QUINIX Sport News: Kentucky Derby 2025 predictions, betting odds: Win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, superfecta expert picks

The 2025 Kentucky Derby marks the 151st edition of the race that’s been dubbed “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports.” However, just twice in the race’s history have horses finished in under two minutes: Secretariat (1973) and Monarchos (2001). Still, what spectators like just as much as a fast race is a competitive one, and they got that last year with a three-way photo finish. Mystik Dan winning by a nose tied for the smallest margin in history, and his trainer has a chance to go back-to-back in the Kentucky Derby 2025.

Kenneth McPeek will saddle Render Judgement at Churchill Downs on Saturday for the 2025 Kentucky Derby, which has a post time of 6:57 p.m. ET. McPeek could become the first trainer since Bob Baffert (1997-98) to win the Kentucky Derby in consecutive years, though Render Judgement is a 30-1 longshot. Journalism (3-1) is the favorite in the 2025 Kentucky Derby odds, followed by Sovereignty (5-1) and Sandman (6-1). With so much to consider while making your 2025 Kentucky Derby picks, a little expert help can go a long way.

Entering the 2025 Kentucky Derby, there are 20 living Kentucky Derby winners, including the past seven victors. Last year’s winner, Mystik Dan, is the only of those 20 still competing, while 15 are in stud and four are retired. The oldest living winner of “The Run for the Roses” is Silver Charm (1997), who is 31 years old and is retired at a farm in Georgetown, Ky. Silver Charm is two years away from matching Count Fleet (1943) as the longest living Kentucky Derby winner at 33 years. Meanwhile, Always Dreaming (2017) is the only Kentucky Derby victor over the last 18 years that has passed away, having died of colic at 10 years old in December 2024.

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.

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 2023 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 2023 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.

2025 Kentucky Derby odds, futures, horses, post positions