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

Spectators at the 2025 Kentucky Derby can only hope that this year's Run for the Roses has as thrilling of a finish as last year's race. Mystik Dan won in 2024 by a nose, becoming the first Derby winner to win by that margin since 1996. He was an 18-1 longshot, and there are several contenders in the 2025 Kentucky Derby field also hoping to defy the odds. The 2025 Kentucky Derby horses include Blue Grass Stakes victor, Burnham Square (15-1), and Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, Citizen Bull (20-1).

Double-digit longshots always pique interest when it comes to horse racing bets, but everyone always wants to know what the favored horse is priced at. In the 2025 Kentucky Derby odds, the favorite is Journalism at 3-1. What are his prospects when "The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports" takes place on Saturday, May 3? 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. He's trained by Bob Baffert, but it has been a while since Baffert was involved in the Derby after he was banned from Churchill Downs for the last three years. That didn't just keep him away from the Kentucky Derby, as he couldn't enter any horse in any race at Churchill Downs, so it could take him a while to reacclimate to the track.

Rodriguez failed to win his first two Graded Stakes races, and the horses who did win those events will also be part of the 2025 Kentucky Derby lineup. Additionally, Rodriguez has had three different jockeys over his last three starts, so there may be a lack of continuity come May 3. Thus, there are just too many concerns for a horse priced at 10-1, which is why Demling is looking elsewhere when it comes to Kentucky Derby 2025 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. The colt is 2-for-2 with victories in Japan over his career, most recently winning the 2025 Fukuryu Stakes on March 29. Although Luxor Cafe hasn't competed against the top American horses, he has the pedigree of American greatness. Luxor Cafe is the son of American Pharoah, who won the 2015 Triple Crown and is in the conversation for the greatest horse of all time.

Luxor Cafe will draw betting interest from that fact alone, but his victories prove he's capable of making a name for himself. The Fukuryu Stakes runs at the same 1 1/8-mile distance of races like the Florida Derby and Arkansas Derby, so distance shouldn't be an issue for Luxor Cafe. Forever Young finished third at last year's Kentucky Derby, becoming the first Japanese horse to place in the top three at Churchill Downs, as international horses continue to prove they can compete with the top American 3-year-olds.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