2025 Kentucky Derby Odds & Betting Favorites: Early Betting Lines for Churchill Downs
We don't even have a date for when they'll belt out "My Old Kentucky Home," but it's never too early to look ahead to the 2025 Kentucky Derby odds at our best Kentucky Derby betting sites.
Horse racing fans were treated to one of the best finishes in Kentucky Derby history when Mystik Dan won the 150th Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs in 2024. He edged out Sierra Leone and Forever Young by a nose (literally) to cash as a consensus 18/1 long shot by the odds from our best horse racing betting sites.
We're still awaiting the opening odds for the 2025 Kentucky Derby, which will take place on Saturday, May 3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. When those odds are released, we'll have you covered with our breakdown of the best Kentucky Derby post positions and our guide on how to bet on horse racing.
In the meantime, here is our ultimate Kentucky Derby race, a simulation featuring 20 of the best horses in the history of the storied race.
2025 Kentucky Derby odds
We're still waiting for the 2025 Kentucky Derby odds to be released. It's too early to predict which horses might be favored to win that race, but keep an eye on the top races over the next calendar year to see which competitors are showing positive signs of a strong showing at Churchill Downs.
While we're still awaiting the release of the opening odds for next year's race, here's a look at the closing odds for the 2024 Kentucky Derby.
(Odds updated May 4; see our betting calculators for help translating horse racing odds)
| Horse | Post position | FanDuel | bet365 | Morning Line odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fierceness | 17 | +250 | +300 | 3-1 |
| Sierra Leone | 2 | +300 | +250 | 5-2 |
| Catching Freedom | 4 | +800 | +1000 | 10-1 |
| Just a Touch | 8 | +1000 | +1400 | 8-1 |
| Forever Young | 11 | +1000 | +800 | 20-1 |
| Dornoch | 1 | +2000 | +2500 | 10-1 |
| Mystik Dan | 3 | +2000 | +2500 | 20-1 |
| Just Steel | 6 | +2000 | +2500 | 30-1 |
| Honor Marie | 7 | +2000 | +2000 | 20-1 |
| 9 | OFF | OFF | Scratch | |
| Track Phantom | 12 | +2000 | +2500 | 30-1 |
| Stronghold | 18 | +2000 | +1400 | 20-1 |
| Resilience | 19 | +2000 | +2000 | 50-1 |
| Domestic Product | 15 | +3000 | +2500 | 20-1 |
| Catalytic | 5 | +3000 | +4000 | 20-1 |
| T O Password | 10 | +3000 | +2500 | 50-1 |
| Endlessly | 14 | +3000 | +2000 | 20-1 |
| West Saratoga | 13 | +5000 | +5000 | 30-1 |
| Grand Mo The First | 16 | +5000 | +6600 | 30-1 |
| Society Man | 20 | +5000 | +2500 | 50-1 |
| Epic Ride | 21 | +5000 | +2500 | 50-1 |
| 22 | OFF | OFF | Scratch |
Don't miss out FanDuel Racing promo code for better value on these odds.
*FanDuel Racing odds available in AZ, CO, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, NY, OH, PA, VA, WV, WY
**bet365 Kentucky Derby odds not available in the United States
Kentucky Derby future wager
For reference, here were the closing odds from Churchill Downs' sixth 2024 Kentucky Derby Future Wager. Wagering opened on April 4 and closed on April 6, hours before the Wood Memorial, Blue Grass Stakes, and Santa Anita Derby were conducted.
| Horse | Odds |
|---|---|
| Be You | 52-1 |
| Catalytic | 99-1 |
| Catching Freedom | 12-1 |
| Common Defense | 234-1 |
| Deterministic | 12-1 |
| Domestic Product | 40-1 |
| Dornoch | 12-1 |
| El Grande O | 117-1 |
| Encino | 63-1 |
| Endlessly | 37-1 |
| Epic Ride | 156-1 |
| Evening News | 147-1 |
| Fierceness | 5-2 |
| Forever Young | 14-1 |
| Good Money | 157-1 |
| Grand Mo The First | 179-1 |
| Hades | 92-1 |
| Honor Marie | 26-1 |
| Just A Touch | 22-1 |
| Just Steel | 30-1 |
| Lat Long | 322-1 |
| Mc Vay | 194-1 |
| Merit | 478-1 |
| Mystik Dan | 35-1 |
| No More Time | 277-1 |
| Resilience | 76-1 |
| Seize the Grey | 42-1 |
| Sierra Leone | 7-1 |
| Society Man | 793-1 |
| Stronghold | 30-1 |
| T O Password | 135-1 |
| Tapalo | 294-1 |
| Tessuto | 516-1 |
| Timberlake | OFF |
| Top Conor | 80-1 |
| Track Phantom | 53-1 |
| Tuscan Sky | 24-1 |
| Uncle Heavy | 72-1 |
| West Saratoga | 121-1 |
| All Other Three-Year-Olds | 22-1 |
Kentucky Derby odds over time
Among our best sports betting sites, the only ones that offered 2024 Kentucky Derby odds were bet365 (Ontario only) and FanDuel Racing, which featured a FanDuel racing promo code.
Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Fierceness traded as the betting favorite in the early days before being passed by Sierra Leone following his score in the Risen Star Stakes. Fierceness came back with a vengeance in a highly-rated triumph in the Florida Derby to briefly reassert command in this division, but Sierra Leone's victory in a loaded renewal of the Blue Grass stamped him as the one to beat in Louisville ahead of the May 4 race.
Ultimately, neither could beat out Mystik Dan, which was trading as high as 25/1 with consensus 18/1 odds as of post time. The 3-year-old colt started slow but finished in a big way to pull off the massive upset and win its third race in seven tries.
We'll track the 2025 odds and their movement here once they're released.
Who won the Kentucky Derby and what were the odds?
| Year | Horse | Post Position | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Mystik Dan | 3 | +1800 |
| 2023 | Mage | 8 | +1700 |
| 2022 | Rich Strike | 20 | +8000 |
| 2021 | Medina Spirit | 8 | +1200 |
| 2020 | Authentic | 18 | +800 |
| 2019 | Country House | 20 | +6500 |
| 2018 | Justify | 7 | +250 |
| 2017 | Always Dreaming | 5 | +450 |
| 2016 | Nyquist | 13 | +200 |
| 2015 | American Pharaoh | 18 | +250 |
| 2014 | California Chrome | 5 | +250 |
How to read Kentucky Derby odds
A crucial step to betting on the Kentucky Derby is understanding how the odds work. Put simply, American odds represent how much money you would win on a $100 wager - or, in some cases, how much money you would need to wager to return $100.
Let's refer to an example. Mystik Dan closed with +1800 odds to win the 2024 Kentucky Derby. That means a winning $100 bet at those odds would return $1800 in profit, or a $10 bet would return $180, or even $1 for an $18 return.
According to our odds converter, he was getting only a 5.26% implied probability of winning the prestigious race.
Fierceness finished with +300 odds, which carry an implied 25% win percentage. A $100 wager would get you $300 if he won. Despite being seen as more likely to win according to the odds, we know he didn't win the race.
You'll want to be careful staking too much on long-shot bets, as the low implied win probabilities indicate the unlikelihood of a victory.
Kentucky Derby 2025 info
- Date: Saturday, May 3, 2025
- Location: Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY
- Race Distance: 1 1/4 miles
- Purse: TBD ($5 million in 2024)
- TV: NBC
Kentucky Derby 2025 FAQs
Who is the 2025 Kentucky Derby favorite?
We're still awaiting the opening odds for the 2025 Kentucky Derby. In 2024, the pre-race favorites were FIerceness and Sierra Leone, both of whom were dealing as high as +300 on race day with those odds representing an implied win probability of 25.00%.
Who won the 2024 Kentucky Derby?
Mystik Dan won the 2024 Kentucky Derby with jockey Brian Hernandez and trainer Kenneth McPeek.
What were the odds of Mystik winning the Kentucky Derby?
Mystik Dan entered the 2024 Kentucky Derby with odds of +1800.
When is the 2025 Kentucky Derby held?
The 2025 edition of the Kentucky Derby will be held Saturday, May 3.
Where is the 2025 Kentucky Derby held?
The Kentucky Derby is held annually at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
Where can I bet on the Kentucky Derby 2025?
According to TwinSpires, Americans can legally wager on horse racing in the following states:
Horse racing betting odds pages
| Kentucky Derby Odds | Preakness Stakes Odds | Belmont Stakes Odds |
| Kentucky Derby Post Position | Preakness Stakes Post Position | Belmont Stakes Post Position |
Here are our best Kentucky Derby betting sites:
- Caesars Promo Code: SBRBONUSDYW | Read our Caesars Review
- BetMGM Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetMGM Review
- bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our bet365 Review
- FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
- DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review
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* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.
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Related pages
Best Sportsbooks | Betting Sites | Best Sportsbook Promos (U.S. only) | Kentucky Sports Betting | Kentucky Sportsbook Promos | Kentucky Sports Betting Apps
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