Bet on The Del Mar Futurity
The Del Mar Futurity is one of the most prestigious races of the summer for two-year-olds and serves as a major stepping stone towards the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1). Held every September at Del Mar in California, the stakes race was inaugurated in 1948 and has undergone several changes over the years. While it has always been contested at seven furlongs, the surface has varied – it has been run on everything from dirt to turf to the briefly popular synthetic Polytrack and returned to conventional dirt for the first time for the 2015 edition of the race. The race has held Grade 1 status since 2007 and currently boasts a purse of $300,000.
No trainer has been more dominant in the race than Bob Baffert who has saddled twelve winners of the Del Mar Futurity and since he is still actively training, could add even more to that total. Seven of those twelve wins came in consecutive years spanning from 1996 through 2002. Some of his notable Del Mar Futurity winners include Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Silver Charm in 1996, champion Lookin at Lucky in 2009 and eventual Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in 2014. Numerous colts have parlayed a win in the Del Mar Futurity into an Eclipse Award.
Del Mar Futurity Betting Odds
With an online racebook, you can get more bang for your buck even when a favorite delivers. In 2015, Nyquist went off as the heavy favorite due to his undefeated record and while he did win, there was still some value to be had. Even though the exotics paid only $12.40 for the exacta and $29.20 for the trifecta, online racebooks offer generous cash back bonuses on exotics as well as win, place and show wagers .
* REMINDER! - you must be of legal age in your state or province to legally wager on thoroughbred or harness horse racing. Please bet responsibly!
2016 Del Mar Futurity Contenders
There were few surprises in store in the 2015 edition of the Del Mar Futurity. Nyquist, trained by Doug O’Neill, was already a graded stakes winner and entered the race off of two consecutive victories including one in the Best Pal Stakes (G2). He went to the gate as the heavy favorite and delivered convincingly, stalking the pace to win by 3 ¾ lengths under Mario Gutierrez.
It was just a preview of what was to come from the talented son from the first crop of champion Uncle Mo. From there, he took the Frontrunner Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita and clinched the Eclipse Award with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1). He remained undefeated into his three-year-old season and won the Kentucky Derby (G1) before getting handed his first loss on an off track in the Preakness Stakes (G1). He is getting a brief freshening after finishing fourth in the Haskell Invitational (G1) as he prepares for the second half of his sophomore campaign.
2015 Order of Finish: Win Place Show
1st: Nyquist $3.00 $2.20 $2.10
2nd: Swipe $4.40 $2.60
3rd: Blameitonthelaw $2.40
(Also Ran: Rockin Bayou, Annie’s Candy, Archaeo Scratched horses: Mt Veeder, Nightly News)
Check back closer to race time for the 2016 Del Mar Futurity contenders!
