“The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports”—that’s what you get to see at the Churchill Downs every year in the first week of May. And if you need proof, look no further than the 150th edition of the Kentucky Derby in 2024. All 3 horses on the podium were involved in the dramatic photo finish that saw Mystik Dan clinch a surprise win over one of the favorites, Sierra Leone.
The hype about the Derby is justified, and in a few weeks, the trainers will be sending out their prized runners for the 151st edition, hoping to become a part of the race’s glorious history. Some shakeups and changes, and this is how the field looks with 3 weeks to go.
Who makes it to the 20-strong field?
The Kentucky Derby leaderboard shows Burnham Square in 1st place with 130 points. The Blue Grass and Holy Bull Stakes winner will be the best bet of trainer Ian Wilkes at the Run Of The Roses. The gelding has Brian Hernandez Jr. as his jockey, who led Mystik Dan to that famous win last year.
The favorites of this year, however, are Sandman and Journalism. #2 on the leaderboard, Mark Casse’s Sandman is known for bringing the pace at the closing stages. If that works at the Derby, Mark Casse might just come away with the $3.1 million prize. But he will face a steep challenge from journalism. Michael McCarthy is counting on the rising star to become the first since 2018 to win the San Anita and the Kentucky Derby double.
Joining them will be Bill Mott’s Sovereignty, who is another closer like Sandman, which makes it a thrilling finish at the Churchill Downs. Brad Cox, the 2021 Kentucky Derby winner, looks adamant about a win in 2025. His Florida Derby winner, Tappan Street, is amongst the prime contenders for the first of the Triple Crown races. But he has another horse in the field – Final Gambit, who won the Jeff Ruby Steaks in late March.
In fact, the 45-year-old trainer was to field a 3rd thoroughbred at the Derby before he decided to pull out his Gotham Stakes winner, Flood Zone, out of the 151st edition. Will Cox be able to score his 2nd Derby victory, or will Bob Baffert make his comeback count in grand fashion? Yes, after serving out his suspension for 3 Derby races (from 2021 to 2024), the 72-year-old 2-time Triple Crown winner is back. And he has 3 horses in the field.
Updated Road to the 151st Kentucky Derby Leaderboard!
Madaket Road is IN! pic.twitter.com/m7LnqUm57o
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) April 12, 2025
Citizen Bull and Rodriguez will be the ones to keep an eye on. Both of them have the ability to win the Derby come May 3, and that only makes Baffert’s charge for a record 7th Kentucky Derby win a real possibility. Along with them will join Madaket Road as the 20th entry in the race.
As for contenders, don’t count out Tiztastic. Steve Asmussen is 0 in 26 Derby outings, but maybe with the Louisiana Derby winner and Hall of Famer Joel Rosario in the saddle, the duck will end. Rosario happens to be a Kentucky Derby winner in 2013. So, let’s see how things run out at the 1¼-mile race. Asmussen also has Publisher in the 20-horse field at the Churchill Downs. The 3-year-old colt’s best outing was at the Arkansas Derby when he came behind the winner, Sandman.
Talking of Derby contenders, joining Tiztastic in the top-10 leaderboard are Coal Battle and Chunk of Gold. Ethan West’s Chunk of Gold came second in the Louisiana Derby, while Coal Battle won the Rebel Stakes. And Trainer Lonnie Briley hopes the G2 race winner will run home to clinch a historic win. Not surprisingly, though, Todd Pletcher will also want a big result on May 3. And his River Thames has all the credentials. Running in third in the Blue Grass, he has shown he can keep up with the best of the horses.
Trainer Brendan Walsh has his favorite East Avenue hoping for something special at the Louisville, Kentucky. Coming second to Burnham Square in the Blue Grass, Walsh’s thoroughbred has shown how capable it can be. And so can be the American Promise of trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Winning that Virginia Derby by 7 ¾ lengths was a great way to secure a spot in the Derby, and he will want to replicate that again for sure.
Besides Luxor Cafe and Admire Daytona taking the spots in the Derby as Japanese and Middle-East European entrants, the race also features Flying Mohawk of Whit Beckman and Grande of Mike Repole. Grande making it into the 20-horse race was down to defections from Owen Almighty and Heart of Honor. But hey, that only gives Repole a way to change his 0 for 7 record at the Kentucky Derby.
Last year, his Derby favorite, Fierceness, finished 15th. Is this the year the 56-year-old sees a change in fortunes? Well, he will find a challenge from Luxor Café of Noriyuki Hori. Entering the Derby by winning the “Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby” makes the 3-year-old thoroughbred one to watch. Joining him is Admire Daytona, who won the UAE Derby in Dubai. Trainer Yukihiro Kato will hope it’s a great outing at the famed Churchill Downs.
This completes the field for the Kentucky Derby. Now, let’s look at who is there in the line next, ready to capitalize in case of defections.
Two from the Lexington Stakes made it to the Top 27 of the Kentucky Derby leaderboard
As a contingency, there are 7 more horses ready to fill in a spot in the 151st edition of the Kentucky Derby. Like Madaket Road wasn’t in the top 20 before the Lexington Stakes Race. But with the withdrawal of Owen Almighty, Bob Baffert has 3 ready to run at the Churchill Downs. Right now, Built, Neqequos, Render Judgment, Baeza, Gosger, Praetor, Hypnus, and Bullard make up the top 27.
Horse
Trainer
Built
Wayne M. Catalano
Neqequos
Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.
Render Judgment
Kenneth G. McPeek
Baeza
John A. Shirreffs
Gosger
Brendan P. Walsh
Praetor
Chad C. Brown
Hypnus
Kenneth G. McPeek
Bullard
Michael W. McCarthy
Incidentally, Gosger and Praetor raced in the Lexington Stakes on April 12. It is the last race that can generally send a horse to the Kentucky Derby. Even though point cutoffs meant that not even the winner of the G3 race would qualify for the top 20 of the Derby, Gosger took the chance to land an impressive win. In his 3rd career start, the 3-year-old thoroughbred clinched the Lexington Stakes while Praetor came third. Gosger has had a great start and will bid his time for the next triple crown races.
But as of now, all eyes are on the Run of the Races. Will there be more changes? Will Bob Baffert make history on May 3? We will find out soon enough!
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