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Hindustan Times
03-05-2025
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Kentucky Derby 2025: Rain to change odds; here's the new favourite horses at Churchill Downs
The weather forecast for the Kentucky Derby 2025 has taken a turn, with AccuWeather now predicting a 71% chance of rain for the first Saturday in May. While early clouds may give way to some sun, scattered showers are still likely throughout the day. The National Weather Service echoes a similar outlook, calling for rain and unseasonably high temperatures. This change in weather has affected the odds for the race as well. Also Read: Kentucky Derby 2025 weather forecast: Will rain cancel the 151st race? Are umbrellas allowed inside facility? If you are looking to fine-tune your Kentucky Derby bets in light of the rainy forecast, it's worth considering which horses have experience running on wet tracks. Below is a list of contenders with proven performance in the mud or rain, organised by their program numbers and morning-line odds to help guide your wagering strategy, as reported by the Courier-Journal. Also Read: Kentucky Derby 2025: List of horses at Churchill Downs and how much they cost their owners Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr. Jockey: Luis Saez Neoequos has had a mixed record on sloppy tracks, making him a wildcard in wet conditions. In his debut last July at Gulfstream Park, he failed to finish after being bumped at the start and unseating his rider. However, he redeemed himself on January 23 at the same track, cruising to a 3½-length win in an allowance race run under similar rainy conditions. Trainer: Brad Cox Jockey: Luan Machado It took Final Gambit three chances to break his maiden, but it is to be noted that it did so in rainy conditions on February 15 on an all-weather track at Turfway Park. The Derby will be his first test on dirt, but assistant trainer Tessa Walden isn't worried. After his strong performance in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks, Walden expressed confidence as she said, 'He's got the maturity now to handle something different." Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas Jockey: Nik Juarez American Promise, the son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, picked up his first win on a muddy track at Oaklawn on December 29. Champion of the Virginia Derby has performed in rainy conditions only once other time in his nine-year career. On September 27, he ran the sloppy tracks at Churchill, where he came in eighth position. Trainer: Whit Beckman Jockey: Joe Ramos Flying Mohawk has seen wet conditions early in his career, but the Kentucky Derby will be his first attempt on dirt. He showed promise with a second-place finish on a firm turf track at Kentucky Downs on September 1, but struggled on a softer surface later that month, finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Pilgrim Stakes on yielding turf at Aqueduct. Trainer: Steve Asmussen Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr. Publisher is set to become just the 13th maiden to run in the Kentucky Derby since 1937. Though he hasn't won yet, the son of Triple Crown champion American Pharoah has placed in five of his seven starts, including solid performances in tough conditions—finishing third on a sloppy track at Churchill Downs and second in the mud at Oaklawn. Trainer: Lonnie Briley Jockey: Juan Vargas Coal Battle, the first graded-stakes winner for trainer Briley in over 30 years, has shown strong form on wet tracks. He broke his maiden last July on a sloppy surface at Evangeline and kicked off a four-race winning streak in November with a 2½-length victory in the mud at Delta Downs.
USA Today
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
How did Journalism get its name? What to know about Kentucky Derby horse
How did Journalism get its name? What to know about Kentucky Derby horse Show Caption Hide Caption Kentucky Derby 2025: Baffert's return, and Journalism is the horse to watch Previewing the 151st Kentucky Derby, focusing on Journalism's chances and Bob Baffert's return. One of the many traditions surrounding the Kentucky Derby each year is looking at the field and picking out the more distinct and clever names of the 20 horses competing in the race. As the Kentucky Derby runs for the 151st time on Saturday at Churchill Downs, the majority of the top spots on those lists, and betting wagers, are perhaps going to one particular horse: Journalism. The Kentucky-bred horse enters the Kentucky Derby as one of the hottest horses in the field, coming off four consecutive wins. With the Run for the Roses taking place on Saturday, May 3 (7:02 p.m. ET), curiosity has risen about how exactly the betting favorite to win the first leg of the Triple Crown landed its name. Here's what you need to know about Journalism before the Kentucky Derby: How did Kentucky Derby horse Journalism get its name? You guessed it, it has to do with actual journalism and a newspaper. Journalism got its name from one of its co-owners, Aron Wellman, who was a former sports editor of his high school newspaper in Beverly Hills, California. Wellman and other owners bought the horse for $825,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale in 2023, but had some difficulty in coming up with a name off its sire and dam — Curlin and Mopotism, respectively — so they settled on Journalism. REQUIRED READING: What are the horses' numbers in the 2025 Kentucky Derby? "I've often been accused of being a disgruntled sportswriter because of all the writing I do for Eclipse for our partners and our horse updates and weekly newsletter," Wellman told the Courier-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. "So journalism is something that I value very much, and I appreciate responsible and diligent journalists." He added: "For the life of me, I can't figure out what Mopotism means. We played off of the 'ism' part of Mopotism and just tried to find a really good, strong word that ended in 'ism.' We came up with Journalism." Journalism isn't the first media-related named horse to run in the Kentucky Derby. The first horse to add its name to this distinct club was Newsboy in 1882 (11th place finish); there was Editor's Note in 1996 (sixth place finish); Suddenbreakingnews in 2016 (fifth place finish); and most recently Mr. Big News in 2020 (third place finish). "It wasn't intended to be this way," Wellman told the Courier-Journal. "But it's certainly nice to have the media and journalists on our side." Kentucky Derby: Journalism's record Journalism is 4-0-1 in five starts. Heading into the Kentucky Derby, Journalism is riding a four-race win streak, with the last victory coming at the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 5 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Here's a breakdown of how Journalism has done in races, per Maiden Special Weight (Santa Anita — Oct. 27, 2024): Third Third Maiden Special Weight (Del Mar — Nov. 17, 2024): First First Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity (Los Alamitos Thoroughbred — Dec. 14, 2024): First First Grade 2 DK Horse San Felipe Stakes (Santa Anita — Nov. 17, 2024): First First Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby (Santa Anita — April 5, 2025): First REQUIRED READING: Why is the Kentucky Derby 2025 field at 19 horses? Rodriguez, Grande scratched REQURIED READING: Kentucky Derby winners: History of winning horses at Churchill Downs since 1875 What is Journalism's post position in Kentucky Derby? Journalism will be placed in the No. 8 post position for the Kentucky Derby. Based on past Kentucky Derby results, the No. 8 gate is a favorable post position. Those that have come out of the No. 8 post position have won the Kentucky Derby nine times, which is tied for the second most wins from a single post position at Churchill Downs. What is Journalism's odds in Kentucky Derby? At the time of this writing, Journalism currently holds the best odds of winning the Kentucky Derby at 7-2, per the Kentucky Derby's official website. The last time a morning-line favorite won the Run for the Roses was Justify in 2018.
USA Today
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Who will win the Kentucky Derby? Expert predictions for 2025 race at Churchill Downs
Who will win the Kentucky Derby? Expert predictions for 2025 race at Churchill Downs Show Caption Hide Caption 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
