Tag: Life Is Good

Candy Man Rocket parlayed his Sam F. Davis Stakes victory into a spot on Churchill Downs' Kentucky Derby Future Wager's Pool 3. (Image: SV Photography)

New Entries, Same Favorites in Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3

Nine new offerings entered the Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 picture, but two familiar names continue holding court as the KDFW favorites. Essential Quality and Life Is Good opened as individual 8/1 morning-line favorites in the third of five KDFW pools. As expected, however, the overall favorite is “All […]

Between them, Todd Pletcher (left) and Bob Baffert own eight Kentucky Derby victories. Pletcher (45) and Baffert (23) have the most Triple Crown early nominated horses for 2021. (Image: Doug Engle/AP File)

Essential Quality Leads 326-Strong Triple Crown Nomination Parade

Getting your horse a Triple Crown nomination used to be so simple that connections to this year’s 3-year-old hopefuls nominated 326 horses to compete in the three American Classic races this spring. Those 326 nominations represent a slight, 6.1% dip from last year’s 347 early nominees. Those connections paid $600 […]

Tarantino, seen here in an October workout, finished a solid second in the Grade 3 Holy Bull. That earned him a prominent odds cut on this week's Kentucky Derby futures boards. (Image: Ernie Belmonte)

Derby Futures: Tarantino Shows Even Reservoir Dogs Have Their Day

It wasn’t a case of pulp fiction that Tarantino was sitting at 225/1 when he debuted on the Circa Sports and William Hill Nevada Kentucky Derby futures boards last week. Even the Jackie Browns and Inglorious Basterds of the world stared juicy odds in the face before Tarantino entered the […]

Caddo River used his 10 1/4-length victory in the Smarty Jones to run up the Kentucky Derby futures boards. (Image: Oaklawn Park)

Kentucky Derby Futures: Big Winners Make Big Odds Leaps

The first page of this week’s Kentucky Derby futures board got tighter – partly a byproduct of two horses getting loose from their rivals last weekend. The first was Caddo River, who moved to 16/1 at Circa Sports and 15/1 at William Hill Nevada. Dropping beneath 20/1 at this point […]

Lecomte Stakes winner Midnight Bourbon opens at 30/1 in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 2. (Image: Lou Hodges Jr./Hodges Photography)

The Field is Your Favorite in Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 2

While Life Is Good yielded his favorite status in at least one Las Vegas future book, he holds down 6/1 individual favorite status in Pool 2 of Churchill Downs’ Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) pool. At the same time, the Derby field of “All Other 3-Year-Olds” is the overall 9/5 […]

Concert Tour broke his maiden in impressive fashion last weekend at Santa Anita Park. That broke in the Bob Baffert-trained colt on both Circa Sports and William Hill Nevada's Derby futures boards. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Magic Words ‘Bob Baffert’ Bring Concert Tour, Bezos to Derby Futures

Concert Tour won his debut by 3-½ lengths at Santa Anita last Friday. Other than workouts, Bezos hasn’t entered a starting gate yet. So why are both horses now among the Kentucky Derby futures favorites? Two words: Bob Baffert. Yes, the magic words for 3-year-old Derby hopefuls cast its usual […]

Life Is Good won Saturday's Sham Stakes by three-quarters of a length over stablemate Medina Spirit. Kentucky Derby futures bettors rewarded Medina Spirit with an odds cut, while leaving favorite Life Is Good alone. (Image: Benoit Photo)

How Close is Too Close? Derby Futures Boards Reward Sham Stakes Runner-Up

Proving that Kentucky Derby futures boards and futures bettors view such matters through a kaleidoscope, Medina Spirit finished second in Saturday’s Grade 3 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita Park. At 9/1, he needed a furious stretch rally to even get near race winner and fellow Bob Baffert stablemate, Life Is […]

Parnelli makes his fifth career start in Saturday's Sham Stakes at Santa Anita. He hasn't missed the board in his previous four: a win and three seconds. (Image: Zoe Metz Photgraphy)

Can Life Is Good Duplicate His Electric Debut In Sham Stakes?

Yes, Saturday’s Sham Stakes at Santa Anita Park is only a Grade 3. And yes, only five horses are entered. But no. These facts scare away exactly nobody interested in New Year Kentucky Derby reconnaissance. That’s because one of those five is Life Is Good. The same Life Is Good […]

Not even his most devoted supporters saw Into Mischief enter the 2020s as North America's top stallion. The sire of Kentucky Derby winner Authentic captured that honor for the second consecutive year in a runaway. (Image: Coyle Photography/Spendthrift Farm)

Into Mischief Takes Top Stallion Honors for Second Consecutive Year

That Into Mischief became North America’s leading stallion for the second consecutive year is borne out by facts that carry weight, heft and meaning beyond the breeding shed. Yes, there’s the $225,000 stud fee he commands. That hasn’t stopped would-be filly and mare owners from beating a path to his […]

Sittin On Go turned in a go-go performance winning the Iroquois Stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard. He makes his 3-year-old debut as one of the sophomores to watch in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park. (Image: Jamie Newell/Twin Spires)

Life Is Good for Derby Prep Watchers on this Weekend’s Stakes Slate

Life Is Good returns this weekend as the leading player among several Kentucky Derby contenders and would-be contenders among three Derby preps on both coasts. And those Derby contenders and would-be Derby contenders? They lose their juvenile status and become official 3-year-olds on Friday. Aqueduct, Santa Anita Park, and Gulfstream […]

Alain Barows seized the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby lead with his Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun victory earlier this month. The undefeated colt debuted on Circa Sports' Derby Futures Board at 55/1. (Image: Tomoya Moriuchi/Horsephotos.com)

Kentucky Derby Futures Board Gets Quiet Before 2-Year-Olds Turn 3

Consider this week on the Kentucky Derby futures odds watch the lull before the Kentucky Derby prep storm. And that storm blows in this weekend, ushering in three prep races opening 2021. Those are Friday’s Listed Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct, Saturday’s Grade 3 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita, and the […]

Kentucky Derby futures bettors paid attention to Senor Buscadore's last-to-first victory in the Springboard Mile. (Image: Dustin Orona Photography/Remington Park)

Springboard Victory Puts Señor Buscadore on Derby Futures Boards

Spielberg ran like he’s been on the Kentucky Derby Futures boards before. Señor Buscadore ran like he wants to be there. And just like that, he became one of 12 new horses appearing on either the Circa Sports or William Hill Nevada Derby Futures boards. Señor Buscadore earned his 35/1 […]

Prime Factor became a prime Kentucky Derby futures bet after he and Irad Ortiz Jr. blitzed a Gulfstream Park maiden field by 7 3/4 lengths. (Image: Ryan Thompson/Coglianese Photo)

Prime Factor Becomes Choice Derby Futures Pick After Debut Romp

There were no high-profile stakes races for 2-year-olds last weekend, a fact that didn’t prevent high-profile movement in this week’s Kentucky Derby futures odds. The highest-profile movement came from a new entry to the front rank of Derby prospects, the aptly named Prime Factor. Before his 8-¾-length victory in his […]

Brooklyn Strong splashed home by a neck in Saturday's Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct. This earned the 2-year-old gelding an odds cut on both Circa Sports and William Hill Nevada's Kentucky Derby Futures Boards. (Image: Eclipse Sportswire)

In a New York Minute, Brooklyn Strong Moves Up Derby Futures Board

They ran the Remsen Stakes, a Grade 2 race for 2-year-olds at Aqueduct on Saturday. Forget that the Remsen hasn’t produced a Kentucky Derby winner in 25 years because, despite that, the race impacted this week’s Kentucky Derby futures markets. How big an impact? Not only did Remsen winner Brooklyn […]

Circa Sports opened Essential Quality as the 10/1 favorite in its 2021 Kentucky Derby Futures Board. The downtown Las Vegas property went live with its Derby futures Wednesday. (Image: Godolphin)

Circa Sports Opens its 2021 Kentucky Derby Futures Board

The first Circa Sports 2021 Kentucky Derby Futures bet came in on favored Essential Quality at 10/1 The second came shortly thereafter. It went down on second-favorite Life Is Good – at 12/1. And with that, another Derby futures market was open for business. Circa opened its 2021 Kentucky Derby […]

Life Is Good sprinted up the Kentucky Derby futures betting boards. His next test is likely at January's Sham Stakes at Santa Anita Park. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Life Is Good’s Next Stop: The Derby Trail’s Sham Stakes

The same day that 2-year-old sensation Life Is Good became the favorite in the first Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool, trainer Bob Baffert said he’s likely to run next in the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita Park. Baffert told the Thoroughbred Daily News that Life Is Good will join the […]

Keepmeinmind looked like a Kentucky Derby prospect with his last-to-first victory in Saturday's Kentucky Jockey Club. William Hill dropped his odds from 75/1 to 50/1. (Image: Churchill Downs)

Keepmeinmind Enters Thoughts of Kentucky Derby Future Bettors

Keepmeinmind entered the mind of bettors this past weekend when he won the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs. That plunged his future odds in William Hill Nevada’s latest Kentucky Derby Futures Board to 50/1 from 75/1. On the futures front, however, it’s worth keeping in mind that […]

Life Is Good won his debut by 9 1/2 lengths Sunday afternoon. He made enough of an impression to open at 12/1 on William Hill Nevada's Kentucky Derby Futures Board. (Image: Ernie Belmonte)

Life Is Good Certainly Proves it on William Hill Derby Futures Board

It took exactly 75-½ seconds for Life Is Good to live up to his name, throw his hoof into the Kentucky Derby futures picture, and become the latest horse rocketing up William Hill Nevada’s Kentucky Derby Futures Board. After the Into Mischief progeny destroyed an over-classed quartet of maidens by […]

Into Mischief broke a 2016 Tapit record for highest progeny earnings in a calendar year. (Image: Spendthrift Farm)

Into Mischief Again Proves He’s a Breed Above the Rest

Into Mischief illustrated again why he is the most sought-after sire in North America when his suddenly hot 2-year-old, Life Is Good, won his Del Mar debut Sunday. With the victory, Into Mischief broke the North American single-season progeny earnings record. When Life Is Good romped home by 9-½ lengths […]