2025 Kentucky Derby horses, futures, odds, preview, date: Expert who hit 10 Derby-Oaks Doubles makes picks

The 2025 Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, May 3 from Churchill Downs. The last four winners of the Run for the Roses have prevailed by one length or less, so spectators will hope for another exciting finish at the Kentucky Derby 2025. A field of up to 20 horses will compete over 1 1/4 miles in the first leg of the Triple Crown. The favorite to prevail over the 1 1/4 miles is Barnes, who is at 8-1 in the latest 2025 Kentucky Derby odds. Barnes' grandsire, American Pharoah, claimed the 2015 Triple Crown, while Barnes' half-sibling, Citizen Bull (9-1), is the second favorite among the 2025 Kentucky Derby horses. Both 2025 Kentucky Derby contenders are trained by Bob Baffert, while Sovereignty, who won the Fountain of Youth in early March, is a 17-1 longshot. Which 2025 Kentucky Derby horses should you target with your 2025 Kentucky Derby bets? 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 John Hancock, even though he is undefeated and coming off a win in the Sam F. Davis Stakes. He earned 20 points in the Road to the Kentucky Derby standings with his win at Tampa Bay Downs last month, claiming the victory in wire-to-wire fashion. John Hancock finished in 1:42.27 under the guidance of jockey Flavien Prat.

He debuted at Tampa Bay on Jan. 8, posting a three-length win in a six-furlong maiden special weight event. The son of Constitution is extremely inexperienced though, as those are the only two races of his career. Demling needs to see more from John Hancock before he is willing to pull the trigger, so he is a horse to avoid for the time being. See which other 2025 Kentucky Derby horses to avoid at SportsLine.

Another stunner: Demling is high on Burnham Square, even though he is a 15-1 longshot in the latest Kentucky Derby odds 2025. The horse has finished in the money in four of five starts, ending 2024 by breaking maiden and then beginning 2025 with a victory at the G3 Holy Bull Stakes. This 3-year-old gelding is trained by Aussie, Ian Wilkes, who has just one prior Kentucky Derby start under his belt (eighth place in 2017), but Wilkes has multiple G1 wins on his resume, including at the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Speaking of G1 wins, Burnham Square's pedigree has plenty of those, indicating the horse has the genetics to get one himself. Both his sire and grandsire collected multiple Grade I victories, while his dam, Linda, had a G2 win at Churchill Downs in 2016. Burnham Square is a horse on the rise, as Demling says, "He has gotten better and better each start" so now could be the time to jump on him with Kentucky Derby 2025 bets. See which other horses to back at SportsLine. 

How to make 2025 Kentucky Derby picks, bets

Demling is especially high on an epic double-digit longshot who has "lots and lots of potential." 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