The 2025 Kentucky Derby will take place at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 3. A colt with long odds has won the Run for the Roses the last three years, including 2024 victor Mystik Dan, who shocked the Kentucky Derby field as a 20-1 longshot. There was an even bigger surprise in 2022, when Rich Strike was a late addition priced at 80-1 and won the race. Should you consider a lesser-known entry in the Fastest Two Minutes in Sports over one of the 2025 Kentucky Derby favorites? Journalism is the favorite at 5-1, followed by Sovereignty (7-1) and Citizen Bull (9-1) in the latest 2025 Kentucky Derby odds. 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 Final Gambit, even though he is one of the top favorites and just won the Jeff Ruby Stakes. This son of Not This Time has two wins in four career starts, most of which have been run at Turfway Park in Kentucky. That includes a victory at the Jeff Ruby Steaks his last time out. However, the expert notes the pace of that race slowed significantly, allowing Final Gambit to advance from last place to first.
“The race totally broke down and all the early speed just stopped; likely to run in the Derby but how good is he?” Demling told SportsLine. See which other 2025 Kentucky Derby horses to avoid at SportsLine.
Another stunner: Demling is high on Coal Battle, even though he is a 14-1 longshot in the latest Kentucky Derby odds 2025. He has won five of six career starts on dirt, prevailing both on fast surfaces and on muddy tracks. The highlight of those was claiming the Rebel Stakes in late February. Coal Battle placed third in his last start at the Arkansas Derby, but the horse who won that race, Sandman, finished third to Coal Battle at the Rebel.
Coal Battle has the type of pedigree you want in a Kentucky Derby longshot as both his sire and grandsire won Graded Stakes races. Trainer Lonnie Briley hasn’t sent a horse to the Kentucky Derby before, but he’s no novice as the 72-year-old has over 3,000 starts under his belt. Demling loves the versatility of Coal Battle, with his ability to deploy several running styles, and of the horse at the Derby, Demling says “He could win a number of different ways.” 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 “could be a superstar.” 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
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