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

The top 3-year-old horses in the world will compete at the 2025 Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 3, the first leg of the American Triple Crown. There have been 150 different Kentucky Derby winners, but only 13 went on to win all three legs of the Triple Crown, an 8.7% success rate. The 2025 Kentucky Derby horses will run at Churchill Downs trying to become the 14th Triple Crown winner five weeks later. Is there a horse in the 2025 Kentucky Derby field capable of accomplishing horse racing immortality? Journalism is the 3-1 favorite in the latest 2025 Kentucky Derby odds and has won four straight starts.

Sandman and Sovereignty follow at 8-1 among the 2025 Kentucky Derby contwnders, so should your 2025 Kentucky Derby bets include one of the favorites, or is there a longshot ready to shine on the world stage? 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. With 10-1 odds, just three horses are bigger favorites than Rodriguez, who won the Wood Memorial on April 5. However, that prep race hasn’t been a strong indicator of success at Churchill Downs, as not since Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000 has a horse won the Wood Memorial and Kentucky Derby.

Additionally, Rodriguez’ Wood Memorial win came against a field that included no other graded stakes winners. Rodriguez failed to win either of his prior two stakes starts, and the victors of those races are in the 2025 Kentucky Derby field. So, it’s fair to question whether the horse can compete against the very best, which is what he’ll see at Churchill Downs. 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. Although no Japanese horse has ever won a Triple Crown race, few horses in the world can compete with Luxor Cafe’s pedigree. Luxor Cafe is the son of American Pharoah, who is one of only two horses in the 21st century to win the Triple Crown. American Pharoah captured the Triple Crown in 2015 and won nine of 11 career races, including eight of nine Grade I races, as arguably the greatest horse of all time.

Luxor Cafe has made a name for himself in Japan though, winning both the Hyacinth Stakes and Fukuryu Stakes since February to qualify for the 2025 Kentucky Derby. Luxor Cafe pulled away from the field late in the Fukuryu Stakes in a victory similar to many of American Pharoah’s wins. Although Luxor Cafe faces a significantly tougher field than he ever has in Japan, Demling thinks 15-1 odds is too long for a horse with his pedigree and results. 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