Early Preview: Best Bets for the 2025 Kentucky Derby

• The best early futures bet for the 2025 Kentucky Derby is Citizen Bull due to great recent results and a strong likelihood the horse will qualify for the event.
• Betting on Bob Baffert to train the winning horse at the Kentucky Derby with +275 odds at Bovada is the best special bet for the race because of his history at Churchill Downs and the number of horses he’s training this year that are projected to compete.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – An early look at the 2025 Kentucky Derby betting odds reveals that there are two potentially very profitable bets on the board.

At Bovada, those bets are on Citizen Bull to win with +1600 and on Bob Baffert to be the trainer for the winner with +275 odds.

Bet on Citizen Bull to Win the Kentucky Derby in 2025

As it is still very early in the qualifying process, odds at Kentucky Derby online betting sites are quite long for every horse in the race. Citizen Bull is one of the early co-favorites for the event, with bettors able to bet on the Baffert-trained horse with +1600 odds.

2025 Early Kentucky Derby Odds

• Citizen Bull +1600
• Barnes +1600
• Rated By Merit +1600
• East Avenue +2000
• Gaming +2000
• Chancer McPatrick +2500
• San Saba +2500
• Madaket Road +2800
• Admiral Dennis +3000
• Bullard +3000

Citizen Bull is the best bet with +1600 odds because their 40 qualifying points are the most in the Road to the Kentucky Derby standings.

Citizen Bull’s 40 points is more than double that of second-place Gaming (18 points).

The horse has accumulated those points by winning three of its four documented races. Citizen Bull has won back-to-back events, the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and the American Pharoah S. Presented by DK Horse. Both events are Grade 1 stakes, making the victories very impressive.

With long odds, recent success, and the best chance at actually qualifying for the race, the best bet to win the Kentucky Derby in 2025 is Citizen Bull with +1600 odds.

Bet on Bob Baffert to Train the Kentucky Derby Winner

One of the reasons that Bovada is consistently rated the highest out of all legal sports betting sites is that it creates unique specials that have great odds. The betting site has done just that for the 2025 Kentucky Derby.

Bob Baffert to Train the Winner

• Yes +275
• No -400

Baffert, the winningest trainer in the history of the Kentucky Derby, is almost always a good bet to have trained the winning horse at the Derby.

Coming off a three-year suspension, bettors may be getting longer odds than they may expect at legal online racebooks due to his inactivity at Churchill Downs.

Two reasons exist as to why betting on Bob Baffert’s +275 odds to train the Kentucky Derby winner is a good bet:

• Baffert’s Kentucky Derby History: Bob Baffert is tied with Ben A. Jones for most Kentucky Derby wins by a trainer in the event’s history. He was not slowing down at all prior to his suspension. Baffert trained the 2021 winner turned disqualified horse Medin Spirit, the 2020 winner Authentic, and the 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. That’s three wins in his past four Kentucky Derbies or two wins in his past three Derbies if you remove the 2021 result from his history.
• Baffert’s Strong 2025 Group: A bet on Baffert to train the winning horse in 2025 likely means that bettors are going to be banking on one of multiple horses to take home The Run for the Roses. That’s because Baffert is the trainer for the three horses with the most qualifying points (Citizen Bull, Gaming, and Getaway Car). Additionally, Bob Baffert is training three of the five horses with the best Kentucky Derby Odds (Citizen Bull +1600, Barnes +1600, and Gaming +2000). Betting on Bob Baffert now is a strong bet because he is training many of the top options for the 2025 Kentucky Derby.

News tags: Barnes | Bovada | Citizen Bull | Gaming | Getaway Car | Kentucky | Kentucky Derby