Kentucky Derby 2025 Most Bet Horses: Journalism Receiving 25% of Early Bets at 151st Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby field is set with 19 horses, but where are people betting their money tonight? Peter Alexis takes a look at the Kentucky Derby 2025 Most bet horses, analyzing the betting splits for Churchill Downs on Saturday night. Check out where the action is landing in Louisville on May 3rd.
Peter Alexis - May 3, 2025, 3:57 PM EDT
5 minKentucky Derby 2025 Most Bet Horses: Journalism Receiving 25% of Early Bets at 151st Kentucky Derby
Churchill Downs race track will see a sloppy race in Louisville, Kentucky today, with rain falling throughout the afternoon ahead of tonight's 151st Kentucky Derby.
Journalism is a strong early favorite at 7/2 (+350), followed by Sandman (+500) and Sovereignty (+900). While many will take bets on the favorites, it's not a sure-fire indicator as to where the odds will move.
Outside of the main group, what horses is everyone betting on? Let's take a look at the complete betting splits for the 2025 Kentucky Derby and see who the most bet horses are for tonight's battle.
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Kentucky Derby 2025 Odds
Horse | Odds |
|---|---|
Journalism | +350 |
Sandman | +500 |
Sovereignty | +900 |
Luxor Cafe | +900 |
American Promise | +1200 |
Citizen Bull | +1300 |
Final Gambit | +1500 |
Render Judgement | +1500 |
Burnham Square | +1700 |
Baeza | +1700 |
Tiztastic | +2000 |
Coal Battle | +2400 |
Chunk of Gold | +2700 |
Flying Mohawk | +2900 |
Publisher | +3000 |
Neoequos | +3800 |
Admire Daytona | +3800 |
East Avenue | +3800 |
Owen Almighty | +3800 |
Click here for complete Kentucky Derby Odds
Kentucky Derby Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: Saturday, May 3, 2025
- Time: 6:57 PM ET
- Where to Watch: NBC, Peacock
Kentucky Derby 2025 Betting Splits
Horse | Odds | % of Bets |
|---|---|---|
Journalism | +350 | 25% |
Sovereignty | +900 | 20% |
Luxor Cafe | +800 | 8% |
Citizen Bull | +1300 | 7% |
East Avenue | +3800 | 7% |
All Other Horses | N/A | 7% |
Kentucky Derby 2025 Most Bet Horses
Baeza came flying down the final stretch at the Santa Anita Derby last month, but ultimately it was Journalism's closing speed that took over in the end, and that's why the colt is a 7/2 morning line favorite in Louisville today. He is receiving 25% of the bets, and his odds have bounced around between +300 and +400 for the most part.
Knowing that it will be a wet track will certainly impact the betting, but it's not an uncommon situation. Over the years, roughly 48% of race days faced some sort of precipitation at Churchill Downs. The logic for Journalism is that the most powerful horse with the best closing speed will overcome the others in the elements, which is why he remains the strong favorite.
Following closely behind in the odds is Sandman, the Arkansas Derby champ, who has seen his odds rise as high as 5/1, but wasn't receiving a ton of the bets ahead of this morning, so he doesn't have his own percentage. It's safe to say that he's getting a decent amount of action in the last few hours though to see his chances climb.
Sovereignty made the field after finishing second to Tappan Street in the Florida Derby, who wasn't able to make it to Louisville because of an injury. Sovereignty is getting roughly 20% of the bets, second to Journalism for most action, but has seen his price fall down to +900 from as high as +600 on Saturday morning.
A lot of eyes and dollars are also on Citizen Bull (+1300), Bob Baffert's first horse back in the Derby since his suspension. Citizen Bull was leading for a solid portion of that Santa Anita race, but ended up falling behind Baeza and Journalism near the end. With the Derby adding another 1/8th of a mile at the end of the track, that may not be a great sign for him and his strategy. Regardless, he has a solid 7% of the bets on him because of the name brand.
East Avenue rounds out the betting splits here as a potential most-bet longshot, seeing 7% of the tickets but back at +3800 odds. He got 2nd in the 2025 Blue Grass at Keeneland in the beginning of April, coming up just behind Burnham Square (+1700).
Horse Racing Odds
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