2025 Kentucky Derby predictions, odds, horses, date, post positions: Surprising picks from horse racing expert - CBS Sports

2025 Kentucky Derby predictions, odds, horses, date, post positions: Surprising picks from horse racing expert – CBS Sports

2025-05-01T14:02:59Z

When is the 2025 Kentucky Derby? The annual Run for the Roses takes place Saturday, May 3, at Churchill Downs at 6:57 p.m. ET

Could the son of a Triple Crown winner be victorious at the 2025 Kentucky Derby? American Pharoah won all three races in 2015, starting with a convincing victory at Churchill Downs as a 3-1 betting favorite. His son, Publisher, is part of the 2025 Kentucky Derby field. This Steve Asmussen-trained horse hasn’t yet won a race, but finished second in the Arkansas Derby his last time out. Publisher is 20-1 in the 2025 Kentucky Derby odds, although that could make him more appealing since the last four Kentucky Derbies have been won by longshots. Journalism is the 3-1 favorite among the 2025 Kentucky Derby horses, while Sovereignty (5-1) and Sandman (6-1) round out the top three.

Is one of these 2025 Kentucky Derby favorites the horse to back, or is the longshot son of a Triple Crown winner a possible target for 2025 Kentucky Derby bets? 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 FanDuel Racing, 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. Sandman is trained by Mark Casse, who is winless in 10 Kentucky Derby starts. The 64-year-old trainer has never had a horse finish in the top three, which has Yu weary of playing Sandman in her 2025 Kentucky Derby picks.

Sandman has run only one Grade 1 stakes race over his career. The colt is fathered by Tapit, one of the winningest sires in history, but he has never produced a Kentucky Derby winner. Sandman wasn’t the favorite entering the nine-horse field in his Arkansas Derby victory, so at the third-shortest odds in a 20-horse 2025 Kentucky Derby field, Yu isn’t backing Sandman on Saturday. See which other 2025 Kentucky Derby horses to avoid at SportsLine.

Another curveball: Yu is high on Luxor Cade , even though he is a 15-1 longshot in the Kentucky Derby odds 2025. Originally born and bred in Kentucky, Luxor Cafe was bought by a Japanese owner and has been racing in Japan up until a recent shipment back to America for Triple Crown season. Among his highlights in Japan were wins at the Fukuryu Stakes and the Hyacinth Stakes in March and February, respectively.

Yu sees multiple factors working in Luxor Cafe’s favor. He’s the son of 2025 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, one of the best-known living horses in America. He’s also comfortable with the distance at Churchill Downs, with his connections recently saying that he still “had plenty left in the tank” after a five-length victory in his last race. 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

2025 Kentucky Derby horse previews

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