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

International horses have become more prevalent in recent years at the Kentucky Derby, and although no international horse since 1983 has won, they've had their impact on recent Run for the Roses. No Japanese horse has ever won the Kentucky Derby, but Forever Young became the first horse from Japan to finish in the top three last year. The 2025 Kentucky Derby field will feature multiple international horses, including Luxor Cafe, a Japanese horse who is coming off a victory at the Fukuryu Stakes and was sired by American Pharoah, who won the Triple Crown in 2015. Luxor Cafe is 15-1 in the latest 2025 Kentucky Derby odds. The 2025 Kentucky Derby horses will run on Saturday, May 3 at Churchill Downs. Journalism is the 3-1 favorite among the 2025 Kentucky Derby contenders, followed by Sandman (8-1) and Sovereignty (8-1). 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. Rodriguez, trained by Bob Baffert, can make history for the legendary trainer. Baffert is tied with Ben Jones for the most Kentucky Derby victories (six). But Baffert has only won three of the last 22 Kentucky Derbys, and he trained the favorite in two of those victories. Rodriguez currently has 10-1 odds and is unlikely to climb all the way to the favorite position over the next few weeks.

Rodriguez has run against the Kentucky Derby favorite though, finishing third behind Journalism at the 2025 San Felipe on March 1. The colt has two wins over five career races, but he's never run at Churchill Downs or in a race higher than a Grade II stakes. Baffert's name association with Rodriguez will drive some 2025 Kentucky Derby bets, which could shorten the odds before the Kentucky Derby 2025 takes off, and Rodriguez doesn't have the dominance of previous Baffert winners like Justify and American Pharoah, who both became Triple Crown winners. 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 has the pedigree needed to compete at Churchill Downs. He was sired by American Pharoah, who won the Triple Crown in 2015.

Luxor Cafe qualified for the 2025 Kentucky Derby by way of wins at the Hyacinth Stakes and Fukuryu Stakes in Japan. He won by five lengths at the Fukuryu Stakes in Japan on March 29, proving he has the speed to compete at the Kentucky Derby. The 3-year-old colt is expected to arrive at Churchill Downs on April 23, giving him plenty of time to acclimate to the track and his surroundings. 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