LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – APRIL 26: Sandman runs on the track during the morning training in preparation for the 151th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on April 26, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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Returning to Churchill after serving his three-year ban, six-time Derby winner Bob Baffert notably drew the rail with his athlete Citizen Bull at Churchill Downs’ post position soiree Saturday evening, and his arguably stronger entry, Rodriguez, was slotted just three stalls to the right, square in the four-hole. Both are talented horses, but they will be served the full Derby experience of having a ton of traffic to deal with pretty much instantly, on May 3 at Churchill.
The morning line favorite at 3-1, Journalism, trained by Michael McCarthy and ridden by Umberto Rispoli, has drawn the 8-hole in Churchill’s massive gate, with his nearest early-odds rivals, Sandman (6-1) and Sovereingty (5-1), booked into stalls 17 and 18, respectively. But before we dive into what those positions might offer those athletes, below, the full draw.
(Post Position, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, Morning Line)
1. Citizen Bull, Bob Baffert, Martin Garcia, 20-1
2. Neoequos, Saffie Joseph Jr., Flavien Prat, 30-1
3. Final Gambit, Brad Cox, Luan Machado, 30-1
4. Rodriguez, Bob Baffert, Mike Smith, 12-1
5. American Promise, D. Wayne Lukas, Nik Juarez, 30-1
6. Admire Daytona, Yukihiro Kato, Christophe Lemaire, 30-1
7. Luxor Café, Noriyuki Hori, Joao Moreira, 15-1
8. Journalism, Michael McCarthy, Umberto Rispoli, 3-1
9. Burnham Square, Ian Wilkes, Brian Hernandez Jr., 12-1
10. Grande, Todd Pletcher, John Velazquez, 20-1
11. Flying Mohawk, Whit Beckman, Joe Ramos, 30-1
12. East Avenue, Brendan Walsh, Manny Franco, 20-1
13. Publisher, Steve Asmussen, Irad Ortiz Jr., 20-1
14. Tiztastic, Steve Asmussen, Joel Rosario, 20-1
15. Render Judgment, Kenny McPeek, Julien Leparoux, 30-1
16. Coal Battle, Lonnie Briley, Juan Vargas, 30-1
17. Sandman, Mark Casse, Jose Ortiz, 6-1
18. Sovereignty, Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado, 5-1
19. Chunk of Gold, Ethan West, Jareth Loveberry, 30-1
20. Owen Almighty, Brian Lynch, Javier Castellano, 30-1
Also eligible
21. Baeza, John Shirreffs, Flavien Prat, 12-1
(Source: Churchill Downs, 4/26/2025)
It was Into Mischief’s son Tappan Street, a well-regarded rival to the current top favorites, who changed the face of the field by favoring a leg on a five-furlong work. His jockey Luis Saez flagged it for the team, and the veterinarians were unequivocal: condylar fracture, a common non-career-ending result of repetitive stress on the cannon bone, but requiring surgery. It’s not yet been announced how “medial” it is, which is to say, whether it spirals further up the leg, but it’s not now thought that this is the end of Tappan Street’s athletic career. Result: Tappan Street bowed out, clearing the way for alternate Render Judgement, trained by Kenny McPeek. If another scratch occurs this week, it’s Baeza’s turn to move into the gate.
Because of its sheer size as the proper debut of the three-year-old Class of 2025, the Kentucky Derby is a battle any way you cut it, but we can generalize that there are four basic elements to it. The first and greatest element is the traffic. By definition, there’s traffic everywhere, in every horse race, but in the Derby it is really everywhere, at every moment, and that puts even the less-lightly raced, more mature three-year-olds at a disadvantage. None of them have ever faced traffic on this scale before. Period.
