The 2025 Kentucky Derby is near. Its rich history, high stakes and enduring relevance have made it one of the most prestigious horse races in the world. This makes the entire day an event in itself, with a series of traditions and festivities leading up to the race, which is held on the first Saturday in May, and which begin two weeks earlier with the Kentucky Derby Festival.
The day begins with a “dawn patrol,” in which the horses that will compete go out for morning training. During this routine, trainers and owners have the opportunity to see how their horses are feeling and make any last-minute adjustments to their strategy.
A few races precede the Kentucky Derby, which is run in the late afternoon with the horses parading around the track to the tune of My Old Kentucky Home, the state anthem. The race itself is short, run over a mile and a quarter, which is why it is known as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports.”
Upon completion, the winner is wrapped in a blanket of roses — hence its popular name as the Run for the Roses — and receives the coveted Kentucky Derby trophy. The prize money for the race this year will be $5 million.
When is the race being held?
The 2025 Kentucky Derby will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025 as part of the Kentucky Derby Festival, an annual two-week event held prior to the main race day.
Where is it run?
The 2025 Kentucky Derby will take place at Churchill Downs Racetrack, where it has been held since its inception in 1875. Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville that hosts several events each year. The venue’s capacity is approximately 170,000 people.
What time does the race start?
Television coverage of the Kentucky Derby begins at 2:30 p.m. ET. Other competitions will take place prior to the main race. The Kentucky Derby is the 12th race on the card and begins at 6:27 p.m. ET.
Where to watch it
The Kentucky Derby will be broadcast on NBC, with coverage of all races that day beginning at 10:30 ET on USA Network, and coverage of pre-race activities on the main network beginning at 12:30 ET. The race will also be streamed live on NBCSports.com.
Which horses will run in the 2025 Kentucky Derby?
Prior to the Kentucky Derby, 20 horses had to qualify to race in the 2025 Road to the Kentucky Derby, a series of races first introduced in 2013, which replaced the previous graded stakes race earnings system.
The main Road consists of races in North America and one in Dubai. The Japan Road consists of four races in Japan, and the European Road consists of seven races in England, Ireland and France.
In 2024, changes were made to the Road to the Kentucky Derby to make the qualifying process clearer and the races more competitive. Points for second place in all qualifying races were increased and points for third and fourth place in high-scoring races were adjusted. In 2025, those changes were retained, plus other changes such as alternate venues for some races and elimination of others.
The 2025 Road to the Kentucky Derby consisted of 36 races. Twenty horses qualified, and there are four “also-eligibles” in the event of a late withdrawal from the field. These are the standings of the horses that will run the race.
These are the horses with their starting position in the race:
- Citizen Bull – 71.25 points
- Neoequos – 40 points
- Final Gambit – 100 points
- Rodriguez – 121.25 points
- American Promise – 55 points
- Admire Daytona (Japan) – 100 points
- Luxor Cafe – 70 points
- Journalism – 122.50 points
- Burnham Square – 130 points
- Grande – 50 points
- Flying Mohawk – 50 points
- East Avenue – 60 points
- Publisher – 60 points
- Tiztastic – 119 points
- Render Judgment – 39 points
- Coal Battle – 95 points
- Sandman – 129 points
- Sovereignty – 110 points
- Chunk of Gold – 75 points
- Owen Almighty – 65 points
- Baeza – 37.50 points
Odds
These are the Morning Line odds for the 2024 Kentucky Derby:
- Citizen Bull: 16-1
- Neoequos: 57-1
- Final Gambit: 18-1
- Rodriguez: 10-1
- American Promise: 11-1
- Admire Daytona (Japan): 38-1
- Luxor Cafe: 15-1
- Journalism: 7-2
- Burnham Square: 23-1
- Grande: 17-1
- Flying Mohawk: 40-1
- East Avenue: 36-1
- Publisher: 30-1
- Tiztastic: 19-1
- Render Judgment: 13-1
- Coal Battle: 31-1
- Sandman: 5-1
- Sovereignty: 11-1
- Chunk of Gold: 40-1
- Owen Almighty: 41-1
- Baeza: 49-1
Kevin Kilroy, a racing expert and analyst who covers the races leading up to the Kentucky Derby, has provided his list of favorites to win the race. At the top of his list is Whitham Thoroughbreds’ Burnham Square, whose jockey is last year’s Derby winner Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr. The horse has earned nearly $1 million so far. In second place is Japan’s Luxor Cafe and in third spot he places Journalism. Here’s his top 10 stakes:
- Burnham Square
- Luxor Cafe
- Journalism
- Coal Battle
- Sandman
- Sovereignty
- Final Gambit
- Tiztastic
- Flying Mohawk
- Great
Who are some of the past winners?
Last year, Lance Gasaway, Daniel Hamby and 4G Racing’s horse Mystik Dan won the Kentucky Derby in 2:03.34, more than two seconds faster than the 2023 winner managed. That year, OGMA Investments, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing and Commonwealth Thoroughbreads’ horse Mage emerged victorious with a time of 2:01.57.
RED TR-Racing’s Rich Strike won the 2022 Kentucky Derby in 2:02.61. The previous year, Juddmonte Farm’s Mandaloun was the winner, coming under the wire in 2:01.02.
The last horse to clinch the Triple Crown of thoroughbred racing by winning the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes was Justify in 2018, who won the Derby in 2:04.20.
The fastest horse ever to win the Kentucky Derby was Secretariat in 1973. He swept under the wire in 1:59.4, a record that remains unbroken to this day.
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