Kentucky Derby 2025 Preview, Profiles And Picks

It’s time for the 151st Kentucky Derby, and there have been some horse scratched and changes in odds just 1-2 days ahead of American’s biggest horse race. I covered the Kentucky Derby championship series races throughout the Derby Trail on Forbes, and add more Derby previews and picks with colleague’s chip-ins of Kentucky Derby in my coverage at Off Shore Gaming Assocation with Kentucky Derby exotic bets and options plus fixed odds and other betting options.

Tune in on NBC Saturday, May 3 at 6:57 p.m. ET from Churchill Downs for Race 12 and the Kentucky Derby 2025 race, with a record prize pool of $5 million. The $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks is Race 11 on Friday, May 2 at 5:51 p.m. ET, with 14 3-year-old fillies looking to cash in.

Kentucky Derby Odds

I’ve added BetOnline’s fixed odds on the Kentucky Derby 2025 race, and parimutuel odds are now open for fans able to wager, and those odds will adjust and are also subject to change. 

 

I have top horse handicappers and analysts pass along information and you can review those including picks and strategies in the links at the top plus other horse racing coverage I’ve chip-in and reported on from Vegas Sports Zone and Forbes. Also, contacts from Horse Racing Nation’s Super Screener Kentucky Derby 2025 grades and rankings.

Horse Grades, Rankings And Odds

A+: #8 Journalism (3/1)
A: #7 Luxor Cafe (15/1) – Top Value
A: #18 Sovereignty (5/1)
A: #21 Baeza (12/1) – Top Value, but must draw into race off Also Eligible list
B+: Rodriguez (12/1)
B: #19 Chunk of Gold (30/1) – Top Longshot
B: #10 Grande (20/1)
B: #16 Coal Battle (30/1)
B: #6 Admire Daytona (30/1) – next Top Longshot
B: #17 Sandman (20/1)
B: #3 Final Gambig (30/1) – next Top Longshot
B: #9 Burnham Square (12/1)
C: #13 Publisher, #14 Tiztastic, #5 American Promise, #11 Flying Mohawk)

Journalism is the well-bred son of the great Curlin, and the deserving Kentucky Derby favorite. He’s won four straight races including three graded stakes capped by the Santa Anita Derby when he posted a 108 Equibase Speed Figure. That’s the third-best on the Derby Trail behind his own 110 ESF in the San Felipe and the 111 by Rodriguez in winning the Wood Memorial.

Luxor Cafe is the Japanese horse sired by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. He’s got great acceleration and turn of foot. His key win in Japan was 2 seconds faster than last year’s Japanese Derby entrant T O Password, who finished 5th in the 2024 Kentucky Derby at 48/1 odds.

Sovereignty is by the super sire Into Mischief, and he showed strong in winning the Fountain of Youth championship series race off a 4-month layoff. He then finished 2nd in the Florida Derby. His best ESF is 99, but HRN Super Screener suggests this colt will launch the biggest move forward in his form cycle to run a big race in the Kentucky Derby.

Remember, none of these horses in the Kentucky Derby has ever run the classic 1 1/4 mile distance needed to win the Run for the Roses. The pace is expected to be very fast in the 2025 Kentucky Derby, and horses getting stronger, improving with best training and pedigree will emerge down the stretch if they get a good trip and some racing luck.

You can bet on it.

Author: FairwayJay is a leading national sports betting analyst, writer, handicapper and sports betting insider providing insight and information you can bet on for nearly two decades from Las Vegas. He chips in additional sports betting coverage and reporting on industry news and events for leading media and sports betting sites and companies. Follow him on X (Twitter): @FairwayJay
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