Oaks News

Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor's Rags to Riches, the winner of the Las Virgenes (Grade I) and Santa Anita Oaks (GI) at Santa Anita, continued to be a solid favorite heading into Sunday's final day of betting in Churchill Downs' 2007 Kentucky Oaks Future Wager ("KOFW").

The Todd Pletcher-trained daughter of A.P. Indy was the 5-2 choice of bettors at racetracks and satellite wagering outlets across North America and Canada when betting on the third day of the four-day pool concluded on Saturday. Rags to Riches entered KOFW Pool 3 as the 2-1 favorite in Churchill Downs' handicapper Mike Battaglia's morning line odds.

Starlight Stable and Paul Lucarelli's Octave, a Pletcher trainee who finished second in the Ashland (GI) and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI), was the 9-2 second choice at the end of Saturday's betting, while Fantasy (GII) winner High Heels was the third choice at 10-1. The mutuel field, which includes all 3-year-old fillies other than the 23 individual horses in KOFW Pool 3, was next in line at 11-1. Other fillies that attracted solid support through the opening three days of the pool included Fantasy runner-up and Florida Oaks winner Cotton Blossom (13-1) and Boca Grande (16-1), an impressive winner in Saturday's Comely (GIII) at Aqueduct.

A total of $30,133 had been wagered through three days of betting in KOFW Pool 3. Wagering is set to resume at noon (all times EDT) on Sunday and the pool is scheduled to close at 6:30 p.m.

The Kentucky Oaks Future Wager, which is now in its fifth year, allows racing fans to wager on contenders for the $500,000 Kentucky Oaks (GI) at odds that could be significantly better than those they would receive on the day of the race. The wager is a $2 minimum bet and a win wager only. There are no refunds in the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager and winning payouts on the day of the race will be based on the odds that are in place at the conclusion of each respective KOFW pool.

The 133rd running of the $500,000 added Kentucky Oaks (GI) is scheduled for Friday, May 4 at Churchill Downs.

Information on the Kentucky Oaks and real time odds on the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager can be found at www.kentuckyoaks.com, the official event Web site.

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