As Kentucky Derby Futures Betting Reopens at Churchill Downs, Tiz the Law’s Odds Continue to Drop (VIDEO)

The fifth round of Kentucky Derby futures betting started at Churchill Downs on Friday, and the only horse with Triple Crown aspirations is the heavy favorite in early betting.

started as the morning line 7-2 favorite when betting began, and by Friday evening, the Barclay Tagg-trained Belmont Stakes winner was bet down to 9-5. Last Saturday, the 3-year-old raced for the first time in nearly three months, cruising to a nearly four-length victory in New York.

While he has more than enough points to qualify for the Kentucky Derby — which is scheduled for Sept. 5 — Tagg has stated he plans to run his colt in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in August to give his colt a final tune-up race before coming to Louisville.

Only two other horses have single-digit odds so far through betting Friday. They are Honor A.P. at 7-1 and Authentic at 9-1. Those two horses ran one-two, respectively, in the Santa Anita Derby earlier this month. But they’re going their separate ways for their next race.

John Shirreffs, the trainer for Honor A.P., told the Thoroughbred Daily News that he’s circled “in pencil” the Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 1. Trainer Bob Baffert is bringing Authentic across the country, likely to run him in the Haskell Stakes on July 18 at New Jersey’s Monmouth Park.

Betting in the futures pool is available through several online racing wagering services, including TwinSpires and NYRABets, through 6 pm ET Sunday evening. As a pari-mutuel pool, final odds on each horse will be determined when the betting round ends.

While Honor A.P. and Authentic appear to be the two most likely challengers to Tiz the Law, there’s another horse trying to make his case all the way out in Japan. And he’s definitely got the bloodline to make a case.

On Sunday, Café Pharoah overcame starting from the far post in a 16-horse field and pulled away down the stretch to a five-length victory in the Unicorn Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse (see video below). If you couldn’t tell by the name, Café Pharoah happens to be the offspring of the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.