Last year for the landmark 150th Kentucky Derby, the prize pool was increased to $5 million from $3 million. The larger prize will still be in place for the 2025 Kentucky Derby, a far cry from the $1,000 purse at the very first Run for the Roses in 1875. The winner’s share will be $3.1 million and the favored horse to collect that bounty, per the 2025 Kentucky Derby odds, is Barnes at 8-1. The San Vicente Stakes winner just edges out Citizen Bull (9-1) as the favorite to wager 2025 Kentucky Derby bets on.
Kentucky Derby 151 will take place from Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on Saturday, May 3. There are still several prep races that could shuffle the 2025 Kentucky Derby horses, so who should you back with your horse racing picks? Before making any 2025 Kentucky Derby picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions and futures bets from SportsLine’s elite horse racing expert Jody Demling.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling has nailed the Kentucky Oaks-Derby double 11 times in the last 16 years. He also predicted the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last seven years and called 10 of the last 20 Preakness winners, including in 2023, when he hit the winner, exacta, trifecta and superfecta, as well as the trifecta in 2024. Anyone who has followed him on those picks is up huge.
Now, with the 2025 Kentucky Derby futures already on the board, Demling is sharing his picks and 2025 Kentucky Derby predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.
Top 2025 Kentucky Derby predictions
One of Demling’s surprising 2025 Kentucky Derby picks: He is fading John Hancock, even though he is undefeated and coming off a win in the Sam F. Davis Stakes. That made the horse 2-for-2 in his thoroughbred career, but he suffered turbulence in his third race. At the Louisiana Derby on March 22, John Hancock failed to finish in the money after he placed fourth in a 10-horse field despite entering as the 7-2 favorite.
John Hancock is trained by Brad Cox, who won the 2021 Kentucky Derby with Mandaloun, only after Medina Spirit was infamously disqualified. Cox has never had a horse cross the finish line first in the Kentucky Derby across his 11 career starters. Over the last three years, Cox has had just one of his nine starters finish in the money, while over half of them (five) placed 10th or worse. Add in the disappointing finish for John Hancock in his first start at a distance longer than 1 1/16 miles in Louisiana, and there are concerns with how the horse can hold up at the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby 2025. See which other 2025 Kentucky Derby horses to avoid at SportsLine.
Another stunner: Demling is high on Burnham Square, even though he is a 15-1 longshot in the latest Kentucky Derby odds 2025. Burnham Square is coming off the worst finish of his career, a fourth-place showing at the Fountain of Youth (G2) on March 1. Despite that disappointing result, Burnham Square has proven he has the speed and endurance to compete at Churchill Downs in May.
Burnham Square won the Holy Bull Stakes in February and has finished third or better in four of his last five starts. In his Holy Bull Stakes victory, Burnham Square closed from last to defeat Tappan Street by 1 3/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park, advancing up the inside down the backstretch. Burnham Square also has the pedigree needed to compete at the 2025 Kentucky Derby. His sire and grandsire collected multiple Grade I victories, while his dam, Linda, had a G2 win at Churchill Downs in 2016. See which other horses to back at SportsLine.
How to make 2025 Kentucky Derby picks, bets
Demling is especially high on an epic double-digit longshot who has “lots and lots of potential.” Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2025 Kentucky Derby leaderboard, over at SportsLine.
Which horse wins the Kentucky Derby 2025, and which double-digit longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2025 Kentucky Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling’s picks for the Kentucky Derby, all from the expert who has nailed 11 Derby-Oaks doubles.
2025 Kentucky Derby odds, futures
This news was originally published on this post .
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