2025 Kentucky Derby horses, odds, futures, date, preview: Expert who hit 11 Derby-Oaks Doubles divulges picks

The 2025 Kentucky Derby post positions have been revealed, setting the 2025 Kentucky Derby field ahead of Saturday's race at Churchill Downs, which has a post time of 6:57 p.m. ET. Journalism is the 3-1 favorite in the 2025 Kentucky Derby odds after drawing post No. 8, while Sovereignty (5-1) and Sandman (6-1) are the only other 2025 Kentucky Derby horses inside of 10-1. Sandman will try to become the first horse ever to win from post No. 17 after just three of the previous 45 finished in the money from that gate. The last notable finish from post No. 17 was a fourth-place finish from Don't Get Mad in 2005, so should you fade Sandman with your 2025 Kentucky Derby bets?

Three of the past four Kentucky Derby winners have started at gate No. 8 or lower, including Mystik Dan, who ran from No. 3 last year. The No. 5 post position has produced the most winners (10), and American Promise is a 30-1 longshot from that gate this year. 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 post positions set and odds 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 (12-1), who doesn't even hit the board in his 2025 Kentucky Derby projections. Rodriguez is trained by the legendary Bob Baffert, who is trying to win this race for a record-setting seventh time. Baffert is tied with Ben Jones after Medina Spirit was disqualified for failing a post-race drug test in 2021.

Outside of Authentic (2020), Baffert's other Kentucky Derby wins since 2002 came from Triple Crown horses (American Pharoah, Justify). Rodriguez does not have the pedigree of those Kentucky Derby horses, however, since he only has one graded stakes victory. He has also only raced once without blinkers, so Demling is avoiding him with his 2025 Kentucky Derby betting strategy. 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 Kentucky Derby odds 2025. Although no Japanese horse has ever won a Triple Crown race, few horses in the world can compete with Luxor Cafe's pedigree. Luxor Cafe is the son of American Pharoah, who is one of only two horses in the 21st century to win the Triple Crown. American Pharoah captured the Triple Crown in 2015 and won nine of 11 career races, including eight of nine Grade I races, as arguably the greatest horse of all time.

Luxor Cafe has made a name for himself in Japan though, winning both the Hyacinth Stakes and Fukuryu Stakes since February to qualify for the 2025 Kentucky Derby. Luxor Cafe pulled away from the field late in the Fukuryu Stakes in a victory similar to many of American Pharoah's wins. Although Luxor Cafe faces a significantly tougher field than he ever has in Japan, Demling thinks 15-1 odds is too long for a horse with his pedigree and results. 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 is coming off an "impressive" and unexpected showing in his last race. 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, post positions