LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Thursday was the final regular day of training at Churchill Downs prior to Oaks and Derby days, although the racetrack will be open, weather permitting, early Friday and Saturday mornings. It turned out to be another pretty routine morning, with Journalism and Sovereignty still standing out along with East Avenue, who made another strong appearance while galloping just a furlong or so behind Sovereignty.
The following is a rundown of the prospective Derby field with impressions made during training hours over the past two weeks.
No. 1 Citizen Bull – Turned in one of the more impressive local Derby works earlier this week but is facing a tall order trying to become first horse to win Derby from the rail since 1986.
No. 2 Neoequos – His final Derby preps at Gulfstream Park were just okay, and he may ultimately prove better suited to one turn than two.
No. 3 Final Gambit – Synthetic specialist seems to be making transition to dirt quite nicely in the morning and figures to benefit from projected pace scenario. Might just outrun his final odds.
No. 4 Rodriguez – Like stablemate Citizen Bull, he also worked very well over the local strip but does not figure to get same cushy pace setup that contributed to such a big performance in the Wood Memorial.
No. 5 American Promise – Training with good energy on a regular basis locally but struggled in late stages of his final Oaklawn Park work. He is stepping up against much better than he trounced to qualify for Derby at Colonial Downs.
No. 6 Admire Daytona – Hard to really gauge off anything shown locally. Was in maintenance mode when finally allowed to stretch his legs in final Derby breeze earlier this week.
No. 7 Luxor Cafe – Must respect off big effort in his last start but, like countryman Admire Daytona, is hard to get a good line on off a limited local training regimen, including an average-looking maintenance breeze Tuesday.
No. 8 Journalism – Brings best résumé to the table and has checked all the boxes on a regular basis since shipping east. Loved the energy shown galloping out after his lone local drill and continues to look like a million dollars on a regular basis during routine gallops. Might just be in another league than the rest of these.
No. 9 Burnham Square – Continues to improve race to race from a Beyer Speed Figure standpoint and turned in arguably the best pre-Derby work locally. He is another who should benefit from the likely pace. Could prove major upset threat.
:: DRF Kentucky Derby Package: Save on PPs, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more.
No. 10 Grande – Flying a bit under the radar having turned in his final Derby breeze at Keeneland. Has looked good on a regular basis since arriving on the grounds and was arguably best but for traffic issues in the Wood. Another worth a look at double-digit odds.
No. 11 Flying Mohawk – Has done little wrong in the morning here over the past couple of weeks prepping for main-track debut, showing good energy on a regular basis. He is another getting a big class check here.
No. 12 East Avenue – Grand-looking colt has trained as well as anybody up to the race and obviously cycling back to top form off big one in the Blue Grass. He is another whose ability to avoid a potentially suicidal pace duel is likely the key to his success.
No. 13 Publisher – Vastly improved since the addition of blinkers and clearly got the better of mate Tiztastic in pair’s final serious Derby drill. Maiden could prove potential sleeper to grab at least a minor share at a major price in present form.
No. 14 Tiztastic – Arguably the more fancied of trainer Steve Asmussen’s Derby duo on paper but struggled mightily despite being set down for best trying to keep pace with Publisher in aforementioned April 19 drill.
No. 15 Render Judgment – Worked well enough for the task at hand but has shown nothing in any of his outings this season to warrant much confidence in this spot.
:: KENTUCKY DERBY 2025: Field, odds, point standings, news, and more
No. 16 Coal Battle – Has been fully extended in all works exiting his third-place finish in Arkansas Derby and has kept a very light training schedule exiting final blowout on Monday.
No. 17 Sandman – Looks good on a regular basis exiting career-best effort in Arkansas Derby. Has been kept pretty much in maintenance mode in final two Derby breezes.
No. 18 Sovereignty – Historically average work horse has moved forward leaps and bounds in that regard exiting Florida Derby. Had as good a final week of training as anybody coming into the race. Appears ready for best yet.
No. 19 Chunk of Gold – Looked good, on tape, in his final Derby breeze at Turfway Park but will likely need to step forward a whole bunch off anything shown to date to grab a share in here.
No. 20 Owen Almighty – One of several members of this field whose trainer wanted to look elsewhere for his next start and with a running style certainly not conducive to success in a field full of other speed types.
No. 21 Baeza – Obviously a key player off his performance in Santa Anita Derby if fortunate enough to draw into the race. Lone local drill was fine, albeit pretty much just maintenance in design.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.