Who will win the Kentucky Derby? Expert predictions for 2025 race at Churchill Downs
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Kentucky Derby 2025 frequently asked questions answered
In this episode of The Best Two Minutes with Ed DeRosa, he explains what to know about Kentucky Derby, including post time, horses and infield seats.
The 2025 Kentucky Derby is just about here, with 20 horses racing for glory at Churchill Downs.
Journalism is viewed as the favorite, with other contenders such as Sovereignty and Sandman also in the mix. Fans will find out who takes the crown on May 3.
Legendary horse trainer Bob Baffert is back for the 2025 race, and his horse, Citizen Bull, could find themselves atop the box come Sunday. It would be quite the return for Baffert after serving a three-year suspension, although his other horse, Rodriguez, was pulled from the race.
Which horse will take the garland of roses at the 151st Kentucky Derby? Here are our expert predictions from the USA TODAY Network:
Who will win the Kentucky Derby? Expert predictions
Here are our expert predictions for winner of the 2025 Kentucky Derby:
Dan Wolken, USA TODAY: "I'm going to take a bit of a different path here and pick Luxor Cafe. Watching his races from Japan, I think he is a super talent with a devastating turn of foot that many Derby winners have. Now, the quality of horses he was running against in Japan is a huge question. So is the transition to America all the external factors that come with shipping a horse halfway across the world. But Forever Young's performance last year showed that the quality of top Japanese horses is good enough now to win a Derby at some point. Maybe this year. I also expect Sovereignty to run a huge race, so that will probably be my exacta box."
"I'm going to take a bit of a different path here and pick Luxor Cafe. Watching his races from Japan, I think he is a super talent with a devastating turn of foot that many Derby winners have. Now, the quality of horses he was running against in Japan is a huge question. So is the transition to America all the external factors that come with shipping a horse halfway across the world. But Forever Young's performance last year showed that the quality of top Japanese horses is good enough now to win a Derby at some point. Maybe this year. I also expect Sovereignty to run a huge race, so that will probably be my exacta box." Ryan Black, Louisville Courier-Journal : Burnham Square
: Burnham Square C.L Brown, Louisville Courier-Journal: Journalism
Journalism Alexis Cubit, Louisville Courier-Journal: Journalism
Journalism Jason Frakes, Louisville Courier-Journal: Journalism
Journalism Brooks Holton, Louisville Courier-Journal: Journalism
Journalism Natalie Pierre, Louisville Courier-Journal: Luxor Cafe
Luxor Cafe Prince James Story, Louisville Courier-Journal: Sovereignty
Sovereignty Payton Titus, Louisville Courier-Journal: Journalism
Kentucky Derby 2025 odds
Odds as of 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 1, according to KentuckyDerby.com
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