QUINIX Sport News: 2025 Kentucky Derby predictions, odds, date, horses, post positions: Surprising picks by horse racing expert

UAE Derby winners have not had much success in the Kentucky Derby in prior years, going 0-of-20 in the Run for the Roses. Admire Daytona will try to end that drought in the 2025 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday. He’s going off as a 30-1 longshot, according to the latest 2025 Kentucky Derby odds. Admire Daytona is also trying to give Japan its first Kentucky Derby victory, as Japan-bred horses are winless in the first leg of the Triple Crown. The 2025 Kentucky Derby post time is at 6:57 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Should you include Admire Daytona in your 2025 Kentucky Derby bets, or should you target one of the 2025 Kentucky Derby favorites like Journalism (3-1) or Sovereignty (5-1)? With the Kentucky Derby annually featuring the largest field in North American racing, you’ll want to see what Santa Anita-based racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2025 Kentucky Derby picks, considering the success she’s had handicapping this race.

In a wide-open Kentucky Derby in 2021, she gave out Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, as the winner at 12-1. In Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager three years ago, she suggested a play on All Other 3-Year-Olds, which cashed at a whopping 18-1 when Rich Strike won.

She started off 2025 by correctly going all-in on Citizen Bull to win the Robert B. Lewis Stakes, and she also predicted Forever Young’s win in the $20 million Saudi Cup, Journalism’s win in the San Felipe Stakes and Sandman’s win in the Arkansas Derby this year. Anyone who has followed her on those picks on betting sites like TwinSpires and 1/ST BET is up huge.

Now, with the 2025 Kentucky Derby post positions set and odds on the board, Yu is sharing her 2025 Kentucky Derby betting picks and 2025 Kentucky Derby predictions over at SportsLine. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.

Top 2025 Kentucky Derby predictions

One surprise: Yu is completely fading Sandman, even though he won the Arkansas Derby and is one of the top favorites. The Arkansas Derby winner has climbed the odds board after finishing in the top three in his last five races.

However, those were all at Oaklawn Park, and his track record at Churchill Downs isn’t as promising. He raced three times at Churchill Downs as a 2-year-old, but his best finish was a third-place showing in the Street Sense last October. “This son of Tapit was just aching for more ground and delivered in the Arkansas Derby with a perfect pace setup and the stretch-out to nine furlongs,” Yu told SportsLine. “He will need help up front again and will need to find a trip in the 20-horse field.” See which other 2025 Kentucky Derby horses to avoid at SportsLine.

Another curveball: Yu is high on Grande, even though he is a 20-1 longshot in the Kentucky Derby odds 2025. Grande has just three starts to his name heading into Churchill Downs, but he has fared well in those races. He’s coming off a runner-up finish in the Wood Memorial in April, but finished first in his two prior starts.

Grande boasts an exceptional distance-oriented pedigree, which bodes well at a track like Churchill Downs. He is sired by Carlin, a two-time Horse of the Year. Carlin is renowned for producing classic-distance runners, and Grande is trained by the legendary Todd Pletcher, who has two Kentucky Derby victories on his resume. See which other horses to back at SportsLine.

How to make 2025 Kentucky Derby picks

Moreover, Yu is high on a double-digit longshot who has been getting over the Churchill Downs surface “perfectly” this week. She is including this horse in her 2025 Kentucky Derby bets, and so should you. She’s sharing which 2025 Kentucky Derby horses to back at SportsLine.

So who wins the 2025 Kentucky Derby? What double-digit longshot is a must-back, and how has Yu constructed her wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Yu’s picks for the Kentucky Derby, all from the Santa Anita-based racing insider who has a long history of success in the Kentucky Derby, and find out. 

2025 Kentucky Derby odds, post positions