The 151st running of the Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday night at 7:02 PM EST at Churchill Downs, the track in Louisville, Kentucky where the race — nicknamed "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports" — has been held every year since 1875. That's almost two decades before the sport of basketball was even invented.
This race always lives up to that billing. Whether it's a photo finish or a blowout in the Kentucky Derby, we always love seeing the action play out at the pinnacle of horse racing. Who could forget American Pharoah's dominance en route to the Triple Crown? Similarly, when longshot Rich Strike shocked the world and won a few years ago, that was equally as thrilling.
Churchill Downs is where the world feels like it descends upon every first Saturday of May and so many eyes tune in when they've probably not watched a horse race all year prior. But how did the 151st Run for the Roses play out? We have you covered with the full results.
Who won the 2025 Kentucky Derby? Full finishing order
Sovereignty won the 2025 Kentucky Derby on Saturday with a sloppy, muddy track at Churchill Downs, besting the favorite, Journalism, with a wonderful push down the stretch and a winning time of 2:02:31.
Place | Horse |
|---|---|
Winner | Sovereignty |
2 | Journalism |
3 | Baeza |
4 | Final Gambit |
5 | Owen Almighty |
6 | Burnham Square |
7 | Sandman |
8 | East Avenue |
9 | Chunk of Gold |
10 | Tiztastic |
11 | Coal Battle |
12 | Luxor Cafe |
13 | Neoequos |
14 | Publisher |
15 | Citizen Bull |
16 | American Promise |
17 | Render Judgment |
18 | Flying Mohawk |
19 | Admire Daytona |
The favorite, Journalism, and Sovereignty were neck-and-neck down the stretch but the winner pulled ahead at Churchill Downs to shake things up in a massive way.
Who was favored to win the 2025 Kentucky Derby?
Journalism enters the race as the odds-on favorite (4-1) to win the Derby, and that's great news, because journalism has taken some big losses recently. The media form, not the horse. In fact, the horse has not taken any losses recently, winning his past four races.
Sandman comes in with the second-best odds in this race at 5-1, barely behind Journalism a few hours before the horses take their positions. This is not betting advice, for the record. If you can even figure out how all the numbers work, more power to you.
Who won the 2024 Kentucky Derby?
Mystik Dan shocked the world last year, winning the derby after entering race day with 20-1 odds and winning in one of the crazier finishes in recent Derby memory, beating out Sierra Leone by a nose and Forever Young by a head. It was a three-way photo finish, with the underdog (underhorse?) Mystik Dan pulling ahead, quite literally, at the last millisecond.
Mystik Dan has not won a race since last year's Derby, and will not run in the 2025 race.
Son of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah running in 2025 Derby
Nepo baby alert! American Pharoah, one of just two Triple Crown winners since 1978, is no longer racing, but his son, Luxor Cafe will run in the 2025 Kentucky Derby. Although not one of the favorites (15-1 odds) Luxor Cafe will likely be a fan favorite pick.