Title: Ashley Anderson Reveals Her 2025 Kentucky Derby Pick: A Look at the Contenders

Ashley Anderson from Twin Spires makes her prediction for which horse will win the 2025 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Journalism is the favored pick to win the Derby by several panelists, while Sovereignty is another top contender. Post position is a key factor to consider when placing bets, and it could impact Journalism’s chances.

With a little more than a week until the Kentucky Oaks and Derby races, The Courier Journal held its annual Better Derby Betting event Wednesday at the Sports & Social Club. Jason Frakes, CJ lead horse racing reporter and Eclipse Award winner, facilitated the conversation, with Ed DeRosa, Horse Racing Nation vice president of content and product development, Churchill Downs track announcer Travis Stone, and TwinSpires digital content strategy manager Ashley Anderson serving as panelists. The group provided insight on each of the Derby horses and gave their predictions.

Here are five takeaways from the event:

Ed DeRosa from Horse Racing Nation reveals his 2025 Kentucky Derby pick. DeRosa, Stone, and Frakes all chose Journalism as their projected Derby winner, while Anderson went with Sovereignty.

“(Journalism has an) amazing, powerful, ground-covering stride,” Stone said. “… He just looks like the horse that’s going to win the race.”

The one concern with Journalism, however, is an inexperienced jockey. Umberto Rispoli is 0 for 2 in the Derby, and his best showing is a ninth-place finish with Endlessly in 2024.

“I think he’s the best 3-year-old,” DeRosa said of Journalism. “Obviously, proving it in the Derby is a tall task, and we’ve seen plenty of the best ones get beat.”

There was no love among the panelists for Admire Daytona, a Japanese horse, nor Luxor Cafe, who was born in Kentucky but trained in Japan. Luxor Cafe has won all three of his races this year, and Admire Daytona is 2-0-0 in three starts.

Though Stone believes that Luxor Cafe has made more strides than Admire Daytona, none of the panelists were convinced that either 3-year-old will be the first Japanese horse to win the Run for the Roses.

“It’s going to happen someday,” Stone said. “Probably not the right horse.”

Journalism will be the favorite in the Derby, but post position could cause some to shy away from him. Where each horse lines up plays a factor in how the panelists feel about their picks. For Anderson, it could also cause Citizen Bull to fly under the radar, especially after his fourth-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby.

“I don’t want to write him off from the Santa Anita Derby,” she said. “I just thought that was a little fluky because he had been doing great otherwise. … I’m still looking at Citizen Bull out of that race.”

Flying Mohawk will be a long shot in the field. Final Gambit and Flying Mohawk are raising eyebrows about where they’ve raced. Neither has raced on a dirt track.

“For me, that’s too much of a wild card,” Anderson said.

Final Gambit won the Jeff Ruby Steaks, reminding the panel of 2022 Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike but not enough to put much stock in him.

“Maybe we get a Rich Strike-esque move, who also came out of the Jeff Ruby Steaks,” DeRosa said. “That was on the rail, though. Final Gambit’s move there was wide. That doesn’t work in the Derby. There’s just too many question marks.”

Churchill Downs track announcer Travis Stone shares Kentucky Oaks pick. DeRosa and Anderson like Good Cheer to win the Oaks, with Anderson noting the filly’s ability to overcome adversity. Good Cheer is undefeated in her career with a Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes victory at Churchill Downs.

“If Good Cheer doesn’t win the Oaks, I don’t know anything about anything,” DeRosa said. “… I think she’s going to be 6-5, and if you give someone 6-5 on a coin flip, you’ll be betting until your thumb blisters from flipping the coin.”

Stone also has Take Charge Milady as a long shot in the race. Trained by Kenny McPeek, whose horses won the Oaks and Derby last year, the filly enters the race after a runner-up finish in the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes and is 2-2-0 in six career starts.

Reach Louisville football, women’s basketball, and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at [email protected] and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.