The 2025 Kentucky Derby horses continue to come into focus with one month remaining until the Run for the Roses on Saturday, May 3. Last weekend was another milestone in the Road to the Kentucky Derby, as the Florida Derby and Arkansas Derby were run. Both races were 100-point qualifiers for the Kentucky Derby 2025, with the winners receiving 100 points. Tappan Street won the Florida Derby to secure his Kentucky Derby spot, while Sovereignty finished second and will also have enough points to be in the 2025 Kentucky Derby field.
Sandman booked his spot in the 2025 Kentucky Derby lineup with a win in the Arkansas Derby, giving him three wins in eight career starts. Journalism is the 5-1 favorite in the 2025 Kentucky Derby odds, followed by Sovereignty (7-1) and Citizen Bull (9-1). 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 Final Gambit, even though he is one of the top favorites and just won the Jeff Ruby Stakes. The colt has yet to win, or even run, in a race higher than a Grade III stakes and Final Gambit failed to win his first two races before claiming a victory, including finishing third at Churchill Downs in his debut.
The winner of that race, Maui Strong, has failed to win any of his other four races, so the talent jump Final Gambit will witness at the Kentucky Derby will be enormous. Final Gambit is trained by Brad Cox, and although Cox is considered one of the elite horse trainers in the world, Cox has yet to have that horse cross the finish line first. Tappan Street is a Cox horse, and after his Florida Derby victory he may get more of Cox’s focus. At 10-1 odds, Demling doesn’t see value in backing Final Gambit. See which other 2025 Kentucky Derby horses to avoid at SportsLine.
Another stunner: Demling is high on Coal Battle, even though he is a 14-1 longshot in the latest Kentucky Derby odds 2025. Coal Battle should easily qualify for a Kentucky Derby entry after finishing third in the Arkansas Derby. He has 95 qualifying points for 72-year-old trainer Lonnie Briley in what is one of the feel-good stories of the Derby.
Coal Battle had previously won four consecutive races, including the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes in February. He has shown that he can win in a variety of ways, and his top speed figures are among the best in the Kentucky Derby field. Demling believes he will be a contender in the Run for the Roses, making him a valuable longshot wager to include in Kentucky Derby bets. See which other horses to back at SportsLine.
How to make 2025 Kentucky Derby picks, bets
Demling is especially high on an epic double-digit longshot who “could be a superstar.” 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.