2025 Kentucky Derby odds, post position, betting: Journalism (3-1) is morning-line favorite for 151st Kentucky Derby
Journalism drew the favorable post position No. 8 on Saturday night and was installed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite for the 151st Kentucky Derby.
Only two other horses (out of the field of 20) have single-digit odds, and both of them are much farther outside: Sovereignty (5-1) drew post No. 178 while Sandman (6-1) has post No. 17.
Mystik Dan won last year's race as an 18-1 long shot in a three-way photo finish with Sierra Leone and Forever Young.
[Best bets for 151st Kentucky Derby from Lane Gold]
Journalism is a California-based horse trained by Michael McCarthy, but one of the major stories of this year's race is the return of trainer Bob Baffert after a suspension by the track following the mess that was the 2021 edition of the event. Baffert has Citizen Bull (20-1) in the No. 1 spot remaining in this year's running after Rodriguez was scratched Thursday.
The Derby will take place Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, with a post time of 6:57 p.m. ET.
Here are the post positions and odds for every horse in the 151st Kentucky Derby:
1. Citizen Bull (20-1)
2. Neoequos (30-1)
3. Final Gambit (30-1)
5. American Promise (30-1)
6. Admire Daytona (30-1)
7. Luxor Cafe (15-1)
8. Journalism (3-1)
9. Burnham Square (12-1)
11. Flying Mohawk (30-1)
12. East Avenue (20-1)
13. Publisher (20-1)
14. Tiztastic (20-1)
15. Render Judgement (30-1)
16. Coal Battle (30-1)
17. Sandman (6-1)
18. Sovereignty (5-1)
19. Chunk of Gold (30-1)
20. Owen Almighty (30-1)
21. Baeaza (12-1)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
39 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
2025 USMNT Gold Cup Roster: All 26 players on the squad
The U.S. Men's National Team has officially revealed its 26-man roster for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, aiming to reclaim the regional crown with a mix of veteran leadership, European-based talent, and rising domestic stars. The roster features players from 21 different clubs across MLS, Europe, and beyond. Below is the full, alphabetized player list, including each player's position and club affiliation. 2025 USMNT Gold Cup Roster Goalkeepers Chris Brady (Chicago Fire FC) Matt Freese (New York City FC) Matt Turner (Crystal Palace FC) Defenders Alex Freeman (Orlando City SC) Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union) Mark McKenzie (Toulouse FC) Tim Ream (Charlotte FC) Chris Richards (Crystal Palace FC) Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati) John Tolkin (Holstein Kiel) Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC) Midfielders Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United FC) Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth) Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew) Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis) Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC) Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake) Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo) Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union) Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven) Forwards Paxten Aaronson (FC Utrecht) Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC) Damion Downs (FC Köln) Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) Haji Wright (Coventry City FC) Who is missing from the USMNT Gold Cup roster? FOX Sports reported on Wednesday that star attacker Christian Pulisic would skip this summer's tournament following two grueling seasons with Italian club A.C. Milan. Weston McKennie and Tim Weah are unavailable because Juventus is participating in the FIFA Club World Cup instead, as is Gio Reyna's Borussia Pulisic's absence, U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker said in a statement:"Christian and his team approached the Federation and the coaching staff about the possibility of stepping back this summer, given the amount of matches he has played in the past two years at both the club and international level with very little break. "After thoughtful discussions and careful consideration, we made the collective decision that this is the right moment for him to get the rest he needs. The objective is to ensure he's fully prepared to perform at the highest level next season." "The principal objective is the World Cup," Pochettino told reporters via Zoom shortly after Thursday's announcement. "We decided the best [thing] for him and for the national team is the decision that we make." Several other prominent names are absent; 2024 U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year Antonee "Jedi" Robinson is still dealing with the minor injuries that prevented him from participating in the Concacaf Nations League final four in March. Yunus Musah was supposed to be with their USMNT next month; Pochettino said he withdrew from consideration earlier this week for personal reasons. Joe Scally, Josh Sargent and Tanner Tessmann, who all started the Nations League semifinal loss to Panama, were also left off the squad, which will be trimmed to 26 on June 4, when the final list must be submitted to Concacaf. The Gold Cup begins on June 14, with the Americans kicking off group play against Trinidad and Tobago the following day. When does the USMNT play in the 2025 Gold Cup? The USMNT will have three group stage games. Check out how to watch below: Sunday, June 15 Thursday, June 19 USA vs. Saudi Arabia - 9:15 p.m. ET on FS1 Sunday, June 22 USA vs. Haiti - 7 p.m. ET on FOX recommended Get more from Gold Cup Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
Associated Press
44 minutes ago
- Associated Press
49ers embrace urgency after disappointing 2024 season
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The vibes were off from the start of last season for the San Francisco 49ers. Contract disputes provided a cloud over the team throughout the spring and summer, the Super Bowl hangover and a third straight short offseason sapped some energy and a lack of roster turnover led to some staleness around the Niners. Those factors and a bevy of injuries turned a Super Bowl contender into a 6-11 also-ran, leading coach Kyle Shanahan to deliver a blunt message at the end of the season about what needed to change in 2025. 'I felt guys weren't ready to come back,' Shanahan said about the 2024 season. 'I understood that. But I told them how I won't really understand it this year. Not that that was right or wrong, but I couldn't comprehend it. We're off five weeks earlier. We all know how disappointed we are and a lot of us have played a lot of football here. But we're going to have a team that doesn't know what we've done in the past or how you guys have earned a lot of stuff, we need to show them.' As the 49ers begin their final week of the offseason program on Monday, the change has been palpable. The team was able to resolve its major contract questions early in the offseason by reaching extensions with quarterback Brock Purdy, linebacker Fred Warner and tight end George Kittle without any drama or acrimony. The attendance for the voluntary offseason program was high with most of the key players on hand to help teach the rookies and other newcomers the standard for how the 49ers operate. Star left tackle Trent Williams was one of the few notable players not on hand for the first week of on-field practices but was back in town last week. Shanahan stressed the importance of showing up in April and the players listened, leading to the successful spring. Shanahan said he didn't have to make any requests after the season-ending meeting and the players said there was no need for a group discussion about making sure everyone was bought in for this season. 'I didn't think we had to do all that,' Warner said. 'Kyle made a point of that at the end of last season when he said how important it was to be back for this phase because of how last season went, and we knew what we were getting ourselves into with a whole new group, a lot of young players. We all made the decision on our own to be back here.' The urgency that may have been lacking at times in 2024 is back this offseason as the Niners want to avoid any sort of repeat of last year's disappointment. San Francisco had lost in the NFC title games following the 2021 and 2022 seasons and then fell just short in the Super Bowl in the 2023 season, losing the title game in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs. Those deep runs led to reduced time off with some players choosing rest over rushing back to be on hand for the entire offseason program. That was not the case this spring as the team plans to incorporate several new starters on both sides of the ball following a roster purge in March. 'When your season ends and you're not making the playoffs, your desire to be back in the building and to get that taste out of your mouth, I think is expedited,' Kittle said. 'Guys want to be back for it. When you're playing in the middle of February, you kind of need an extra month. That's why a lot of guys don't show up to phase two or stuff like that. But there is an importance of phase one, the team building stuff. Kyle wanted us to be back. I think guys were going to be here regardless just because they were ready to go back and play football.' ___ AP NFL:
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
How three MLB pitchers, including Spencer Strider, are faring in their returns from injuries
A little over two months into the season, pitchers are returning from injury and working to reestablish themselves in their respective rotations. In this column, I'll focus on three starters — Lance McCullers Jr., Spencer Strider and Tony Gonsolin — who are coming back from surgery. I'll check in to see how they've looked so far and explore what lies ahead for them in 2025. Advertisement McCullers returned to the majors this year for the first time since the end of 2022. He underwent right elbow surgery and experienced a setback in his recovery, delaying his return to the mound. Through six games started this season, he has a 3.93 FIP, 29% strikeout rate, and 11% walk rate. The two major differences I am seeing from McCullers are in his velocity and command. Starting with his velocity, his fastball average has decreased from 93 mph in 2022 to 91-92 mph. His cutter and changeup are back at about 87 mph, and his slider is down from 85 mph to 83 mph. His slider is his primary weapon against right-handed hitters, followed by his sinker. He has not been as effective against righties this season compared to pre-injury (5.31 FIP vs. 3.81 FIP in his career). This is likely due to command inconsistencies, which may be related to mechanical adjustments made after surgery. This has impacted his ability to locate both the sinker and the slider effectively, as well as the results of each pitch, leading to huge reverse splits. McCullers is throwing his slider 6% less against righties so far this season, but it is still his go-to pitch. Despite adding movement on the pitch (+2 inches of depth and sweep), it is getting … To understand why the slider isn't performing as well, we also need to examine McCullers' other major weapon against righties — his sinker. The sinker is getting more chase this season compared to pre-injury results. However, it has resulted in the most damage, with a poor 68% hard-hit rate and a .597 xSLG. One thing McCullers did really well pre-injury was use both sides of the plate. Looking at his heat maps from 2022, he mixed the location of his sinker and focused on the outer edge with the slider. This season, his slider is ending up higher and middle more frequently, and he is not throwing his sinker inside at the same rate. A good sign, however, is that during his June 3 start, he showed better command of his sinker. He was throwing it inside more frequently, like he had pre-injury: An interesting observation from that start is that McCullers also avoided throwing the sinker to the bottom of the zone. Pre-injury, sinkers to the bottom third of the zone resulted in ground balls. However, McCullers has not been generating ground balls at the same rate. The heat map below shows the location of the sinkers that were hard-hit so far this season, most of them being in the lower third: My theory for the reduction of ground balls is that the velocity is impacting the effectiveness of the pitch lower in the zone, allowing hitters to square the ball up better. Adjusting this location based on the results is a step in the right direction for McCullers. His slider command is still a work in progress, but ideally, he'll get it back to the lower, outer edge, as he has in years past. Advertisement Against lefties, he is throwing his knuckle curve 21% less. This is a big change because the knuckle curve was his go-to pitch against lefties pre-injury. It is a strong pitch with above-average movement, above-average velocity and good results throughout his career. Despite its limited usage, McCullers is still doing very well against lefties, with a 2.44 FIP (vs. 2.91 in his career). Additionally, in his June 3 start, McCullers threw the knuckle curve a season-high 40% of the time. This is a good sign that he is starting to feel more confident in the command of this pitch. McCullers still has work to do in terms of regaining his command, but he is showing signs he is on the right track. If he can remain healthy, he can continue to have the same success and return to a reliable mid-rotation starter. Strider missed most of the 2024 season and the beginning of this season due to undergoing arm surgery (UCL) and experiencing a setback. As a result, he's been limited to only four starts so far this season with a 6.39 FIP, 23% strikeout rate and 10% walk rate. Strider's fastball has always been his go-to pitch against both righties and lefties, and that hasn't changed. At 98 mph with plus ride in 2023, the pitch was among the best in baseball. His secondary was the slider to both hands, with an occasional changeup to lefties. He was able to get away with throwing the two pitches the majority of the time due to their exceptional velocity and shape. Post injury, Strider has a lower arm slot (going from high three-quarters to three-quarters), and his pitch shapes look a little different. He's added movement to all of them: He's also added a curveball and has been mixing it in rarely against lefties. The two areas Strider needs to continue working on are his velocity (which has decreased by 2 mph across the board) and his command. As a mainly two-pitch pitcher, command is vital to Strider's success, especially now that he has lost velocity. His game plan this season remains very similar to years past and is predictable. Looking at the tables below, we can see Strider relies on his four-seamer in every count against righties, and most counts against lefties. Data from Baseball Savant Now that the pitches have declined in velocity and he is not commanding them as effectively, he is not getting the same results. His four-seamer is getting 17% less in-zone miss and 6% less chase. His slider is getting 15% less chase and 24% fewer ground balls. Both pitches are also getting hit harder and resulting in more damage. Advertisement His control and command are integral to his future success. In terms of control, his zone rate and first pitch strike rate are at career lows. In terms of command against righties, he is still doing a good job of locating his four-seamer up in the zone, but the same cannot be said for his slider. His slider is missing its location and breaking out of the zone. He is not getting chase on the pitch as a result. He needs to tweak the location and land it in-zone for it to start getting swings again. Against lefties, he is locating the slider well in the lower third of the zone. He is also locating his four-seamer well on the outer edge of the zone, but he is leaving too many over the middle. In 2023, when the pitch was better, he was able to get away with pounding the zone (even the heart) with the pitch, as it would still generate miss. This season, the four-seamer has a poor .571 xSLG allowed. Strider is still in the beginning stages of his return from injury. Looking ahead, he can no longer rely only on dominant stuff to be successful. If he can get the velocity back to where it was, or at least start locating better, there is a path to better results. Gonsolin was placed on the injured list on Saturday, June 7, due to right elbow discomfort, which is likely the reason he has struggled in his past few starts. However, I wrote this section about three days before his injury and still believe it is relevant for why he has not performed as hoped so far. After missing the 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery and having a delayed 2025 start due to a back injury, Gonsolin has a 5.96 FIP, 24% strikeout rate, and 12% walk rate through seven starts. Gonsolin's velocity is back to where it was in 2022, which is great news. He's also added some movement on his pitches. His four-seamer now has more run, his curveball more sweep and his splitter more depth. His primary areas for improvement are in his mechanics/pitch tunneling and his command and control. Starting with his mechanics, Gonsolin's arm slot is down 5 degrees from a high three-quarters slot to his three-quarters slot of 2022. He also threw from this slot in 2023 but struggled that season with an ankle injury and forearm inflammation. Advertisement This slot adjustment is affecting his control and his pitch tunneling. In terms of control, Gonsolin's below-average 12% walk rate is up from his average 7% walk rate in 2022. In terms of tunneling, Gonsolin has not been able to tunnel his pitches as effectively. Tunneling pitches provides deception and makes it more challenging for hitters to read pitches out of hand. This season, we are seeing a greater separation between his pitches on the way to the plate. Looking at the graphics from Baseball Savant below, the pitches had a much tighter tunnel in 2022 (left) before reaching the plate. Diving into his mix, Gonsolin's been throwing his slider less this season against righties and increased the usage of his splitter and curveball. The reduction in the usage of the slider makes sense, as the splitter is proving to be more effective. Looking at the slider location this season compared to 2022, the locations are much more inconsistent, and he is not getting the pitch up as frequently. As a result, the slider is generating 38% fewer ground balls than in 2022, has a poor 50% hard-hit rate and a .539 xSLG. The splitter, on the other hand, is getting 14% more in-zone miss compared to 2022 and has maintained the same ground ball rate. It also has an elite 0.033 xSLG and 47% whiff rate. This is because Gonsolin has been able to command it consistently: This change in pitch usage is helping Gonsolin stay competitive against right-handed batters. His 4.51 FIP this season against righties is very close to his career 4.42 FIP. The same cannot be said against lefties (7.36 FIP this season vs. 3.90 in his career). Looking at his usage, Gonsolin is throwing the four-seamer slightly more and the splitter less against lefties this season. While the four-seamer and curveball are still getting chase, the splitter is being chased 20% less. Many of the splitters are ending up too far below the zone to fool hitters. That being said, the contact quality of all three pitches has been well below average. While the tunneling and command remain components of why these results have not been better, for the most part, the pitch locations have been competitive. After reviewing video of the hard-hit balls Gonsolin has given up to lefties, it becomes clear that they are limited to above-average hitters such as Juan Soto, Ben Rice and Kyle Stowers. While ideally, Gonsolin could get every hitter out, this is not as big of a red flag as the command and tunneling issues discussed earlier. There are some promising pieces here, but reestablishing pitch tunneling and improving control and command are key steps required before Gonsolin returns to his pre-injury success. (Top photo of Spencer Strider: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
