The 2025 Kentucky Derby, the first leg of this year’s Triple Crown, will run on Saturday at Churchill Downs, with post time for the 151st “Run for the Roses” scheduled for 6:57 p.m. ET. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who shares the record for most Derby wins (six) with Ben Jones, will have one chance to make history with a record-setting seventh victory. Baffert’s entry in the 2025 Kentucky Derby lineup, Citizen Bull (20-1), is considered one of the 2025 Kentucky Derby longshots in this year’s field. Journalism, trained by Michael McCarthy, leads the 2025 Kentucky Derby odds as the 3-1 favorite, followed closely by Sovereignty (5-1) and Sandman (6-1).
Will the favorite finally come through at Churchill Downs for the first time since Justify seven years ago, or will an underdog shock the field and come away with the win? With so much to consider while making your 2025 Kentucky Derby picks, a little expert help can go a long way.
Churchill Downs, named after John and Henry Churchill, who leased the land to the track’s founder, Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., has evolved into one of the most iconic venues in American sports. Today, the Kentucky Derby regularly draws crowds exceeding 150,000, making it one of the most highly-attended sporting events in the country. The Kentucky Derby also holds the unique distinction of being the longest continuously-held sporting event in the United States, having run every year without interruption since its inception.
Given all the history, there’s a method to picking which horses to focus on for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets in a Kentucky Derby like this, and SportsLine expert Jody Demling knows what it is. He can help you make the best 2025 Kentucky Derby picks possible.
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 could be up huge at sites like FanDuel Racing, TwinSpires, and 1/ST BET.
Now, with the 2025 Kentucky Derby post positions set and odds on the board, Demling is sharing his picks and 2025 Kentucky Derby betting predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.
Top 2025 Kentucky Derby expert picks
Here’s a refresher on these types of bets from SportsLine’s Jody Demling:
Kentucky Derby Exacta: Pick the first- and second-place finishers in the correct order. A $2 exacta returned $258.56 at the 2024 Kentucky Derby with Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone.
Kentucky Derby Trifecta: Pick the first-, second- and third-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 trifecta returned $1,113.84 at the 2024 Kentucky Derby with Mystik Dan, Sierra Leone and Forever Young.
Kentucky Derby Superfecta: Pick the first-, second-, third- and fourth-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 superfecta returned a colossal $8,254 at the 2024 Kentucky Derby with Mystik Dan, Sierra Leone, Forever Young and Catching Freedom.
While Demling has no quibbles about the favorite status of Journalism (3-1), the Michael McCarthy-trained colt isn’t his top pick. Instead, he is building his tickets around Luxor Cafe (15-1) and an even bigger longshot who is “generating buzz on the backside,” spicing up his 2025 Kentucky Derby exotics. You can see his picks here.
How to make 2025 Kentucky Derby bets
Demling has specific recommendations for exacta, trifecta and superfecta wagers so you can cover all your bases at the Kentucky Derby 2025. He’s sharing them over at SportsLine.
So which horses do you take? And in what combinations? Visit SportsLine to get Demling’s picks for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets for the 2025 Kentucky Derby.