
The countdown to the 2025 Kentucky Derby is officially underway. The 151st Run for the Roses is slated for Saturday, May 3, with a post time of 6:57 p.m. ET. The road to Churchill Downs wrapped up in early April with 36 prep races serving as Kentucky Derby qualifiers. Journalism, trained by Michael McCarthy, enters as the 3-1 favorite, according to the latest 2025 Kentucky Derby odds. Journalism has won his last four starts, so he’ll enter Churchill Downs confident he can win the first leg of the Triple Crown.
Journalism is followed in the 2025 Kentucky Derby betting odds by Sovereignty (5-1), Sandman (6-1), Rodriguez (12-1) and Burnham Square (12-1). With the Kentucky Derby annually featuring the largest field in North American racing, you’ll want to see what Santa Anita-based racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2025 Kentucky Derby picks, considering the success she’s had handicapping this race.
In a wide-open Kentucky Derby in 2021, she gave out Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, as the winner at 12-1. In Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager three years ago, she suggested a play on All Other 3-Year-Olds, which cashed at a whopping 18-1 when Rich Strike won.
She started off 2025 by correctly going all-in on Citizen Bull to win the Robert B. Lewis Stakes, and she also predicted Forever Young’s win in the $20 million Saudi Cup, Journalism’s win in the San Felipe Stakes and Sandman’s win in the Arkansas Derby this year. Anyone who has followed her on those picks on betting sites like TwinSpires and 1/ST BET is up huge.
Now, with the 2025 Kentucky Derby post positions set and odds on the board, Yu is sharing her 2025 Kentucky Derby betting picks and 2025 Kentucky Derby predictions over at SportsLine. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2025 Kentucky Derby predictions
One surprise: Yu is completely fading Sandman, even though he won the Arkansas Derby and is one of the top favorites. The Arkansas Derby winner has climbed the odds board after finishing in the top three in his last five races.
However, those were all at Oaklawn Park, and his track record at Churchill Downs isn’t as promising. He raced three times at Churchill Downs as a 2-year-old, but his best finish was a third-place showing in the Street Sense last October. “This son of Tapit was just aching for more ground and delivered in the Arkansas Derby with a perfect pace setup and the stretch-out to nine furlongs,” Yu told SportsLine. “He will need help up front again and will need to find a trip in the 20-horse field.” See which other 2025 Kentucky Derby horses to avoid at SportsLine.
Another curveball: Yu is high on Grande, even though he is a 20-1 longshot in the Kentucky Derby odds 2025. Grande is trained by the legendary Todd Pletcher, who will look for his third Kentucky Derby victory. With a win at Churchill Downs on Saturday, Pletcher would become just the third trainer with three Kentucky Derby winners.
Grande is inexperienced compared to others in the 2025 Kentucky Derby field, having raced just three times in his career. However, he has fared well in those starts, winning twice and securing a runner-up finish at the Wood Memorial in April. Add in that jockey John Velazquez has multiple Kentucky Derby wins of his own and it’s easy to see why Yu likes Grande to have a strong showing at the 2025 Kentucky Derby. See which other horses to back at SportsLine.
How to make 2025 Kentucky Derby picks
Moreover, Yu is high on a double-digit longshot who has been running “perfectly” at Churchill Downs this week. She is including this horse in her 2025 Kentucky Derby bets, and so should you. She’s sharing which 2025 Kentucky Derby horses to back at SportsLine.
So who wins the 2025 Kentucky Derby? What double-digit longshot is a must-back, and how has Yu constructed her wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Yu’s picks for the Kentucky Derby, all from the Santa Anita-based racing insider who has a long history of success in the Kentucky Derby, and find out.
2025 Kentucky Derby odds, post positions
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