Racing Roundtable: Kentucky Derby 151, Good Cheer's Kentucky Oaks score, and more from Churchill Downs
Sovereignty wins the 2025 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. (Photo by Horsephotos.com)
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The Racing Roundtable of James Scully, Vance Hanson, and Ashley Anderson recap Kentucky Derby 151, Good Cheer's Kentucky Oaks (G1) victory, plus other eye-catching performances from Churchill Downs.
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Kentucky Oaks Coverage | Kentucky Derby Coverage | Trackside
Trainer Bill Mott earned his second Kentucky Derby win with Sovereignty on Saturday, May 3, when the Godolphin homebred launched a late rally to overtake 3.42-1 post-time favorite Journalism in the stretch and edged clear by 1 1/2 lengths at the wire. Junior Alvarado had the call and celebrated his first Kentucky Derby triumph with his sixth Kentucky Derby mount.
Mott scored his first Derby win in 2019 via the disqualification of Maximum Security for interference, which elevated 65-1 longshot Country House to first. This time, on Saturday, Mott had the chance to watch his horse cross the finish line before all other rivals in the 19-horse field.
The Into Mischief colt handled the 1 1/4-mile test over a sloppy track in a final time of 2:02.31 and paid $17.96 on a $2 win bet. Michael McCarthy-trained Journalism came home second, a neck better than third-place finisher Baeza, who drew into the field following the scratch of Rodriguez. Todd Pletcher pupil Grande, owned by Repole Stable, would also scratch from the field later in the week. Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) victor Final Gambit closed well to finish fourth, while Owen Almighty, part of the early pace, held on for fifth.
One day earlier, Godolphin got a win in the Kentucky Oaks as well when Good Cheer maintained her perfect, 7-for-7 record with a 2 1/4-length tally under regular rider Luis Saez. Stopping the clock at 1:50.15 over a wet fast (sealed) track, Good Cheer made it look easy covering 1 1/8 miles. Trainer Brad Cox now has three Kentucky Oaks victories, while Godolphin secured their second following a win with Pretty Mischievous in 2023.
All-sources betting on the Kentucky Derby card at Churchill Downs set a record with $349 million, up 9% from the previous record in 2024 of $320.5 million. Handle for the Kentucky Derby race reached a record $234.4 million, up 11% from last year's record of $210.7 million.
Derby week handle also set a new mark with $473.9 million, and combined all-sources handle for Kentucky Oaks and Derby days totaled $422.9 million, up 7% from last year's record.
TwinSpires' advance-deposit wagering service hit a new record, too, with $108 million in wagering on races for the Kentucky Derby Day program, a 17% increase over 2024's record of $92.1 million.
Kentucky Oaks Coverage
Welcome to Kentucky Oaks Day!
Congratulations to Good Cheer, winner of the Kentucky Oaks. Thank you to our panel of experts and everyone who tuned in for the live coverage.
We will be here again tomorrow for all coverage of Kentucky Derby Day Stakes Races. We'll be bringing you exclusive content and recaps of racing from today and yesterday.
Join us tomorrow for the 151st Kentucky Derby 2025!
A total of 21 three-year-olds are entered for Saturday’s highly anticipated $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs.
Kentucky Derby Picks
- #8 Journalism
- #3 Final Gambit
- #18 Sovereignty
- #1 Citizen Bull
Kentucky Derby Wagers
- $20 Exacta: 8 with 1,3,18
- $3 Trifecta: 8 with 1,3,18 with 1,3,7,13,14,17,18
- $1 Superfecta: 3,18 with 1,3,8,18 with 1,3,8,18 with 1,3,7,8,13,14,17,18
The much-anticipated 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) will take place at Churchill Downs on Saturday. Run at 1 1/4 miles on the dirt, the $5 million extravaganza attracted 21 three-year-olds in what promises to be a memorable event.
With larger fields of high-quality horses, there are many angles to take when finding selections for betting. Here are suggestions on approaching your bets with a variety of budgets.
The 2025 Kentucky Derby is quickly approaching! Catch all the horse racing news directly from the race track for Kentucky Derby 2025. Stay up-to-date with exclusive interviews, picks, live odds and more.
Bless the Broken trained by Will Walden with rider John Velazquez. Check out previous wins, workout and interviews!
Winner of the 2025 Kentucky Oaks!
Discover what all the hype is about. Join TwinSpires tournaments!
#11 Good Cheer made it 7 wins in succession after exuding her class in a powerful win for trainer Brad Cox. Yet another star performance on a day full of them!
#4 Drexel Hill rallied for a very good second at huge odds as the Medaglia d'Oro line sweeps the top two spots in the Oaks.
6-5 favorite Good Cheer overcame racing wide around both turns to win the Kentucky Oaks (G1) in convincing fashion. She advanced on the final turn, wore down the leaders early in the homestretch, and forged on to score by about two lengths over longshot Drexel Hill.
You don’t need to be a millionaire to win a big bet on the Kentucky Derby (G1). Play the right horse(s) in the right situation, and even a small budget can yield a lucrative payoff.
Since the turn of the century, several ordinary bettors have cashed six-figure and even seven-figure payoffs on Kentucky Derby bets. Their stories serve as reminders of why the Kentucky Derby is “the most exciting two minutes in sports.”
Here are the stories of four bettors who won big playing the Kentucky Derby:
Kentucky Derby Coverage
Welcome to Kentucky Derby 2025!
LIVE Kentucky Derby Day coverage of all the major stakes race action begins at 12:00 PM. Stay-tuned!
We now have another historic Derby in the books. Congratulations to Sovereignty for the great win! Thank you to our panel of experts, Churchill Downs, and especially everyone that joined us today with comments, questions, and more.
We look forward to seeing everyone again next year and at our next LIVE coverage event!
Picture the scene: the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) is in the history books, and you’ve cashed several lucrative wagers. You’re still basking in the excitement and aren’t quite ready for the day to end.
Fortunately, horse racing doesn’t end with the Kentucky Derby. Several other tracks are available to bet on in the evening after the Derby is run. Several are overseas—in Japan, Australia, and South Korea, for example—but stateside tracks are also worthy of your attention.
The Triple Crown is one of the biggest events in horse racing. It includes three major races: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. Each race is held at a different track and has its own date, time and broadcast schedule.
This guide gives you the full 2025 Triple Crown schedule. You will learn when and where each race takes place, how to watch live on TV and how to stream each event online. Whether you are watching for fun or placing a bet, this article will help you follow the action from start to finish.
Baeza trained by John Shirreffs with rider Flavien Prat. Check out the previous wins, workout and interviews! Click HERE to add Baeza to your stable!
RELATED: Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Baeza
RELATED: Baeza – Kentucky Derby Context
The time has arrived for the best 2 minutes in sports! If you haven't placed those bets, or have a last minute best bet to get in after seeing the contenders, the time is NOW! Place those bets below!
Check out all of our current tournaments and get in on the fun!
The Kentucky Derby (G1) is undoubtedly among the most exhilarating sporting events across the globe. Dubbed “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports”, the Run for the Roses attracts 20 three-year-olds on a yearly basis in a spectacular race beneath the Twin Spires at Churchill Downs on the First Saturday in May. A crowd eclipsing 150,000 is the norm, and in 2015 more than 170,000 people went through the turnstiles!
As I outlined on TwinSpires in my story "How Keeler Johnson is betting the 2025 Kentucky Derby," I'm eager to place a win bet on #8 Journalism at his 7-2 odds, and I'm also getting involved in trifectas primarily emphasizing #18 Sovereignty underneath.
Here are my proposed wagers on a $200 budget:
· $100 to win on #8 Journalism
· $3.50 Trifecta: 8 with 18 with 1,3,7,17,21 ($17.50)
· $3 Trifecta: 8 with 1,3,7,17,21 with 18 ($15)
· $2 Trifecta: 8 with 1,3,7,17,21 with 1,3,7,17,21 ($40)
· $1 Trifecta: 8 with 18 with 9,11,16,19 ($4)
· $1 Trifecta: 8 with 9,11,16,19 with 18 ($4)
· 50-cent Trifecta: 8 with 1,3,7,17,21 with 9,11,16,19 ($10)
· 50-cent Trifecta: 8 with 9,11,16,19 with 1,3,7,17,21 ($10)
Total: $200.50
