2025 Santa Anita Derby Odds Preview: Bet on Journalism

• The best bet to win at the Santa Anita Derby is Journalism with 6-5 odds based on recent speed figures and concerns surrounding other top competitors.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Journalism has the shortest odds and is the best bet to win the 2025 Santa Anita Derby with 6-5 odds at BetOnline. The Michael McCarthy-trained and Umberto Ripoli-jockeyed thoroughbred is the headliner of a small field main event at Santa Anita Park on Saturday night.

Santa Anita Derby Odds

• Journalism 6-5
• Citizen Bull 9-5
• Barnes 3-1
• Baeza 6-1
• Westwood 20-1

Bet on Journalism at the Santa Anita Derby

Journalism is a universal favorite across legal horse racing betting sites like BetOnline and Bovada for the Santa Anita Derby, and for good reason.

The horse has won its last three races, hitting Equibase speed scores of 105, 106, and 110 most recently.

That 110 E Speed is especially important, as that was in the DK Horse San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita Park last month. It is also the highest E Speed that any of the horses in the 2025 Santa Anita Stakes reached in their most recent race.

Most Recent E Speed for Horses in the 2025 Santa Anita Stakes

Citizen Bull and Barnes are tied for the second-fastest most recent E Speed score at 107, but neither score inspires much confidence for people to gamble on them at legal betting sites for unique reasons:

By the time the gates open for the 2025 Santa Anita Derby, it will have been 63 days since Citizen Bull’s last race. That is a long layoff between races.
Barnes’s 107 E Speed score came in a much more recent race, but that was only good enough for a second-place finish because the thoroughbred was beaten by Journalism.

Given those concerns about it’s top competition and the fact that it is coming off a faster race than any other entries, Journalism is the best bet at Santa Anita Park for players looking to cash in on it’s 6-5 Santa Anita Derby odds.

News tags: Baeza | Barnes | California | Citizen Bull | Horse Racing | Journalism | Santa Anita Derby | Westwood