
Churchill Downs has been the home of the Kentucky Derby since 1875 and on Saturday, it will host the 151st Run for the Roses. The 2025 Kentucky Derby will feature a 19-horse field with post time scheduled for 6:57 p.m. ET. Grande and Rodriguez both scratched from the 2025 Kentucky Derby field, allowing the talented Baeza to join at 12-1 odds. Positioning could be more important than ever in a race where several 2025 Kentucky Derby contenders appear to have similar running styles. Journalism has won four consecutive starts and is the 3-1 favorite, according to the latest 2025 Kentucky Derby odds. However, the morning-line favorite hasn’t won the Kentucky Derby since Justify in 2018.
Will Journalism break one of the 2025 Kentucky Derby betting trends on Saturday or should you target one of the other 2025 Kentucky Derby horses like Sovereignty (5-1) or Sandman (6-1)? 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 FanDuel Racing, 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. Sandman features plenty of closing speed, which was on full display in his victory at the Arkansas Derby. However, closers tend to be dependent on a fast pace up front and generally lose ground on the far turn at Churchill Downs.
That was evident when Sandman raced twice at Churchill Downs in the fall, finishing no better than third in the Iroquois Stakes or Street Sense. This Mark Casse-trained colt has experienced connections, but neither Casse (10 starters) nor jockey Jose Ortiz (nine) has ever prevailed at the Kentucky Derby. See which other 2025 Kentucky Derby horses to avoid at SportsLine.
Another curveball: Yu is high on Luxor Cade , even though he is a 15-1 longshot in the Kentucky Derby odds 2025. Derma Sotogake and Forever Young have helped change the perspective on Japanese horses at Churchill Downs over the past two years. Derma Sotogake closed at 8-1 in 2023 before a bad break out of the gate doomed him, while Forever Young finished a nose behind Mystik Dan last year.
Luxor Cafe takes the baton this year after clinching his spot via the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby with a five-length victory in the Fukuryu Stakes at the end of March. He also won the Hyacinth Stakes in February, and he is on a four-race winning streak. Yu knows that Luxor Cafe will probably end up farther back earlier than he is used to, but she doesn’t think that will be a major issue. 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 getting over the Churchill Downs surface “perfectly” 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
2025 Kentucky Derby horse previews
1 Citizen Bull | 2 Neoequos | 3 Final Gambit | 5 American Promise | 6 Admire Daytona | 7 Luxor Cafe | 8 Journalism | 9 Burnham Square | 10 Grande | 11 Flying Mohawk | 12 East Avenue | 13 Publisher | 14 Tiztastic | 15 Render Judgment | 16 Coal Battle | 17 Sandman | 18 Sovereignty | 19 Chunk of Gold | 20 Owen Almighty | 21 Baeza
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