Mark your calendars for the biggest betting horse race of the year: the Kentucky Derby happens Saturday, May 3 at Churchill Downs! 20 of the best three-year-olds in the country will line up to go 1 ¼ miles, longer than they’ve ever gone, for their share of a $5 million purse, the iconic blanket of roses, and a spot in the history of the sport.
Mark your calendars for the biggest betting horse race of the year: the Kentucky Derby happens Saturday, May 3 at Churchill Downs! 20 of the best three-year-olds in the country will line up to go 1 ¼ miles, longer than they’ve ever gone, for their share of a $5 million purse, the iconic blanket of roses, and a spot in the history of the sport.
It’s not just the horse owners who are going for big money on Derby day. With such a big field, bettors are also going for their share of huge win and exotic payouts all day long. Keep reading to see the best horses in the 2025 Kentucky Derby, as well as your best options for betting the run for the roses online in Florida.
Though we would all like to go to the Kentucky Derby, not all of us can travel to Kentucky. The good news is, betting it at an online racebook means you can be part of the action from right at home in Florida. You can play from anywhere with an internet connection, get better odds than you’ll find at the track, and rack up bankroll-boosting racebook bonuses like signup bonuses, deposit boosts, and rebates that pay you for every bet you make!
Read our expert racebook reviews, choose the one with the best bonuses for your betting style, and get ready to win big on the Kentucky Derby!
Now that you have your racebook account setup, you can get to know the runners and see the best bets for the 2025 Kentucky Derby.
This is the official field for the 2025 Kentucky Derby including draw numbers, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:
Baeza only gets into the Kentucky Derby if at least one horse scratches from the main field before 9:00 a.m. Friday morning, when Kentucky Derby betting begins.
Though the morning line can be a helpful guide to which horses are expected to be favored or long shots, it is no guarantee of an on-track price since those aren’t final until post time. Your best bet in the Kentucky Derby is to bet online. Not only is it more convenient, but fixed-odds wagering on major races means you can lock in the best price right when you find it, just by betting!
These are the Kentucky Derby odds at the top of the market, at the best Florida racebooks:
Journalism is the favourite in all important markets for the 2025 Kentucky Derby. He deserves that status: he has never lost at two turns, and he just kept winning against a strong group of horses on the California spur of the Kentucky Derby trail. With tactical speed and an excellent middle draw, Journalism would be no surprise to run to the money.
Sovereignty and Sandman should also be near the top of the market. Both can take advantage of a likely torrid pace up front, as multiple horses are need-the-lead types. Sovereignty is preferred between the two because he is already a graded winner at Churchill Downs, and also Sandman still needs to do some maturing mentally, as isn’t uncommon for Tapits at this stage.
In short, bet against the need-the-lead speed horses – there are so many of them that it’s hard to figure any of them have a chance of staying on. Several of them are likely to be major long shots, but the Bob Baffert pair of Rodriguez and Citizen Bull are likely to take some money just by virtue of being Baffert horses. None of them are proven to be very tactical, so fade them.
Burnham Square is the best bet in the 2025 Kentucky Derby. He comes off a strong victory in the Blue Grass (G1), a prep that has seen a resurgent importance in recent years. He reeled in lone leader East Avenue, and although that one set a fast pace that day, now Burnham Square will get a contested pace to reel in, something likely to fall apart for him.
With a good middle draw, a Kentucky Derby-winning jockey in the irons, and the versatility to sit a little closer than the deepest closers if need be, there is a lot to like about Burnham Square at a nice price.
Chunk of Gold is the plucky long shot who ran second in the Risen Star (G2) and the Louisiana Derby (G2). coming from well off the pace. He is likely to get ignored thanks to his under-the-radar connections, but jockey Jareth Loveberry showed out the other time he rode in the Kentucky Derby (in 2023, when second with Two Phil’s) and should give him a smart ride again.
Even though Grande only makes his fourth start in the Kentucky Derby, he has already shown some pace versatility, sitting closer to the pace in his earlier starts in Florida but then closing for second in the Wood. That can help him work a trip in the chaos of the Kentucky Derby, as can the middle gate draw and the presence of John Velazquez in the saddle.
You have your account at the best Florida online racebook for your betting style, you know the horses who matter in the Kentucky Derby…now all there’s left to do is get betting! These are the best bets for Saturday’s 2025 Kentucky Derby:
The richest and most important race of the year in Florida happens Saturday, January 25: the Grade 1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup! One of Gulfstream Park’s signature races, it […]
The biggest betting horse race of the year is coming up on Saturday, May 4: the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs! The purse for the 150th edition of this historic […]
The most prestigious race of the Cheltenham Festival and the whole jumps season happens Friday, March 15: the £625,000 Cheltenham Gold Cup (G1)! A field of 12 top chasers will […]
Gulfstream’s series of Kentucky Derby preps is perennially one of the most important sets of Kentucky Derby prep races. In recent years its winners have included Belmont Stakes winner Tiz […]
Leave a comment