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Betting On The Derby Gene Pool: Who Will Father the 2022 Derby Winner?

One of the more interesting prop wagers in horse racing, betting on the sire of the future Kentucky Derby champion, opens Thursday with “All Other Sires” as the early 6/1 favorite.

Gun Runner, the 2017 Horse of the Year and 2018 Pegasus World Cup winner, debuted on the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager pool this year. (Image: Adam Coglianese)

The Kentucky Derby Sire Future Pool is offered concurrently with Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, but this is the only weekend during which you can put action on who you think will sire the 2022 Derby winner. The betting runs through Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.

Churchill Downs offers 23 individual choices, with Quality Road the current individual favorite at 8/1. Quality Road fathered current futures favorite Corniche, who is 6/1 at Caesars at William Hill. You won’t find the Bob Baffert star juvenile and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 1. Churchill Downs left all Baffert charges off the list because he’s suspended from racing at Churchill Downs or its ancillary tracks.

Interestingly, Churchill Downs line maker Mike Battaglia made Quality Road the individual favorite. That, despite the fact none of the 22 individual selections in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager opening pool are Quality Road offspring.

‘All Other Sires’ finally broke through in 2021

In five of the last six years, an individual selection cashed in this prop bet. That ended last year when Baffert’s Medina Spirit won the Derby at 13/1. The unheralded, Protonico-sired Medina Spirit chalked up a betting “W” for “All Other Sires.”

Before last year, a different individual sire fathered the Derby champion. That means if trends prevail, the clock could reset for North America’s top sire, Into Mischief, to prevail again. He sired 2020 champion Authentic and has Varatti (50/1) in the current pool. You can get Into Mischief in the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager at 20/1, but expect that number to plummet when the windows and computer apps open.

Aside from Into Mischief, all of the usual stallion suspects are present, including Tapit, who – if this was a Belmont Stakes Future Sire Wager – would undoubtedly carry lower odds than his 15/1 here. The father of four Belmont winners and one of the best stallions of the last 15 years has yet to father a Derby winner. He doesn’t have a progeny in the KDFW Pool 1.


2022 Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager Contenders

Sire Odds
American Pharoah 20/1
Candy Ride 30/1
Curlin 15/1
Empire Maker 12/1
Giant’s Causeway 15/1
Gun Runner 15/1
Into Mischief 20/1
Mastery 30/1
Medaglia d’Oro 30/1
Munnings 12/1
Not This Time 15/1
Nyquist 30/1
Pioneerof the Nile 30/1
Practical Joke 20/1
Quality Road 8/1
Runhappy  20/1
Speightstown 30/1
Street Sense 20/1
Tapit 15/1
Twirling Candy 30/1
Uncle Mo 20/1
Union Rags 30/1
Violence 30/1
All Other Sires 6/1

Two who have two offspring in the KDFW are Giant’s Causeway and Not This Time. Both are 15/1. Giant’s Causeway has Classic Causeway (15/1 KDFW) and Giant Game (15/1). Not This Time fathered Epicenter (30/1) and Howling Time (20/1).

One of the newest sires, Gun Runner, also has two offspring in the current KDFW pool. He’s also 15/1 on the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager. His current KDFW entries are Gunite (20/1) and Pappacap (12/1). This is the 2017 Horse of the Year’s first time in the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager pool.

More information on the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager can be found at https://www.kentuckyderby.com/wager/future-wager