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The 2025 Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday at Churchill Downs, with post time set for 6:57 p.m. ET. This year's race will try to top the excitement of last year, which saw one of the tightest photo finishes in the history of the Run for the Roses. There are three 2025 Kentucky Derby horses that pay out less than 10-1 in the 2025 Kentucky Derby odds, including Journalism, the 3-1 favorite. He has four wins and a third-place finish in five career starts, but he will have to get past other 2025 Kentucky Derby contenders like Sovereignty (5-1) and Sandman (6-1).

Trainer Bob Baffert can win the Kentucky Derby for a record-setting seventh time and will try to do so with Citizen Bull (20-1). Should you include Citizen Bull in your 2025 Kentucky Derby bets? Before making any 2025 Kentucky Derby picks, you'll want to see what SportsLine horse racing expert Tim Doyle has to say before making any 2025 Kentucky Derby picks or horse racing predictions.

Doyle is an experienced horse bettor, having lived less than 20 miles from both Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack in New York. He prefers to play multirace wagers, from doubles to Pick 6s. And in 2020, he had the biggest score of his life, hitting a $150,000 Pick 5 at Oaklawn Park. During the 2023 Triple Crown, Doyle was on fire. He correctly called 15-1 longshot Mage to win the Kentucky Derby and 8-1 longshot Arcangelo to win the Belmont Stakes. Anyone who has followed him on betting apps like FanDuel Racing, TwinSpires and 1/ST BET could have been way up.

For the Run for the Roses, Doyle has handicapped the 2025 Kentucky Derby field, made his picks and constructed his best bets for how to bet on the Kentucky Derby 2025. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.

Top 2025 Kentucky Derby predictions

One of Doyle's surprising 2025 Kentucky Derby picks: He is fading Journalism, even though he is the 3-1 favorite. While Journalism is riding a four-race winning streak and is coming off a strong showing in the Santa Anita Derby, he has never faced a field of this size. He has also never raced outside of California, which Doyle sees as a "major negative."

Journalism will likely need a perfect trip under jockey Umberto Rispoli, who has never hit the board in the Kentucky Derby. Additionally, the favorite has not won the Derby since Justify (2018). Doyle believes there are too many things working against Journalism on Saturday, so he is going in a different direction with his pick to win. See which 2025 Kentucky Derby horses he likes at SportsLine.

How to make 2025 Kentucky Derby bets, picks

Instead of chasing the favorite, Doyle's top pick is a double-digit longshot who "has a massive closing kick." Doyle is sharing who he likes over at SportsLine.

Which horse wins the Kentucky Derby 2025, and which double-digit longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2025 Kentucky Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Doyle's picks for the Kentucky Derby, all from the expert who called Mage as a 15-1 live longshot in the 2023 Run for the Roses.

2025 Kentucky Derby odds, post positions

PostHorseOddsProjection
1Citizen Bull20-1SEE PICKS
2Neoequos30-1SEE PICKS
3Final Gambit30-1SEE PICKS
4Rodriguez12-1Scratched
5American Promise30-1SEE PICKS
6Admire Daytona30-1SEE PICKS
7Luxor Cafe15-1SEE PICKS
8Journalism3-1SEE PICKS
9Burnham Square12-1SEE PICKS
10Grande20-1Scratched
11Flying Mohawk30-1SEE PICKS
12East Avenue20-1SEE PICKS
13Publisher20-1SEE PICKS
14Tiztastic20-1SEE PICKS
15Render Judgment30-1SEE PICKS
16Coal Battle30-1SEE PICKS
17Sandman6-1SEE PICKS
18Sovereignty5-1SEE PICKS
19Chunk of Gold30-1SEE PICKS
20Owen Almighty30-1SEE PICKS
21Baeza12-1SEE PICKS

2025 Kentucky Derby contenders

1 Citizen Bull | 2 Neoequos | 3 Final Gambit | 5 American Promise | 6 Admire Daytona | 7 Luxor Cafe | 8 Journalism | 9 Burnham Square | 11 Flying Mohawk | 12 East Avenue | 13 Publisher | 14 Tiztastic | 15 Render Judgment | 16 Coal Battle | 17 Sandman | 18 Sovereignty | 19 Chunk of Gold | 20 Owen Almighty | 21 Baeza