Fresh off the heels of his dominant San Felipe Stakes win, Forbidden Kingdom opened as the 5/1 favorite in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) Pool 4. That pool opens Friday and runs through Sunday.
It runs concurrently with the lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager (KOFW) pool. There, Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia put 4/1 favorite status on Echo Zulu.
Both pools open Friday at noon ET. The KDFW closes Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, with the KOFW closing 30 minutes later. Win and Exacta bets are available on both pools, with a special Derby-Oaks Future Double added to the wagering menu.
Forbidden Kingdom is the first pre-pool favorite not named Smile Happy in this season’s KDFW future pool. That colt, a favorite of Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, who owns Smile Happy’s sire, Runhappy, opened this pool at 6/1. He closed at 8/1 in the first three KDFW pools. Those are the same odds as “All Other 3-Year-Olds” — a.k.a. the Field.
Why is Forbidden Kingdom the KDFW favorite? See ‘San Felipe’
Given recency bias in many bettors, don’t expect Forbidden Kingdom’s odds to drift. Especially as more horseplayers see his 5 3/4-length dismantling of the San Felipe field in his first trip around two turns.
Not far behind are Risen Star winner Epicenter (8/1) and last week’s Fountain of Youth winner Simplification (12/1).
Eight newcomers find their way into this KDFW pool, headed by Gotham Stakes winner Morello, who opens at 10/1. Rebel Stakes surprise winner Un Ojo joins the pool at 50/1. The other newcomers are Charge It (30/1), Cyberknife (50/1), Rebel runner up Ethereal Road (50/1), Pioneer of Medina (30/1), Sam F. Davis runner-up Shipsational (50/1) and Zosus (50/1).
2022 Kentucky Derby Future Wager–Pool 4
| Trainer | Odds | |
| Barber Road | John Ortiz | 50/1 |
| Call Me Midnight | Keith Desormeaux | 50/1 |
| Charge It | Todd Pletcher | 30/1 |
| Classic Causeway | Brian Lynch | 15/1 |
| Cyberknife | Brad Cox | 50/1 |
| Early Voting | Chad Brown | 30/1 |
| Emmanuel | Todd Pletcher | 15/1 |
| Epicenter | Steve Asmussen | 8/1 |
| Ethereal Road | D. Wayne Lukas | 50/1 |
| Forbidden Kingdom | Richard Mandella | 5/1 |
| In Due Time | Kelly Breen | 30/1 |
| Major General | Todd Pletcher | 50/1 |
| Mo Donegal | Todd Pletcher | 12/1 |
| Morello | Steve Asmussen | 10/1 |
| Pioneer of Medina | Todd Pletcher | 30/1 |
| Rattle N Roll | Kenny McPeek | 20/1 |
| Shipsational | Ed Courville | 50/1 |
| Simplification | Antonio Sano | 12/1 |
| Smile Happy | Kenny McPeek | 6/1 |
| Un Ojo | Ricky Courville | 50/1 |
| White Abarrio | Saffie Joseph Jr. | 15/1 |
| Zandon | Chad Brown | 12/1 |
| Zozos | Brad Cox | 50/1 |
| All Other 3-Year-Olds | — | 6/1 |
Echo Zulu, the 2021 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly, is the easy favorite. The Gun Runner filly is unbeaten in four races, most recently a 5 1/4-length victory in November’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. That was her third Grade 1 score as a juvenile. She has yet to open her 3-year-old season, which may come at the March 26 Fair Grounds Oaks.
Not far behind at 6/1 is standout Secret Oath, one of the hottest horses of any gender in the country. The Honeybee Stakes winner, conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, won her last three races by a combined 23 lengths.
2022 Kentucky Oaks Future Wager
| Trainer | Odds | |
| A Mo Reay | Todd Pletcher | 30/1 |
| Ain’t Easy | Phil D’Amato | 20/1 |
| Awake At Midnyte | Doug O’Neill | 20/1 |
| Bernabreezy | Matt Shirer | 50/1 |
| Bubble Rock | Brad Cox | 30/1 |
| Classy Edition | Todd Pletcher | 15/1 |
| Echo Zulu | Steve Asmussen | 4/1 |
| Fannie and Freddie | Al Stall Jr. | 30/1 |
| Favor | Todd Pletcher | 20/1 |
| Goddess of Fire | Todd Pletcher | 20/1 |
| Hidden Connection | Bret Calhoun | 50/1 |
| Ice Orchid | John Ortiz | 50/1 |
| Juju’s Map | Brad Cox | 10/1 |
| Kathleen O. | Shug McGaughey | 8/1 |
| Nest | Todd Pletcher | 8/1 |
| Nostalgic | Bill Mott | 20/1 |
| Sandstone | Kenny McPeek | 15/1 |
| Secret Oath | D. Wayne Lukas | 6/1 |
| Shahama | Todd Pletcher | 30/1 |
| Turnerloose | Brad Cox | 15/1 |
| Venti Valentine | Jorge Abreu | 15/1 |
| Veterans Highway | Rusty Arnold | 50/1 |
| Yuugiri | Rodolphe Brisset | 50/1 |
| All Other 3-Year-Old Fillies | — | 10/1 |
The Kentucky Oaks is May 6, one day before the 148th Kentucky Derby. You can get past performances for all the KDFW and KOFW horses here.
The fifth and final KDFW pool is March 31-April 2. Unlike the other pools, that one ends before the Saturday, April 2 Derby preps.