The Future is now

In England it's called the ante-post market, and it's been an ATM for bookmakers there for many generations. The come-on: Offer tempting, fixed odds on a horse to win a specific major stakes (Grand National, 2,000 Guineas, Epsom Derby) that can be six months down the road. Many horseplayers can't resist taking a shot on a long-term fantasy coming true, but if your horse gets hurt, doesn't run or loses by a nose, you lose. Sure, you get what looks like great value, but deep down, you know it's just a stab and a sucker bet. Not impossible, but very difficult.

Ah, but when your vision becomes reality, the bragging rights are sweeter than the payoff. I hit the Kentucky Derby Future Wager in 2001 with Monarchos, who paid off at 17-1 in pool 1. Of course, he went off at 10-1 on Derby Day, so psychologically it wasn't that rewarding. It felt great anyway, and last year I really did it right. In March I got the absurdly generous price of 8-1 on Rags to Riches in the Kentucky Oaks from a well-known poker Web site. Its horse-price guy deserved to be fired, because seven weeks later she dominated the Oaks as the 3-2 favorite as I exulted at Churchill Downs, shaking my fist and yelling, "I had her at 8-1!8-1!" As I sang "I went from rags to riches," I was loving life. Unfortunately, it took more than three months to collect my winnings of $160, the longest I've ever stood on a line, virtual or otherwise, to cash. Even when you win in the most glorious way possible, life demands a vigorish.

So thanks to Monarchos and Rags to Riches, I'm ahead of the futures game, but if I keep playing it, that most likely will change. But not for a while, so last month I put $5 down on three 3-year-olds, getting 47-1 on Blackberry Road, 18-1 on Majestic Warrior and 18-1 on Crown of Thorns (now, unfortunately, injured and off the Triple Crown trail). I'm still alive with Blackberry Road and Majestic Warrior, both of whom are running Saturday in the Louisiana Derby. They'll have to beat Pyro, the 5-1 favorite among the 23 individual runners in pool 1. The field (all other 3-year-olds) was the 3-1 favorite, and last year's Juvenile champion, the undefeated War Pass, was 6-1.

Pool 2 opened Thursday and closes Sunday, and I won't be participating. If either of my horses pulls a serious upset in New Orleans, his price won't be worth taking. If they finish up the track, their chances for glory on the first Saturday in May will be pretty grim. If so, so what? What's $15 out the window when I've got my memories of Monarchos and Rags to Riches. Sometimes it pays to be a foolish dreamer.