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The road to the 2025 Kentucky Derby is narrowing as "The Run for the Roses" is now less than a month away. The Kentucky Derby 2025 will run at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 3, and bettors are getting a better idea who will be among the 2025 Kentucky Derby horses. Burnham Square, Sandman, Journalism, Rodriguez, Tiztastic, Tappan Street, Sovereignty and Final Gambit have all reached 100 points in the Kentucky Derby prep races, making all of them likely entrants into the 2025 Kentucky Derby field.
Journalism is the 3-1 favorite in the 2025 Kentucky Derby odds, while Sandman (8-1) and Sovereignty (8-1) are the only other 2025 Kentucky Derby contenders getting single-digit 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 Rodriguez, even though he's one of the favorites. In fact, Demling says Rodriguez doesn't even hit the board in his 2025 Kentucky Derby projections. Perhaps the strongest Kentucky Derby contender out of Bob Baffert's barn this year, Rodriguez has finished in the top three in all five of his career races, including the Wood Memorial on April 5.
However, that doesn't completely erase concerns over his relatively poor run at the San Felipe Stakes in March. In that race, he finished a distant third behind Kentucky Derby favorite Journalism and Barnes, a horse that then went on to finish fifth in the Santa Anita Derby. Demling has identified better values in his early 2025 Kentucky Derby bets. See which other 2025 Kentucky Derby horses to avoid at SportsLine.
Another stunner: Demling is high on Luxor Cafe, even though he is a 15-1 longshot in the latest Kentucky Derby odds 2025. Luxor Cafe is expected to arrive at Churchill Downs on April 23, giving him plenty of time to acclimate to his surroundings.
Luxor Cafe is the 3-year-old son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, so he has the pedigree needed to compete at Churchill Downs. Luxor Cafe is trained by Hori Noriyuki and is coming off a comfortable victory in his last race. He won by five lengths in the concluding leg of the designated series in Japan, the Fukuryu Stakes at Nakayama on March 29. He's won his last four starts, making him a valuable longshot wager to include in 2025 Kentucky Derby bets. See which other horses to back at SportsLine.
How to make 2025 Kentucky Derby picks, bets
Demling is especially high on a double-digit longshot who "has a legit shot." 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
| Horse | Odds | Projection |
|---|---|---|
| Journalism | 3-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Sandman | 8-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Sovereignty | 8-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Rodriguez | 10-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Tappan Street | 10-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Burnham Square | 15-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Luxor Cafe | 15-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Citizen Bull | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| East Avenue | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Grande | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| River Thames | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Tiztastic | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| American Promise | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Chunk of Gold | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Coal Battle | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Final Gambit | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Publisher | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Admire Daytona | 50-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Flood Zone | 50-1 | SEE PICKS |
| Flying Mohawk | 50-1 | SEE PICKS |
