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

Journalism has only been the favorite in one of his three career graded stakes races, and he’s never been the favorite in a race with more than five horses. Still, the colt is the 2025 Kentucky Derby favorite ahead of the first leg of the Triple Crown at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 3. Journalism is 3-1 in the latest 2025 Kentucky Derby odds and has won his previous four races, including all three graded stakes starts, despite not often being the favorite. He’ll be a popular horse for 2025 Kentucky Derby bets, but there are other strong 2025 Kentucky Derby horses like Sovereignty (8-1), Sandman (8-1), Rodriguez (10-1) and Tappan Street (10-1) in the 2025 Kentucky Derby field. 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. No Japanese horse has ever won the Kentucky Derby, but they’ve come closer in recent years, including Forever Young becoming the first Japanese horse to finish in the top three at a Kentucky Derby after placing third last year. Luxor Cafe is coming off a win at the Fukuryu Stakes on March 29, where he showcased his speed and late burst to run away with a clear victory. Luxor Cafe was the favorite entering that race and proved why, leaving no doubt he’s a worthy Kentucky Derby contender.

The Fukuryu Stakes runs at 1 1/8 miles and that’s the same distance as the top Kentucky Derby prep races in America. Demling sees similarities to Luxor Cafe’s father, American Pharoah, in the 3-year-old’s end of the Fukuryu Stakes run. The 2015 Triple Crown winner used a late burst to win his Kentucky Derby race and at 15-1 odds, Demling sees value in Luxor Cafe at the Kentucky Derby 10 years later. 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