Who will you pick in the Kentucky Derby future wager?

[AnswerMan23]

I picked 5 horses in an exacta box (must pick first and second place finishers). $2 Exacta Box 7,14,18,21,24 for a total of $40. (Using 4 horses would cost $24, 3 horses would be $12 - not sure if you can make a $1 Exacta Box but if so the price halves - as does the payout).

7 - Flashback - Lightly raced but might be the best west of the west. About 12-1 odds right now.
14 - Overanalyze - Gutty Remsen win, might run well if it rains Derby Day. 40-1
18 - Super Ninety Nine - Longshot play but I like his breeding alot. 60-1
21 - Violence - Very nice horse. Unbeaten with nice looking wins. 12-1
24 - All Others - Simply have to use this one in an exacta play. The heavy betting favorite. 7-5 odds. Ew.

2 Pletcher trained horse, 2 trained by Baffert. Top trainers with strong stable who know how to get horses to the Derby. Pletcher trains 7 of the 23 individual betting interest. Baffert has 4. Hoping the field doesn't figure into the Exacta but it's sort of a saver.

It's tough to play a single horse in the Derby future pool because many simply don't make the race and your bet loses before the race is run. Using a few horses in an Exact Box you at least have a decent shot at getting a horse or two in the race. The 'All Others' selection wins the Derby a lot and they always have an entry so half the battle is already won. Exacta's are tougher to hit but the payout can be huge.