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Twenty Years of Future Books on KENTUCKY DERBY and the Results 1925 Kentucky Derby fans were out for more bookmakers "blood" in the spring of 1925, but bookmakers, especially those who made "futures" on the Kentucky Derby, were as scarce as Trotsky supporters in Stalinland. They were around and in circulation, but they were not advertising the fact. The players were avid for odds, but Black Golds triumph of the preceding year had wiped future layers off the map as clean as if a shell from Big Bertha had landed in a tiny china shop. Tom Kearney, veteran St. Louis layer, was still paying off bets on Black Gold, but he was in the market for more punishment and was the only layer quoting odds. He quoted them at very long intervals, hence the absence of fluctuating prices in the tabulation below. Quatrain, another "winter" star like Black Gold, opened in the futures as the favorite at 6 to 1. He was a fair horse, not as good as Black Gold, but the players seemed to think that winter-prepared horses that could win the Derby should come in pairs, hence Quatrain attracted the most backing. Single Foot, a crack from the East, shared second-choice honors with Captain Hal, probably the best horse of the trio mentioned. Kentucky Cardinal was 15 to 1 and Flying Ebony, the ultimate winner, was 40 to 1. Flying Ebony was one of the sprinters that caught a somewhat ordinary field competing in the Derby and proved to be Earl Sandes second victorious mount in the great Louisville race. Unfortunately for the fans who backed Sande on all his mounts even if they were afflicted with the "slows" Churchill Downs officials made the G. A. Cochran horse a member of the mutuel field, and when Flying Ebony carried along the weight of money on other field members the .00 mutuel tickets on the winner called for the small sum of .30. By all rights Flying Ebony was at least a 20 to 1 shot to win, but his backers got only 315 to 1Q0. Quatrain remained favorite in the futures and was the post choice also. One of the oddities in connection with Flying Ebony and the Derby was that on Derby Day of the previous year, he won his maiden victory in the second race, Black Gold winning the Derby on the same card. Following is the tabulation showing the finish of the 1925 Derby, the opening odds in the futures on March 22, and the closing odds, the others remaining the same where no changes are shown. The mutuel prices are also shown: Opening Odds, Released Starting Finish of Derby March 22 Odds Flying Ebony 40 f$ 3.15 to 1 Captain Hal 12 5.60 to 1 Son of John 50 to 200 tl6.40 to 1 Single Foot 12 30.15 to 1 Step Along 50 to 200 J16.40 to 1 Swope 25 t3.15 to 1 Prince of Bourbon........ 50 to 200 f3.15 to 1 Needle Gun 40 t3.15 to 1 Kentucky Cardinal 15 7.50 to 1 Boon Companion 40 t3.15 to 1 Broadway Jones : 50 to 200 50.85 to 1 Quatrain 6 1.95 to 1 Almadel 40 z26.45 to 1 Backbone 50 to 200 16.20 to 1 Sweeping Away 50 to 200 f3.15 to 1 Elector : 50 to 20O t3.15 to 1 The Bal .. 50 to 200 Z26.45 to 1 Lee O. Cotner 25 3.15 to 1 Voltaic 50 to 200 160.75 to 1 Chief Uncas... 50 to 200 T3.15 to 1 Horses are listed according to finish of race. fMutuel field. JD. W. Scott and F. M. Grabner entry. Lexington Stable and Xalapa Farm Stable entry. zH. P. Whitney entry.
