Kentucky Derby 2025 Odds and Latest Lines for Top Contenders and Dark Horses

The Kentucky Derby is the most prestigious race on the horse racing calendar and a new champion will be crowned on Saturday, May 3.

Who is the current favorite and which two competitors are worthy dark horse candidates?

Let's take a look with this preview of the annual Churchill Downs spectacular.

Current Odds

1. Citizen Bull, 20-1 (Trainer: Bob Baffert, Jockey: Martin Garcia)
2. Neoequos, 30-1 (Saffe Joseph Jr., Flavian Prat)
3. Final Gambit, 30-1 (Brad Cox, Luan Machado)
4. Rodriguez, 12-1 (Bob Baffert, Mike Smith)
5. American Promise, 30-1 (D. Wayne Lukas, Nik Juarez)
6. Admire Daytona, 30-1 (Yukihiro Kato, Christophe Lemaire)
7. Luxor Café, 15-1 (Noriyuki Hori, Joao Moreira)
8. Journalism, 3-1 (Michael McCarthy, Umberto Rispoli)
9. Burnham Square, 12-1 (Ian WIlkes, Brian Hernandez Jr.)
10. Grande, 20-1 (Todd Pletcher, John Velazquez)
11. Flying Mohawk 30-1 (Whit Beckman, Joe Ramos)
12. East Avenue, 20-1 (Brendan Walsh, Manny Franco)
13. Publisher, 20-1 (Steve Asmussen, Irad Ortiz Jr.)
14. Tiztastic, 20-1 (Steve Asmussen, Joel Rosario)
15. Render Judgment, 30-1 (Kenny McPeek, Julien Leparoux)
16. Coal Battle, 30-1 (Lonnie Briley, Juan Vargas)
17. Sandman, 6-1 (Mark Casse, Jose Ortiz)
18. Sovereignty, 5-1 (Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado)
19. Chunk of God, 30-1 (Ethan West, Jareth Loveberry)
20. Owen Almighty, 30-1 (Brian Lynch, Javier Castellano)

Odds via KentuckyDerby.com

Favorite and Dark Horse

Journalism enters this year's race as the favorite, thanks in part to a four-race win streak, including an April 5 victory in the Santa Anita Derby, a come-from-behind victory that saw him make the necessary adjustments to secure the momentum-sustaining win.

"It's rare for a horse to get held up at the three-eighths pole and to get back in the race in that way. It's always difficult, especially for such a big horse. But he has such an amazing style and is just an amazing horse," jockey Rispoli said after the race.

Patrick Reed of America's Best Racing said of the race favorite, "If there’s any concern, it’s that Journalism has been competing against small fields in California, but truthfully it’s a question mark as to how any Kentucky Derby entrant will handle the unique conditions of this race."

His trainer, McCarthy, is only marking his second Kentucky Derby appearance after reluctantly entering Endlessly in last year's race. He finished ninth there but will look to improve and earn a Derby victory.

One of the most intriguing dark horse candidates to win this year's Kentucky Derby is American Promise, trained by the legendary D. Wayne Lukas and jockeyed by Nik Juarez.

Reed noted, "He’s got a good pedigree for handling a mile and a quarter and legendary Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas has entered him in high-quality races in each of his nine starts, which are the most in this year’s Kentucky Derby field."

Lukas has trained four other winners at Churchill Downs and knows what it takes to properly prepare a competitive horse for the most prestigious race on the calendar and if there is any trainer outside of Baffert uniquely prepared to net a Derby winner, it is The Coach.

Another dark horse candidate? Grande, who enters the race with a one-two punch in all-time-great trainer, Todd Pletcher, and jockey John Velazquez.

Reed wrote:

"Velazquez has won three Kentucky Derbys, one of them (Always Dreaming, 2017) for fellow Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher. He should have Grande positioned in the middle rank of horses through the first mile or so in the Kentucky Derby, and he along with the rest of the colt’s connections will be hoping for a career-best effort in his fourth start in order to post an upset victory."

A win for Grande would be an upset, for sure, but the men behind the horse will have it in a position to achieve as much and earn Velazquez his fourth victory.