Final Gambit heads into Saturday’s 2025 Kentucky Derby without any prior experience racing on dirt, one reason why he is a 30-1 longshot in the 2025 Kentucky Derby odds. He is coming off a win in the Jeff Ruby Steaks, improving his Beyer Speed Figure by 27 points. Final Gambit is trained by Brad Cox, who won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes in 2021. If Final Gambit can take another step forwards from a speed perspective, he could be a horse worth targeting with your 2025 Kentucky Derby betting picks. There are eight other 2025 Kentucky Derby horses in the 2025 Kentucky Derby field at 30-1, while Journalism is the 3-1 favorite atop the horse racing odds board.
Other 2025 Kentucky Derby contenders include Sovereignty (5-1) and Sandman (6-1). Before making any 2025 Kentucky Derby picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions and futures bets from SportsLine’s elite horse racing expert Jody Demling, considering his domination of this race.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling has nailed the Kentucky Oaks-Derby double 11 times in the last 16 years. He also predicted the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last seven years and called 10 of the last 20 Preakness winners, including in 2023, when he hit the winner, exacta, trifecta and superfecta, as well as the trifecta in 2024. Anyone who has followed him on those picks on sites like TwinSpires and 1/ST BET is up huge.
Now, with the 2025 Kentucky Derby post positions set and odds on the board, Demling is sharing his 2025 Kentucky Derby betting picks and 2025 Kentucky Derby predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.
Top 2025 Kentucky Derby predictions, expert analysis
One surprise: Demling is fading Rodriguez (12-1), who barely cracks the top 10 finishers in his 2025 Kentucky Derby projections. Rodriguez broke his maiden in January at Santa Anita before coming up short in his first two graded stakes races. He lost to Kentucky Derby contender Citizen Bull in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes and fell to Derby favorite Journalism in the San Felipe Stakes.
Rodriguez is coming off his first graded stakes victory, winning the Wood Memorial at the beginning of April. However, he desperately needs to make the lead, and there are a host of other talented 2025 Kentucky Derby horses looking to run this race on the front. Even if he can take the lead early in the race, he would have to stave off multiple deep closers. See which other 2025 Kentucky Derby horses to avoid at SportsLine.
Demling just revealed in his 2025 Kentucky Derby prediction for Sandman, who is third in the Kentucky Derby odds 2025 at 6-1. Sandman is a deep closer who is hoping for a fast early pace on Saturday. He finished second in the Southwest Stakes and third in the Rebel Stakes before winning the Arkansas Derby win on March 29.
Sandman got the better of Publisher and Coal Battle, who are both in the 2025 Kentucky Derby field. He has won three of his eight career races, never finishing worse than fifth. Deep closers often struggle in the Kentucky Derby, but Sandman showcased his elite ceiling in the Arkansas Derby.
Demling has also locked in his 2025 Kentucky Derby picks for Journalism, the 3-1 favorite. Journalism is the fastest horse in the race by the numbers, and he has been a relentless closer during his career. He enters the Derby following a win in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 5, extending his winning streak to four races.
Three of those wins came in graded stakes races, making him the clear choice to be the morning-line favorite. Trainer Michael McCarthy is coming off his first Derby appearance, as Endlessly finished ninth in 2024. Jockey Umberto Rispoli has not finished better than ninth in his two attempts in the Run for the Roses, so Journalism does not have the most experienced jockey and trainer on his side. See which other horses to back at SportsLine.
How to make 2025 Kentucky Derby picks, bets
Demling is especially high on a huge double-digit longshot who is “generating buzz on the backside.” Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2025 Kentucky Derby leaderboard, over at SportsLine.
Which horse wins the Kentucky Derby 2025, and which huge double-digit longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2025 Kentucky Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling’s picks for the Kentucky Derby, all from the expert who has nailed 11 Derby-Oaks doubles.
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