There are always plenty of intriguing storylines for the annual Run for the Roses, but Bob Baffert is stealing the spotlight ahead of the 2025 Kentucky Derby. The trainer faced a multi-year ban from Churchill Downs when his horse Medina Spirit was stripped of its 2021 Kentucky Derby victory due to a failed drug test. The Kentucky Derby 2025 will mark his first appearance at Churchill Downs since serving the ban, and all eyes will be on two Baffert-trained colts projected to be in the 2025 Kentucky Derby field.
Baffert submissions Barnes and Citizen Bull are the favorites in the 2025 Kentucky Derby odds at 8-1 and 9-1, respectively. Should you back one of these 2025 Kentucky Derby horses now, or should you look elsewhere in the 2025 Kentucky Derby lineup? 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. This Brad Cox-trained colt is coming off a win at the 2025 Sam F. Davis Stakes in which he started at the front of the pack and made a push down the final stretch for a convincing victory.
John Hancock and jockey Flavien Prat won by a half-length over more-experienced racer Owen Almighty, giving this son of Constitution momentum heading into the Kentucky Derby 2025, but Demling isn’t putting everything on this contender just yet. “Solid, but still has a lot of room for improvement,” Demling told SportsLine. 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 has all the intangibles needed to compete at the Kentucky Derby 2025. He has won two of his last four starts, which includes crossing the finish line first in the Holly Bush.
He closed from last to defeat Tappan Street by 1 3/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park, advancing up the inside down the backstretch. Demling has identified him as a horse to watch in the upcoming prep races, especially since “he has gotten better and better each start.” If he performs well in those races, Burnham Square’s odds could shift downward, so now is the perfect time to back him. 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.
