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, remained a strong favorite at the midpoint of betting in Churchill Downs' 2007 Kentucky Oaks Future Wager ("KOFW").

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

The second choice at the midpoint of the year's final pool of Oaks Futures betting - Starlight Stable and Paul Lucarelli's Octave - also hails from the Pletcher barn. The runner-up in the Ashland (GI) and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) stood at odds of 5-1 at the end of Friday's wagering. Anita Ebert's homebred High Heels - the winner of Oaklawn's Fantasy (GII) trained by Louisville native Gary Hartlage - was the third choice a 8-1. The mutuel field, which includes all 3-year-old fillies other than the 23 individual horses in KOFW Pool 3, was at 9-1 following Friday's betting.

A total of $12,232 had been wagered on the first two days of betting in the April 12-15 pool. Betting is set to resume at noon (all times EDT) on Saturday and the pool is scheduled to close at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.

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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