horses in order of the public’s betting choice (with trainer, Pool 3 odds and $2 Win will pays): #24 “All Other 3-Year-Olds” (2-1, $6); #21 Smile Happy (McPeek, 8-1, $19.80); #4 Classic Causeway (Brian Lynch, 13-1, $28.20); #16 Mo Donegal (Pletcher, 14-1, $31.80); #7 Emmanuel (Pletcher, 15-1, $32.60); #22 White Abarrio (Joseph, 18-1, $39.60); #9 Forbidden Kingdom (Richard Mandella, 18-1, $39.80); #6 Early Voting (Chad Brown, 19-1, $40); #18 Rattle N Roll (McPeek, 19-1, $41.40); #23 Zandon (Brown, 21-1, $44.40); #20 Slow Down Andy (Doug O’Neill, 23-1, $48.40); #8 Epicenter (Asmussen, 24-1, $51.20); #3 Chasing Time(Steve Asmussen, 25-1, $52.80); #17 Pappacap (Casse, 31-1, $64); #14 Major General (Pletcher, 32-1, $66); #5Commandperformance (Todd Pletcher, 33-1, $69.80); #13 In Due Time (Kelly Breen, 37-1, $76.80); #19 Simplification (Antonio Sano, 43-1, $88.20); #2 Call Me Midnight (Keith Desormeaux, 56-1, $115.20); #10 God of Love (Mark Casse, 61-1, $124.60); #11 Happy Boy Rocket (Bill Mott, 61-1, $124.60); #1 Barber Road (John Ortiz, 63-1, $129-1); #12 Howling Time (Dale Romans, 72-1, $146.80); and #15 Make It Big (Joseph, 88-1, $178.20).

Total handle for the Feb. 11-13 KDFW pool – the third of five scheduled wagering pools in advance of the 148th running of the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) on Saturday, May 7 – was $328,461 ($235,012 in the Win pool and $93,448 in Exactas).

Dates for the remaining 2022 Kentucky Derby future pools are March 11-13 (Pool 4) and March 31-April 2 (Pool 5). The lone Longines Kentucky Oaks Future Wager will coincide with Pool 4 of the KDFW on March 11-13.

Visit www.KentuckyDerby.com/FutureWager for more information.

Jennie Rees is a communications and advocacy specialist in the horse industry who spent 32 years covering horse racing for The (Louisville) Courier-Journal before taking a corporate buyout. In addition to handling communications for the Kentucky HBPA, Rees is Kentucky Downs’ publicity director, manages in-season racing publicity for Ellis Park and serves as a consultant to the National HBPA. Other projects include the Preakness Stakes, Indiana Grand’s Indiana Derby Week and work for various HBPA affiliates and horsemen’s associations.