Kentucky Derby 2025 predictions, horses, time, picks, odds: Best bets by expert who hit last year’s winner
Gene Menez, who gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot to win last year, reveals his 2025 Kentucky Derby bets and 2025 Kentucky Derby betting strategy for Churchill Downs
By CBS Sports Staff
For the sixth year in a row, the Kentucky Derby field will feature a horse that didn’t race as a 2-year-old. Grande has just three starts to his name, all coming this year. He won the first two and then placed in his lone graded stakes race, the Wood Memorial. Grande will try to defy history since just three horses in Kentucky Derby history have prevailed after not racing as a juvenile. The latest 2025 Kentucky Derby odds have Grande at 20-1 for Saturday’s race at Churchill Downs. The 2025 Kentucky Derby post time is 6:57 p.m. ET.
Grande will face 2025 Kentucky Derby favorites like Journalism (3-1), Sovereignty (5-1) and Sandman (6-1). Mystik Dan won last year as an 18-1 longshot. Before making any 2025 Kentucky Derby picks, you’ll want to see what SportsLine horse racing expert Gene Menez has to say before making any 2025 Kentucky Derby picks or horse racing predictions.
A former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated, Menez covered an array of sports, including horse racing, for the magazine and its website for almost 14 years. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as SI’s handicapper for the Triple Crown races and correctly predicted Super Saver to win the Kentucky Derby in 2010.
In 2015, Menez accurately gave out the Kentucky Derby superfecta, which paid $1,268.20 for $2. In 2017, he tweeted out his Kentucky Derby picks, including Always Dreaming to win, and hit the Pick 4, which paid almost $6,900 on a $1 bet.
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In May of last year, Menez nailed 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby. In November, he crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders’ Cup Saturday for a $5,303 jackpot. This year, he hit the winner and exacta in the Holy Bull Stakes and the winner, trifecta and superfecta in the Florida Derby. Anyone who has followed him on betting apps like TwinSpires and 1/ST BET could have been way up.
For the Run for the Roses, Menez has handicapped the 2025 Kentucky Derby field, made his picks and constructed his best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2025 Kentucky Derby predictions
One of Menez’ surprising 2025 Kentucky Derby picks: He is fading Sandman (6-1), even thou
