The Athletic has live coverage of the 2025 Kentucky Derby.
Altogether, as Kramer-ly as we possibly can … giddy up!
Held annually on the first Saturday in May, the Kentucky Derby is the country’s oldest and most famous horse race. It’s also called the Run for the Roses, because of the blanket of red flowers bestowed in the winner’s circle, and “the most exciting two minutes in sports” because of its split-second finishes.
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Each year, the Derby features 20 horses who qualify through a series of points races. Competitors can be of any sex, but must be 3 years old. The Derby has long been a cultural institution … the stars will be in attendance, the hats pastel, the mint juleps plentiful and the betting slips full.
Start time
Pre-race coverage commences at noon ET on USA Network and moves to NBC at 2:30 p.m. The network has broadcast the Kentucky Derby since 2001 and is contracted to continue until at least 2032.
The Derby itself is our headliner for a 14-race card that begins mid-morning. The lower-card races are televised, along with interviews, retrospectives, programming and pageantry. It all funnels into the big race, the 12th of the day, which is scheduled for a 6:57 p.m. ET post time. Decorated U.S. gymnast Simone Biles will be the one to call “riders up.”
How to watch the 151st Kentucky Derby
Who is the favorite for the 2025 Kentucky Derby?
Santa Anita Derby winner Journalism was installed as the morning line favorite last weekend. Journalism, jockeyed by Umberto Rispoli, comes from an impressive lineage. The bay colt’s sire is Curlin, a back-to-back Horse of the Year (2007-08) who retired as the highest money earner in North America. Journalism also notched first-place finishes at March’s Grade II San Felipe Stakes and November’s Los Alamitos Futurity.
Journalism is not the only horse with what it takes to win. Qualification points leader Burnham Square has earned respect from the oddsmakers, as has Sandman, a roan-gray colt named after the Metallica jam. He’s coming off last month’s Arkansas Derby win in Oaklawn Park, and he’s jockeyed by José Ortiz, who had Triple Crown victories in 2017 and 2022.
Then there’s Rodriguez. The brown colt, a tribute to guitarist Sixto Rodriguez, is trained by Bob Baffert, the sport’s most infamous titan. He had the third-best odds before being withdrawn from the race on Thursday. Baffert has been reinstated at Louisville after a two-year ban due to his horses failing drug tests. He also trains Citizen Bull, a less-likely winner who still scored consecutive Grade I wins last fall at the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and American Pharoah Stakes.
When is the draw for the 2025 Kentucky Derby and post positions?
That draw was held last Saturday. Each of the 20 horses that made it to the Derby was given a starting spot and a gate. Those positions have a huge impact on race results and finishing chances. But two horses (Rodriguez and Grande) have been scratched so far, so only 19 horses will be racing this year, as there was only one alternate, Baeza.
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What are the odds, and how can I bet on the race?
The field’s full odds can be found on our site right here, but the top-five favorites (with Rodriguez and Grande out) are as follows:
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
Journalism |
Umberto Rispoli |
3-1 |
|
2 |
Sandman |
José Ortiz |
5-1 |
|
1 |
Burnham Square |
Brian Hernandez Jr. |
8-1 |
|
7 |
Sovereignty |
Junior Alvarado |
9-2 |
|
10 |
Tappan Street |
Luis Saez |
10-1 |
How long is the Kentucky Derby?
The race is 1 1/4 miles long. The record for fastest race time was set in 1973 by the famed Secretariat. A female horse hasn’t won the Derby since 1988 (Winning Colors).
Who won the Kentucky Derby in 2024?
Mystik Dan, a bay colt who last year’s race in a gut-churning and heart-pounding photo finish.
Where can I read all your excellent and insightful coverage of the Kentucky Derby?
You’re exceedingly kind, and you’re in the right place. Here’s our latest work from Louisville:
Features
Trainer of Kentucky Derby favorite Journalism focusing on race after life upended by L.A. fires
Bob Baffert returns after 3-year suspension: ‘I just want to move forward.’
Culture
2025 fashion trends from Timothée Chalamet to ‘Wicked.’ Designers weigh in
Journalism, Publisher and other past horses with media-themed names
Ranking 2025 Kentucky Derby horse names, from Journalism to Chunk of Gold and Tiztastic
Kentucky Derby Mint Julep: Where does iconic cocktail rank among sports’ signature drinks?
Betting
2025 post positions, updated odds
Who will win the Kentucky Derby? These 6 key factors might help you decide
Bob Baffert scratches one of two horses from Kentucky Derby; Rodriguez was top-3 favorite
Analyzing the 2025 Kentucky Oaks field: Favorites, contenders and long shots
What is the weather forecast for the Derby?
Intermittent storms and soggy track conditions defined last year’s event. Unfortunately, it may be much of the same this time around. The latest Louisville forecast calls for a 100 percent chance of rain during the day, with rainfall nearing a half-inch. In the evening, there is a 60 percent chance of rain.
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Veteran horse racing writer Teresa Genaro explained how the weather could significantly impact this year’s race.
What is the Kentucky Derby’s Mint Julep?
(Photo by Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
Hannah Vanbiber has you covered with a brilliant cocktail list comprising those featured in sports’ biggest moments. Read what she had to say on the julep and how to make it:
The Mint Julep is at least 100 years older than the Kentucky Derby, originating in the U.S. in the mid-to-late 1700s, and has been served at Churchill Downs since the race’s inception in 1875. The concept of the julep traces its origins back to ancient Persia, where rose petals were added to water for medicinal purposes. Eventually, the basics of a julep emerged: sugar, mints, spirits.
In the U.S., the julep evolved into a form of creative expression by Black mixologists in the 19th century, many of whom were enslaved people and did not receive credit for their creations until more recent historical accounts. In 1939, the Mint Julep became the official drink of the Kentucky Derby. McCall told The Athletic that Churchill Downs sources 50,000 liters of Woodford Reserve bourbon each year and 28,730 bunches of spearmint from Nelson Family Agriculture to make 120,000 Mint Juleps for Derby week.
Mint Julep recipe
Ingredients
2 oz. Old Forester 86 proof
3/4 oz. simple syrup
8-10 mint leaves
Garnish: 3 mint sprigs
Preparation
Step 1: Pack a mint julep cup with crushed ice.
Step 2: In a mixing glass, combine the first three ingredients.
Step 3: Lightly bruise mint leaves with a muddler.
Step 4: Strain into a prepared julep cup over the ice.
Step 5: Slap your mint sprigs! Insert them as garnish into the ice.
Step 6: Insert a straw into the ice near the mint.
The Kentucky Derby across the decades, via NYT archives
2015 — “Sure, American Pharoah, a son of Pioneerof the Nile, had been regarded well enough early in his career that he was voted the 2-year-old champion even though he missed the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. But over the past few weeks here, as Baffert heard a couple of Hall of Fame trainers, D. Wayne Lukas and Bill Mott, tell him he had a special horse on his hands, he wondered. Ben Jones. Seattle Slew. Triple Crown. ‘I hope they are right,’ Baffert said he thought as his stomach pulled tighter in knots.” — Joe Drape
2005 — “George Steinbrenner had Bellamy Road, the Kentucky Derby favorite. Nick Zito had five horses, good ones, who accounted for a full quarter of the 20-horse field. But for 130 years, this has been a puzzling race; one in which big horses have shrunk and multiple-horse entries have guaranteed trainers nothing but headaches when it comes to pleasing different owners. When the 131st running of America’s most famous race was over, no one could blame Steinbrenner, the Yankees’ principal owner, or Zito, the loquacious New York trainer, if they uttered a question on the minds of the vast majority of the nation: ‘Who is Giacomo?’” — Joe Drape
1995 — “The high-class filly didn’t make it, but the ‘blue-collar worker’ of the barn did. Thunder Gulch, sent to the East last winter by D. Wayne Lukas as one of his second-string race horses, the ‘forgotten man’ of the stable, won the 121st Kentucky Derby by 21/4 lengths today over Tejano Run at odds of 24-1. And one head farther back in third place, after passing six horses in the homestretch, came the star colt of the Lukas cast of talent, the juvenile champion of last year, Timber Country.” — Joseph Durso
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1985 — “Spend a Buck’s winning time of 2:00 1/5 for the mile and a quarter over a very fast and hard track was the third-fastest Derby ever. Only Secretariat (1:59 2/5 in 1973) and Northern Dancer (2:00 in 1964) have run faster. His winning margin was the largest since Assault won the Derby by eight lengths in 1946. Spend a Buck, who was ridden by Angel Cordero Jr., is owned by Dennis and Linda Diaz’s Hunter Farm and is trained by Cam Gambolati. The 3-year-old son of Buckaroo and the Speak John mare Belle de Jour paid $10.20 for $2 to win as the second choice in a field of 13.”
(Photo of Sandman: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
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