The most exciting two minutes in sports are almost here: the 2025 Kentucky Derby happens Saturday, May 4 at Churchill Downs! The race features 20 of the best three-year-olds in the country running a testing 1 ¼ miles at Churchill Downs. At stake are a $5 million purse, a blanket of roses, and the right to be remembered forever in the horse racing world.
Betting the Kentucky Derby is the best way to be a part of the excitement. With such a huge field, the payoffs in the Kentucky Derby are huge year in and year out. This is the right place to find out the best places to bet the 2025 Kentucky Derby online, and the top horses to include in your Kentucky Derby wagers!
Betting the Kentucky Derby Online
Though there are many options for betting the Kentucky Derby online, our online betting experts are here to make it easy. We have done the research, and our expert online sportsbook reviews are the perfect resource to help you make a fast and confident decision for how to bet the Kentucky Derby online.
Every site we recommend has the foundations of a great betting experience: trusted payouts, a great user interface, and competitive odds. Each site also has its own structures of benefits like sign-up bonuses, promotions, and even horse racing rebates that pay you for every bet you make. Taking a few minutes now to pick the best bonuses for your betting style can build your Kentucky Derby bankroll faster than ever!
These are the best places to bet the 2025 Kentucky Derby online:
Kentucky Derby Field and Odds
These are the official entrants for the 2025 Kentucky Derby, along with their post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning line odds:
- Citizen Bull (Bob Baffert / Martin Garcia) - 20/1
- Neoequos (Saffie Joseph, Jr. / Flavien Prat) - 30/1
- Final Gambit (Brad Cox / Luan Machado) - 30/1
- Rodriguez (Bob Baffert / Mike Smith) - 12/1
- American Promise (D. Wayne Lukas / Nic Juarez) - 30/1
- Admire Daytona (Yukihiro Kato / Christophe Lemaire) - 30/1
- Luxor Cafe (Noriyuki Hori / Joao Moreira) - 15/1
- Journalism (Michael McCarthy / Umberto Rispoli) - 3/1
- Burnham Square (Ian Wilkes / Brian Hernandez, Jr.) - 12/1
- Grande (Todd Pletcher / John Velazquez) - 20/1
- Flying Mohawk (Whit Beckman / Joseph Ramos) - 30/1
- East Avenue (Brendan Walsh / Manny Franco) - 20/1
- Publisher (Steve Asmussen / Irad Ortiz) - 20/1
- Tiztastic (Steve Asmussen / Joel Rosario) - 20/1
- Render Judgment (Kenny McPeek / Julien Leparoux) - 30/1
- Coal Battle (Lonnie Briley / Juan Vargas) - 30/1
- Sandman (Mark Casse / Jose Ortiz) - 6/1
- Sovereignty (Bill Mott / Junior Alvarado) - 5/1
- Chunk of Gold (Ethan West / Jareth Loveberry) - 30/1
- Owen Almighty (Brian Lynch / Javier Castellano) - 30/1
- Baeza (John Shirreffs / Flavien Prat) - ALSO ELIGIBLE - 12/1
Baeza only gets in if at least one horse scratches from the main field before 9:00 a.m. Friday morning, when Kentucky Derby betting begins.
Don’t forget: these morning-line odds are not a guarantee of on-track prices. They can be a helpful guide to horses expected to take money at the windows or not, but on-track odds fluctuate all the way until the gates fly open on Derby Day. Your best bet is to play the Kentucky Derby online, since online sportsbooks let you lock in the best odds just by placing a bet. Then, you can watch the race with full knowledge of what you’ll cash when you win!
These are the Kentucky Derby odds at top online sportsbooks, for horses at the top of the market:
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Journalism | +300 | +285 | +280 |
| Sovereignty | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Sandman | +800 | +1000 | +800 |
| Luxor Cafe | +1200 | +1100 | +1100 |
| American Promise | +1200 | +1800 | +1400 |
| Burnham Square | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Rodriguez | +1400 | +1400 | +1200 |
Kentucky Derby Best Bet
Burnham Square is the best bet for the Kentucky Derby. He had a strong prep season, with wins in both the Holy Bull (G3) and the Blue Grass (G1). Though he only narrowly won that final prep, he reeled in a lone leader that day. He won’t have to reel in a lone leader – instead, he should have a multi-way pace battle in front of him, making it a better setup.
And, though he is a closer, he has proven he does not have to set as far back as some of the deeper closers to run a good race. That gives Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. options from a good gate draw.
Kentucky Derby Favorites
In every important market the Kentucky Derby favorite is Journalism, winner of the Santa Anita Derby (G1). He beat a strong West Coast crop of three-year-olds over and over again, even with a troubled trip in his final prep. He has the tactical speed to keep out of a likely fiery pace battle, and he is a deserving Kentucky Derby favorite.
Sovereignty is the second choice on the morning line, and he also figures strongly. The Bill Mott trainee won the Fountain of Youth (G2) and ran a credible second in the Florida Derby (G1), a race for which he didn’t have to be fully cranked. His closing style will get the right setup with so much speed drawn in. And, Churchill is no question – he already won the Street Sense (G3) last year over the course, so the footing suits him fine.
Kentucky Derby Bet-Againsts
It’s a big deal that Bob Baffert is back in the Kentucky Derby after a three-year suspension. He has two runners, Rodriguez (who is getting a bit of buzz) and Citizen Bull (the juvenile champion of 2024). The problem is, both Rodriguez and Citizen Bull are unproven as anything but one-way speed. And, they’re not the only ones with that problem.
This means, even though Bob Baffert has more Kentucky Derby wins than any active trainer, both of his horses are clear bet-againsts in 2025.
Kentucky Derby Longshots
Chunk of Gold comes into the run for the roses off of a pair of second-place finishes in prep races in Louisiana. He was second in both of those outings, but the late-running style will get the right setup in Kentucky. His under-the-radar connections help the price – though jockey Jareth Loveberry did give his mount a great ride the only other time he rode in the Kentucky Derby, when he guided Two Phil’s to second place in 2023.
Grande is also worth a look for the exotics. Trained by hall of famer Todd Pletcher and ridden by fellow hall of famer John Velazquez, Grande doesn’t have as much experience as his opponents but has already shown good tactical versatility. He has an appealing pedigree for the stretch out to the Derby distance, and if he keeps moving forward he should be a threat in the lane.
Free Kentucky Derby Bets
You have your online betting account at the ready, and you know the best horses to bet in the run for the roses. Now, all that’s left to do is the best part of all: place your bets!
Here are your best bets for the 2025 Kentucky Derby:
- $20 win/place/show: #9 Burnham Square
- $1 Exacta Key: #9 Burnham Square with #8 Journalism, #18 Sovereignty, #19 Chunk of Gold
- $1 Trifecta Key: #9 Burnham Square with #8 Journalism, #17 Sandman, #18 Sovereignty, #19 Chunk of Gold
- $1 Superfecta Key: #9 Burnham Square with #8 Journalism, #10 Grande, #17 Sandman, #18 Sovereignty, #19 Chunk of Gold
