Kentucky Derby 2025 Field, Post Positions, Morning-Lines
We see The Fastest Two Minutes In Sports this weekend with the 151st Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville. The first jewel of the Triple Crown is Saturday, May 3, followed by the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course two weeks later, concluding with the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, June 7.
Last year's Run for the Roses was a thriller. There was a three-way photo finish with Mystik Dan edging out Sierra Leone, and my pick to win the 2024 Kentucky Derby, Japan's Forever Young. Mystik Dan was 20-1 on the morning-line (ML), Sierra Leone was the second betting choice at 3-1, and Forever Young opened at 10-1.
Mystik Dan beats Sierra Leone, and Forever Young in a photo finish in the 2024 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville. (Photo credit: Michael Clevenger and Christopher Granger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Since horse racing is a "parimutuel" betting event, these thoroughbreds closed at different odds than their MLs. Parimutuel is a French word that basically means "pool betting". So, rather than betting against the "House," you're betting against your fellow gamblers. The official odds are set once all the money is collected and the race starts.
The Kentucky Derby is a 1.25-mile race for three-year-olds on the dirt track of Churchill. It's the longest race these horses have run and the largest field. Journalism is the betting favorite on the ML (3-1) and drew the favorable #8 post position. Also, Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, a horse trainer for two Triple Crown champions, returns to the Derby after a three-year ban for doping.
2025 Kentucky Derby Post Positions, Morning-Lines
The field, post positions, and morning-lines for the 151st Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 3. (Courtesy of @KentuckyDerby via X).
Keep in mind that the Kentucky Derby is the 12th race on a day full of "stakes" races, and the Kentucky Oaks for three-year-old fillies runs Friday. I'll be back later this week with my picks to win and exotics, including an Exacta and/or Trifecta. In the meantime, I'm going to spend far too much time preparing for a race that only lasts two minutes.
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