Choosing 2025 Kentucky Derby's Best Picks Among Top Contenders

The best and brightest from the world of horse racing will take to the track at Churchill Downs Saturday afternoon for the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby.

While one colt in particular has emerged as the favorite to kick off their Triple Crown bid, there are others that bear watching in this year's race.

Which colts are they and why should they be on fans and casual viewers' radars?

Find out with this preview of the 2025 Run for the Roses.

Journalism

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Journalism is the current favorite to win this year's race at 3-1 odds, according to the Kentucky Derby's official website.

It is not difficult to see why, either.

He is a high-stamina racer thanks to a pedigree that includes sire Curlin and, like other favorites in this year's event that we will get to in a moment, has seen his running style evolve over time. A pressing runner who can dictate the pace of any field or wait for the right moment to strike and go on a run that puts him at the front of it, he has multiple ways to best the field.

That he is such an adaptable runner makes him one of the most intriguing competitors in any race and in the case of this year's Kentucky Derby, the favorite to take home the win.

With a record of 3-0-1 in four starts, Journalism is peaking at the right time to deliver trainer Michael W. McCarthy and jockey Umberto Rispoli their first victories at Churchill Downs.

Sandman

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Sandman enters Saturday's race with momentum on his side.

The roan colt is fresh off a victory in the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park back on March 29 and did so with an ever-evolving race style. No longer willing to sprint right out of the gate, he sizes up the competition and makes more calculated, cerebral sprint attempts.

More importantly, particularly in a race that figures to have late surges toward the front of the field, he possess great finishing strength.

Jockey Jose L. Ortiz has not yet captured the elusive Kentucky Derby victory, but he is an experienced jockey with victories in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

Sandman is perfectly suited for the one-and-a-quarter-miles track at Churchill Downs and it would not be surprising whatsoever if by the end of Saturday's prestigious race, he is in the winner's circle.

Burnham Square

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Not only is Burnham Square chasing a Kentucky Derby victory for owners Whitham Thoroughbreds LLC and trainer Ian R. Wilkes Saturday at Churchill Downs, but he is also chasing history.

Not since 1991, 34 years ago, has the winner of the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland also won the Kentucky Derby. It a feat the three-year-old colt can achieve and etch his name in the history books with another strong run, this time on the grandest stage in horse racing.

“That’s the nice thing about a horse like him. For a 3-year-old to make such a long run like he did today and be able to run down Grade 1 winners like he did, he’s an exciting horse to move forward with," jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. told the Lexington Herald Leader ahead of the Derby.

More history awaits Burnham Square should he be victorious Saturday afternoon as no horse has won the Kentucky Derby from the ninth post position in 53 years. That would be, arguably, as impressive as any other accomplishment.

The colt is a patient racer who likes to settle into the race, survey the field, get a feel for the track, and make that sustained push to the front. Several opponents are similar in the approach, setting up for a dramatic race down the stretch Saturday.