UPDATE: Sovereignty wins the 151st working of the Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby will begin the 2025 competitors for horse racing’s Triple Crown at this time with a discipline of 19 horses set to race within the annual Run for the Roses.
Journalism, who received three straight graded-stakes races, was picked because the morning-line favourite by Mike Battaglia, the oddsmaker on the residence of the Derby, Churchill Downs Racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky.Â
The favourite was defeated by Sovereignty Saturday night at Churchill Downs amid soggy circumstances.
2025 Kentucky Derby horses and odds
Battaglia gave Journalism 3-1 odds after final Saturday’s post-position draw. The odds will change main as much as Saturday’s approximate put up time of 6:57 p.m. EDT as bettors place their wagers. This is a listing of the Derby horses so as by their quantity with their morning-line odds:
- 1. Citizen Bull, 20-1
- 2. Neoequos, 30-1
- 3. Closing Gambit, 30-1
- 5. American Promise, 30-1
- 6. Admire Daytona, 30-1
- 7. Luxor Café, 15-1
- 8. Journalism, 3-1
- 9. Burnham Sq., 12-1
- 11. Flying Mohawk, 30-1
- 12. East Avenue, 20-1
- 13. Writer, 20-1
- 14. Tiztastic, 20-1
- 15. Render Judgment, 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. Baeza, 12-1
The Derby discipline has been capped at 20 horses since 1975. Many of the horses grew to become eligible for the Derby by incomes factors in a collection of races within the U.S. that began final September. Journalism labored his means up the leaderboard in California by profitable the Los Alamitos Futurity Stakes in December, March’s San Felipe Stakes and final month’s Santa Anita Derby.
Journalism’s coach, Michael McCarthy, lives in Southern California’s Altadena group, which was devastated by huge wildfires that tore by way of the realm earlier this yr.
“It has been a couple of months now, persons are nonetheless therapeutic, persons are nonetheless with out a place to reside, so perhaps for a pair hours on Saturday, we will present them a little bit little bit of leisure,” McCarthy informed CBS Information’ Jim Axelrod.
Andy Lyons/Getty Photographs 
Sovereignty and Sandman might pose the closest problem to Journalism with 5-1 and 6-1 morning-line odds, respectively. Sovereignty involves Louisville after ending second in March’s Florida Derby and profitable the Fountain of Youth Stakes earlier within the month, in addition to the Avenue Sense Stakes in October. Sandman received the Arkansas Derby in March after coming in third in February’s Insurgent Stakes and second within the Southwest Stakes in January.
It will likely be a tall order for this yr’s Derby to have a more in-depth ending than final yr’s picture end. Mystik Dan received by a nostril in 2024 over Sierra Leone and Endlessly Younger within the closest three-horse end on the Derby since 1947, in response to Churchill Downs.
Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. was aboard Mystik Dan for the dramatic Derby ending, a day after driving Thorpedo Anna to victory within the all-filly Kentucky Oaks — the primary time one jockey received each of the weekend’s two massive races since 2009. On this yr’s Derby, Hernandez can be driving Burnham Sq., the bay gelding who received final month’s Blue Grass Stakes in Kentucky and Florida’s Holy Bull Stakes in February and was given 12-1 odds within the morning line.
Michael Reaves/Getty Photographs 
The identical odds got to Rodriguez, the winner of final month’s Wooden Memorial Stakes in New York who initially drew the No. 4 put up for the Derby. However the darkish bay colt was scratched on Thursday over what co-owner Tom Ryan stated in an announcement was a “small however barely delicate foot bruise that may want a couple of extra days.”
The scratch made room for the Derby’s solely different eligible horse, Baeza, to enter the sphere. The bay colt, who obtained 12-1 odds within the morning line, got here in second behind Journalism within the Santa Anita Derby.
Rodriguez, who Ryan stated will now be focused for the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore later this month, is skilled by Bob Baffert, who nonetheless has a horse set to enter the beginning gate Saturday. Baffert is returning to the Derby after a three-year suspension from Churchill Downs following the now-deceased Medina Spirit’s failed post-Derby drug take a look at in 2021 and subsequent disqualification.
Baffert’s different horse on this yr’s Derby, Citizen Bull, is among the many 4 colts within the race given 20-1 odds within the morning line. In California, Citizen Bull received the Robert B. Lewis Stakes in February, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in November and the American Pharoah Stakes in October, and got here in fourth within the Santa Anita Derby received by Journalism.
The opposite three colts given 20-1 morning-line odds are East Avenue, Writer and Tiztastic. On Friday morning, Grande, who was initially given the No. 10 put up with these odds, was scratched from the Derby due to a foot bruise, in response to coach Todd Pletcher.
However the odds aren’t a crystal ball. The final time a morning-line favourite took first place on the Derby was in 2018, when Justify received the Triple Crown. Final yr, Mystik Dan obtained 20-1 odds within the morning line — which improved to 18-1 by put up time — earlier than profitable the Derby. The bay colt launched from the No. 3 put up, which Closing Gambit drew for Saturday’s Derby with 30-1 odds within the morning line.
The winner of Kentucky’s Jeff Ruby Steaks in March, Closing Gambit, is amongst 9 horses given the identical long-shot odds, which additionally embrace Admire Daytona, American Promise, Chunk of Gold, Coal Battle, Flying Mohawk, Neoequos, Owen Almighty and Render Judgment.Â
Luxor Café, with 15-1 morning-line odds, and Admire Daytona are the 2 colts who certified for the Derby outdoors of the U.S. Luxor Café received Japan’s Fukuryu Stakes in March and the Hyacinth Stakes in February. Admire Daytona got here in fourth within the Hyacinth Stakes and received the UAE Derby within the United Arab Emirates final month.