2025 Kentucky Derby Preview: Favorites, Longshots, and Storylines to Know
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing gets underway this Saturday as the first leg takes place in Louisville, Ky.
The 2025 Kentucky Derby will be held at Churchill Downs as the best 3-year-old horses will compete over 1 ¼ miles at the fabled racetrack.
It is the 151st running of the race, which is nicknamed both The Run for the Roses and The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports. Since the Kentucky Derby is limited to 3-year-olds, that means there's a new cast of characters each year battling for the winner's share, which is $3.1 million this year, part of the record-tying $5 million purse.
This year's Derby favorite is Journalism (3–1), who has won four straight starts, including three versus elite fields. Journalism checks all the boxes, starting with the fact that his father, Curlin, finished in the money (placing in the top three) in all three of the Triple Crown races in 2007. That indicates that Journalism has great pedigree, and his speed figures are among the best in the Kentucky Derby field.
But the Derby favorite hasn't won The Run for the Roses in any of the last
After Journalism, the next level of Kentucky Derby contenders is a tier of two: Sovereignty (5–1) and Sandman (6–1). The former is trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, who has been named Trainer of the Year four times in his career, and his colt already has a Churchill Downs victory, courtesy of the Street Sense Stakes last October. As for Sandman, spectators' eyes will gravitate toward him whenever he steps onto the track as he has a gray coat color, which only 3 percent of thoroughbreds possess. The colt is coming off an impressive win at the Arkansas Derby and seems better suited for long-distance races like the Kentucky Derby.
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Two of the three biggest favorites having names that start with 'S' is notable because names that start with that letter have won the Derby a
If you're wondering about the letter 'J' due to the favorite, Journalism, it has five Kentucky Derby champions. The most recent is Justify in 2018, who is also the last Triple Crown winner.
Of the 20-horse field, 18 are American-based, while two come from overseas. Luxor Café and Admire Daytona are both Japan-based, and while it's nice to have an international presence at The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports, the American horses are likely glad to see foreign starters. That's because foreign horses haven't traditionally fared well at the Derby, as
The 2025 Kentucky Derby marks the return of legendary trainer Bob Baffert to Churchill Downs after a three-year suspension following his horse, Medina Spirit, flunking a post-race drug test in 2021. Medina Spirit won the 2021 Kentucky Derby, but the drug test nullified his victory, and he would die seven months later. Baffert has a record-tying six Kentucky Derby victories, tied with Ben Jones for the
Post position is always a big talking point with a race of this size, as where a horse begins certainly matters. Some post positions are more desirable than others, with the No. 1 post being among the most unwanted. That's because the other 19 horses in the field will all move toward the rail at the turn, which could bury the horse that's already at that spot. It's been
Of the first 20 posts, No. 17 is the only one that has never produced a Kentucky Derby champion, going 0 for 45 all-time. It's been 37 years since a horse from No. 17 even finished among the top three, and one of the favorites, Sandman, drew the 17-post this year. However, it certainly had an effect on his chances, as his odds to win went down upon him drawing No. 17. He went from being tied for the second-best odds to being the outright third favorite.
While favorites will always attract the most attention, it's those longshots that capture the imagination of both diehard and casual horse racing fans. There's no singular longshot in this year's field as nine horses are tied with the lowest odds at 30-1. The odds will shift on the day of the race, and the second-biggest longshot to ever prevail came just three years ago with Rich Strike. He was also initially listed at 30–1 before being moved to 80–1 on Derby Day, so any of the nine horses at 30–1 could also see their odds drastically change.
Among those currently at 30–1 are Render Judgment, who is saddled by last year's Kentucky Derby-winning trainer in Ken McPeek, as well as American Promise, who's the son of 2018 Triple Crown champion Justify. There's also Neoequos, who is ridden by 2019 Derby-winning jockey Flavian Prat, and another huge longshot is Final Gambit, a gray horse who has finished in the money in all four of his career starts.
The first Saturday in May is synonymous with the Kentucky Derby, and this year's field is one of the most diverse and interesting in recent memory. Two weeks after the Derby comes the Preakness Stakes, then three weeks later, Triple Crown season will conclude with the Belmont Stakes.
The 2025 Kentucky Derby is the 12th of 14 races taking place at Churchill Downs on Saturday and will go to post at 6:57 p.m. ET. It will air on NBC and stream on Peacock.
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Who did Aaron Rodgers marry? What we know about Steelers quarterback's wife, wedding ring, Brittani
Aaron Rodgers is officially off the market — professionally and personally. That's right, the four-time MVP quarterback not only found a new team this offseason but he found a new life partner. Aaron Rodgers has confirmed that he's married. Advertisement Rodgers signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers wasn't much of a secret, as it had been widely speculated that the team would be his landing spot. Rodgers tying the knot, on the other hand, was done much more privately. Even his friends apparently didn't know the former Green Bay Packers quarterback was married. After previously being in many relationships with women who are in the spotlight just as much as Rodgers, this one is more in the dark. Here's what we know about Rodgers' wife, the woman he last discussed being in a relationship with him, that wedding ring that sparked the speculation and his high-profile dating history. Is Aaron Rodgers married now? Aaron Rodgers is married. Advertisement He told Pittsburgh reporters at Steelers mandatory minicamp on June 10 that the ring on his finger, which had been highly discussed since he debuted it at the Kentucky Derby in early May, is in fact a wedding ring. Who did Aaron Rodgers marry? Rodgers often used the phrase "beautiful mystery" to describe his football future when he was pondering retirement in recent years. The same can be said about who he married. His marriage is likely to a woman named Brittani, though he didn't name her or wasn't asked about her during the interview with Steelers reporters on June 10. He only has mentioned his relationship a couple times. Both came on "The Pat McAfee Show." The first was when Rodgers revealed that he had a girlfriend in December and the second was when he discussed why he hadn't signed with a team in April. Advertisement "I'm in a different phase of my life, I'm 41 years old, I'm in a serious relationship," Rodgers said. "People in my inner circle battling difficult stuff. To make a commitment to a team is a big thing." Who is Aaron Rodgers' wife? Rodgers didn't provide details about his wife during his first public comments at Steelers minicamp since going on "The Pat McAfee Show" in April. He only answered two questions: about the ring on his finger and that he got married a couple months ago. Social media: Reaction to Aaron Rodgers getting married Aaron Rodgers' wedding ring Rodgers apparently didn't have any public wedding with his friends. After all, best buddy AJ Hawk didn't even know Rodgers was married. Advertisement But Rodgers certainly wasn't hiding it. His ring on his finger certainly said so, though it was still a mystery to many. Rodgers was wearing a wedding band on his left ring finger when he walked the red carpets at Kentucky Derby parties May 2. "All of us were a bit surprised," Hawk said on "The Pat McAfee Show" when asked about seeing the ring at the Derby. Even so, Hawk, a former teammate of Rodgers and co-host on McAfee's show, wasn't sure if that meant Rodgers was married. "To tell you the truth, I don't know. I don't know if I have any answers for you when it comes to that situation. He's very private and mysterious when it comes to things like that and this is definitely one of those, for sure." The ring was then prominently displayed when he signed his contract with the Steelers on June 7. But since Rodgers hadn't publicly announced he was married, much less engaged, it was unclear if that ring was a wedding ring. Advertisement He was even asked on June 10 by a Pittsburgh reporter if it was an Oura Ring. In the same line of questioning, when the reporter asked if it's a wedding ring, Rodgers seemed somewhat surprised and confused by the question and replied: "Yeah, it's a wedding ring." Aaron Rodgers' new wife Rodgers doesn't keep much of his life — or at least his views on the world — private. But he is keeping his wife private. That much is clear based on how little he's said about her. Maybe that's because of how public his last relationships were and the breakups came to be. He talked about having a private life at a taping of the "Ya Neva Know" podcast with rapper Mike Stud, in Austin, Texas, in May. Advertisement "It's important to have your private life private when you're a public person," Rodgers said. Rodgers said that, when there are problems in his personal life, they can lead to problems in his professional life. "Our job is 24/7 during the season," Rodgers said. "I like to always be thinking about ball. You can't let personal problems into the professional and professional issues into the personal because, once they do, both suffer. There's been a lot of times in my life, personal's been (expletive) and the professional been a refuge. Hard for that to last long because it always leaks in." Is there a photo of Aaron Rodgers and Brittani? There is not a wedding photo of Rodgers and his wife. Advertisement In fact, there aren't any public photos of Rodgers with the woman whom he previously said he was in a serious relationship. That's a stark contrast to his past relationships when they were all thoroughly documented by every entertainment website. Who is Aaron Rodgers dating? Rodgers was last to be known dating a woman named Brittani. That's what he told his buddies on "The Pat McAfee Show" in December 2024. He didn't provide many details about her. Just that she didn't have social media and that she was a fan of McAfee's show. Oh, and also her name was spelled with an "i." Advertisement Rodgers has been a regular on "The Pat McAfee Show" for the last six years, dating to his time with the Packers. While he discusses everything from politics to UFOs, COVID to his favorite books, plus football and his future, he rarely opens up about his personal life. But it was news to McAfee and everyone else when Rodgers revealed he had a girlfriend when he was talking about waiting for a Christmas present to arrive to his door. "I was a little worried 'cause there was one package left for my girlfriend, Brittani, that hadn't showed up yet," Rodgers said. "I was waiting on it to show up. And it showed up today. We're all set. All my stuff for the (offensive) line is done, all my stuff for the QB room is done." Rodgers told McAfee that he loved being in a relationship. Advertisement "It's a good feeling, boys," Rodgers said. Aaron Rodgers' girlfriend history It appears Rodgers' wife isn't in the public eye like his other past high-profile girlfriends. And he has kept this relationship much more private. Rodgers began dating actress Olivia Munn in 2014 and they often walked the red carpets together. Their relationship ended in 2017. 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All About Aaron Rodgers' Wife Brittani (Whom He Secretly Wed a Few Months Ago!)
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Report: £4million Liverpool Defender Set to Join EFL Championship Side
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