April 23, 2024

Mutuel Field favored in 2018 Kentucky Oaks Future Wager

The 144th running of the Kentucky Oaks takes place May 4, 2018, at Churchill Downs

The Mutuel Field (#24), or “All Other Three-Year-Old Fillies” betting interest, closed as the 5-1 favorite when wagering ended on the 2018 Kentucky Oaks Future Wager (KOFW) Sunday.

Three fillies were also bet down to single-digit odds in the only future wager for the Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs.

Midnight Bisou (#12) is the shortest-priced individual interest despite sharing 6-1 final odds with Monomoy Girl (#14). If Midnight Bisou wins the Run for the Lilies, the Bill Spawr trainee would pay $6.10 whereas the Brad Cox-conditioned Monomoy Girl would return $6.20.

Trainer Bob Baffert is seeking to win back-to-back Kentucky Oaks, having saddled Abel Tasman to victory last year, and his pupil Dream Tree (#8) closed as the third choice among the individual interests at 7-1.

All three fillies are exiting wins: Midnight Bisou in the March 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park, Monomoy Girl in the February 17 Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds and Dream Tree in the February 4 Las Virgenes Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park.

Betting on the Oaks Future Wager totaled $70,993, with $47,699 wagered in the Win pool and $23,294 bet in the Exacta pool. Last year’s KOFW realized $100,336 ($56,337 in Win pool and a record $43,998 in Exacta pool).

A new wagering opportunity debuted during this future wager period, which ran March 9-11, in the form of an Oaks/Derby Future Double.

The bet, which requires fans to correctly select the winners of both the Kentucky Oaks and May 5 Kentucky Derby (G1), handled $69,725. The shortest $2 Future Double will pay was $52.40 for Midnight Bisou to win the Oaks and Justify to win the Derby.