The first leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, the 2025 Kentucky Derby, will be held on Saturday, May 3 at Churchill Downs. The Kentucky Derby 2025 will mark the 151st Run for the Roses and 2025 Kentucky Derby field is already taking shape. Coal Battle earned 50 points towards qualifying with a win at the Rebel Stakes and leads the Road to the Kentucky Derby standings with 70 points. Coal Battle is 58-1 in the 2025 Kentucky Derby odds, but his stock could rise after his Grade 2 win. Meanwhile, two horses from Bob Baffert’s barn top the 2025 Kentucky Derby contenders, with Barnes the 8-1 favorite and Citizen Bull at 9-1 among the 2025 Kentucky Derby horses. 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. After not racing as a two-year-old, John Hancock broke his maiden in a six-furlong race at Tampa Bay Downs on Jan. 8 and earned 20 points for his win in the Sam F. Davis on the same track a month later to improve to 2-0.
However, this was the first year that stakes race was downgraded from Grade 3 to Listed by Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and had a softer field. Trainer Brad Cox was technically a Kentucky Derby winner in 2021, but Mandaloun wasn’t awarded the victory until nearly a year after Medina Spirit was stripped for a failed drug test. Cox has never had a horse finish better than third in the Run for the Roses in eight other attempts. 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. Burnham Square looks like a legitimate contender, winning the Holy Bull Stakes with an impressive stretch rally. He closed from last to defeat Tappan Street by 1 ¾ lengths on Feb. 1 at Gulfstream Park.
Burnham Square was able to navigate traffic all around him and has won both of his races since adding blinkers. He is built to run well at longer distances and his experience overcoming a poor start and crowded track bodes well for his future success. Demling has identified him as a horse to watch, especially since “he has gotten better and better each start.” 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.
