2025 Kentucky Derby Photos
Date: 4/28/2025
Sunday morning six days before the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs was busy and the track was listed as fast. Conditions were sunny during training hours with the temperatures in the high 40's during the Derby/Oaks special training window. Six Derby entrants recorded timed works but no Oaks entrants worked today.
- Sovereignty rules in the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) - Saturday at Churchill Downs, Sovereignty came six wide in the mud to win the Kentucky Derby (G1) by 1 1/2 lengths over favorite Journalism with Baeza third. Get the results, chart, and photos here.
- Kentucky Derby Undercard Stakes Results- There were 7 other graded stakes on the card with the Derby, including the Old Forester Turf Classic (G1) won by Spirit of St Louis, the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2) won by Simply in Front, the Derby City Distaff (G1) won by Kopion, the Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) won by Mindframe, the American Turf (G2) won by Zulu Kingdom, the Pat Day Mile (G2) won by Macho Music, and the Twin Spires Turf Sprint (G2) won by Think Big. Get the results, charts, and photos here.
- Good Cheer wins the 2025 Kentucky Oaks (G1) - Friday at Churchill Downs, favorite Good Cheer rallied to win the Kentucky Oaks (G1) by a 2 1/4 lengths in the mud over Drexel Hill and Bless the Broken. Get the results, chart, and photos here.
- Kentucky Oaks Undercard Stakes Results - There were 6 other stakes on the card today with the Oaks, including the La Troienne (G1) won by Raging Sea, the Alysheba (G2) won by Fierceness, the Eight Belles (G2) won by Look Forward, the Edgewood Stakes (G2) won by Nitrogen, and the Modesty (G3) won by She Feels Pretty. Get the results, charts, and photos here.
- 2025 Kentucky Derby Analysis - Our annual analysis of the top contenders to try and select a winner by matching each to the profile of a Kentucky Derby winner using many of the more popular angles and statistical trends. This year there is tie for first, but the favorite isn't up there!
- 2025 Thurby Results - Thursday before the Kentucky Derby is known as Thurby and there were three stakes on the card today: the Opening Verse, Kentucky Juvenile, and St Matthews Stake
- 2025 Kentucky Derby Photos - Thursday 5/1 at Churchill Downs busy again with lots of Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses out for a gallop, including Citizen Bull, Final Gambit, and Luxor Cafe. Photos and comments for 13 Derby horses, 4 Oaks fillies, plus Dubai World Cup winner Hit Show.
- 2025 Kentucky Derby Photos - Wednesday 4/30 at Churchill Downs was busy with many Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses on the track, including American Promise, Journalism, and Tiztastic. Photos and comments for 13 Derby horses and 6 Oaks fillies.
- 2025 Kentucky Derby Photos - Tuesday 4/29 at Churchill Downs was warmer and saw many Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses on the track, including Rodriguez, Final Gambit, and Sandman. Photos and comments for 11 Derby horses and 6 Oaks fillies.
- 2025 Kentucky Derby Photos - Monday 4/28 at Churchill Downs saw two Kentucky Derby horses on the track with timed works, Citizen Bull and Coal Battle. Photos and comments for 9 Derby horses and 6 Oaks fillies.
- 2025 Kentucky Derby Photos - Saturday 4/26 at Churchill Downs saw five Kentucky Derby and six Oaks horses on the track with timed works, including Journalism, Sovereignty, and La Cara. Photos and comments for 13 Derby and 6 Oaks horses.
- 2025 Kentucky Derby Photos - Friday 4/25 at Churchill Downs saw many Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses on the track with several timed works, including Journalism, Tenma, and Burnham Square. Thorpedo Anna also made an appearance. Photos and comments for 10 Derby and 6 Oaks horses.
- 2025 Kentucky Derby Entries - On Saturday the post positions were drawn for the 151st Kentucky Derby and a full field of 20 3-year-old colts plus one also-eligible, with 3-1 morning line favorite Journalism drawing post 8. Get the horses, post positions, and free past performances here.
- 2025 Kentucky Oaks Entries - On Saturday the post positions were drawn for the 151st Longines Kentucky Oaks and a full field of 14 3-year-old fillies, with 6-5 morning line favorite Good Cheer drawing post 11. Get the horses, post positions, and free past performances here.
Video for this morning's work can be viewed here on YouTube. Videos of individual horses in timed works can be found here.
Below are photos and comments for 11 Derby horses and 5 Oaks fillies.
Kentucky Derby
Baeza – galloped under exercise rider Frankie Herrate with a timed work scheduled for Monday. Trainer John Shirreffs said, "We're ready."
Chunk of Gold – jogged under trainer Ethan West and then went to the saltwater spa. West said, "I'd rather have post 19 then not have a post at all. I was hoping for the middle portion of the gate to have a better chance at not going so wide into the turn. Jareth (Loveberry) has time to try and get into position into the turn. We're taking it all in and as long as the horse is happy, I'm happy."
Citizen Bull – galloped twice around under exercise rider Humberto Gomez. He will work Monday under jockey Martin Garcia.
East Avenue - worked 5f in 59.40 under jockey Manny Franco, getting the opening quarter in 24.20 and then out 6f in 1:12.20. "We're really happy with our draw," trainer Brendan Walsh said. "There's a lot of speed on our inside so I think it's a good spot to be."
Journalism – worked 5f in 1:01.40 under jockey Umberto Rispoli, preceded by splits of :13.60, :25.80 and :37.60 and followed by some "out" marks of 1:13.60 and 1:26.80. "He was good today," Rispoli said. "Very professional. He's a professional horse; a pleasure to ride." Trainer Mike McCarthy added, "I was very pleased with the work. Umberto was happy, so that's good. He'll just walk tomorrow. It's all good for now."
Neoequos – trained for the first time at Churchill Downs Sunday morning, jogging at 7:15 a.m. for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.
Owen Almighty – galloped a mile and a half under Antonio Orellana for trainer Brian Lynch at 7:15. Assigned morning line odds of 30-1, Owen Almighty drew post 20 for the Derby.
Publisher – with Wilson Fabian in the irons, breezed a half-mile in :49. Trainer Steve Asmussen said, "It's an ideal draw for both of them being next to each other. They've been training together, everything is coming together perfectly. I just hope we can catch a day that's going to be sunny and a fast track. We couldn't be more excited." Stablemate Tiztastic worked 4f in :50.20.
Rodriguez – worked 5f in 1:00, splits in :12.20, :24.20, :36.20 and :47.60, then "out" in 1:12.60 and 1:27 under exercise rider Eric Garcia. Garcia said, "Amazing work; amazing. He was in hand all the way." Trainer Bob Baffert added, "Yes, it was an amazing work. Right over there, on our shedrow rail, that's where the roses are going to hang."
Sandman – visited the starting gate and then galloped a mile and a half under Froylan Garcia for trainer Mark Casse at 7:15. Casse said, "The 14 through the 17 are about the same. (Jockey) Jose (Ortiz) was happy with it (17). I didn't ask Sandman yet, but I am sure he is fine with it."
Sovereignty – worked 5f in 1:01.80 during the special Derby/Oaks training period. Regular exercise rider Javier Cardona was at the controls as he took the Into Mischief colt through splits of :25.40, :37.80 and then went "out" in 1:15. Trainer Bill Mott oversaw the activity trackside on his ever-present pony. "Liked what I saw," the conditioner said. "He looked good coming through the stretch."
Kentucky Oaks
Bless the Broken galloped 1 1/2 miles under Genis Bracho during the 7:15-7:30 training window for Derby and Oaks horses.
Early On galloped twice around.
Five G made her initial appearance on the main track at Churchill Downs Sunday morning at 7:25, galloping 1 1/4 miles under Raul Alejandro for trainer George Weaver.
La Cara galloped 1 1/2 miles during the 7:15-7:30 training window under Kevin Donnis for trainer Mark Casse. "The seven is a great post for her," Casse said of the recent Ashland (G1) winner.
Quickick galloped 1 1/2 miles under Rafael Rustrian at 7:15 for trainer Tom Amoss. Two times Grade 1-placed, Quickick will exit post 5 under Umberto Rispoli as a 30-1 proposition.
Photos courtesy of Amber Chalfin of Downthestretchphotos.com.
2025 Triple Crown quick links:
- Preakness Entries - A field of only 9 was entered for the Preakness with Journalism the favorite at 8-5 from post 2 and Sandman second choice at 4-1 from post 8. Check out the horses with post positions, odds, and free past performances.
- Sovereignty rules in the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) - Saturday at Churchill Downs, Sovereignty came six wide in the mud to win the Kentucky Derby (G1) by 1 1/2 lengths over favorite Journalism with Baeza third. Get the results, chart, and photos here.
- Kentucky Derby Undercard Stakes Results- There were 7 other graded stakes on the card with the Derby, including the Old Forester Turf Classic (G1) won by Spirit of St Louis, the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2) won by Simply in Front, the Derby City Distaff (G1) won by Kopion, the Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) won by Mindframe, the American Turf (G2) won by Zulu Kingdom, the Pat Day Mile (G2) won by Macho Music, and the Twin Spires Turf Sprint (G2) won by Think Big. Get the results, charts, and photos here.
- Good Cheer wins the 2025 Kentucky Oaks (G1) - Friday at Churchill Downs, favorite Good Cheer rallied to win the Kentucky Oaks (G1) by a 2 1/4 lengths in the mud over Drexel Hill and Bless the Broken. Get the results, chart, and photos here.
- Kentucky Oaks Undercard Stakes Results - There were 6 other stakes on the card today with the Oaks, including the La Troienne (G1) won by Raging Sea, the Alysheba (G2) won by Fierceness, the Eight Belles (G2) won by Look Forward, the Edgewood Stakes (G2) won by Nitrogen, and the Modesty (G3) won by She Feels Pretty. Get the results, charts, and photos here.
- 2025 Thurby Results - Thursday before the Kentucky Derby is known and Thurby and there were three stakes on the card today: the Opening Verse, Kentucky Juvenile, and St Matthews Stakes won by Brilliant Berti, Pinky Finger, and Fort Bragg on Thurby. Get the results, charts, and photos here.
- 2025 Kentucky Derby Entries - On Saturday the post positions were drawn for the 151st Kentucky Derby and a full field of 20 3-year-old colts plus one also-eligible, with 3-1 morning line favorite Journalism drawing post 8. Get the horses, post positions, and free past performances here.
- 2025 Kentucky Oaks Entries - On Saturday the post positions were drawn for the 151st Longines Kentucky Oaks and a full field of 14 3-year-old fillies, with 6-5 morning line favorite Good Cheer drawing post 11. Get the horses, post positions, and free past performances here.
- 2025 Kentucky Derby Analysis - Our annual analysis of the top contenders to try and select a winner by matching each to the profile of a Kentucky Derby winner using many of the more popular angles and statistical trends. This year there is tie for first, but the favorite isn't up there!
- 2025 Kentucky Derby Photos - Thursday 5/1 at Churchill Downs busy again with lots of Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses out for a gallop, including Citizen Bull, Final Gambit, and Luxor Cafe. Photos and comments for 13 Derby horses, 4 Oaks fillies, plus Dubai World Cup winner Hit Show.
- 2025 Kentucky Derby Photos - Wednesday 4/30 at Churchill Downs was busy with many Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses on the track, including American Promise, Journalism, and Tiztastic. Photos and comments for 13 Derby horses and 6 Oaks fillies.
- 2025 Kentucky Derby Photos - Tuesday 4/29 at Churchill Downs was warmer and saw many Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses on the track, including Rodriguez, Final Gambit, and Sandman. Photos and comments for 11 Derby horses and 6 Oaks fillies.
- 2025 Kentucky Derby Photos - Monday 4/28 at Churchill Downs saw two Kentucky Derby horses on the track with timed works, Citizen Bull and Coal Battle. Photos and comments for 9 Derby horses and 6 Oaks fillies.
- 2025 Kentucky Derby Photos - Sunday 4/27 at Churchill Downs saw six Kentucky Derby horses on the track with timed works, including East Avenue, Rodriguez, and Publisher. Photos and comments for 11 Derby and 5 Oaks horses.
- 2025 Kentucky Derby Photos - Saturday 4/26 at Churchill Downs saw five Kentucky Derby and six Oaks horses on the track with timed works, including Journalism, Sovereignty, and La Cara. Photos and comments for 13 Derby and 6 Oaks horses.
- 2025 Kentucky Derby Photos - Friday 4/25 at Churchill Downs saw many Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses on the track with several timed works, including Journalism, Tenma, and Burnham Square. Thorpedo Anna also made an appearance. Photos and comments for 10 Derby and 6 Oaks horses.
- Kentucky Derby Winners and Auction Prices - Bigger may seem better, but in the case of Kentucky Derby horses who sold at auction, less is more. Here is a look at how (badly) high priced auction purchases have done in the Kentucky Derby and the auction prices for this year's top Derby horses.
- Derby Weather Forecasts - up to 15 days in advance
- Kentucky Derby Points List - this is what determines which horses can get in the Kentucky Derby field.
- 2025 Road to the Kentucky Derby - All the point earning races on the Triple Crown Trail leading up to the Kentucky Derby with results and winners updated as they are run.
- Kentucky Derby Tickets - See what is for sale on Ebay. Includes tickets and parking.
- 2025 Kentucky Derby And Oaks Security - New enhanced stricter rules with no onsite parking were enforced in 2018, and are in effect again this year. Be sure to read the rules if you are attending. There will still be magnetic wand searches of all patrons and many things are no longer allowed. Check here to make sure you don't bring anything they will confiscate.
- Kentucky Derby Future Wager - This year there were 6 pools starting in November of 2024 plus a single pool for the Oaks.
- Kentucky Derby Prep Races - What races should a horse prep in to win the Kentucky Derby? Some races may seem obvious, but have not produced a Derby winner in many years. Find out which races are the best preps here.
- Derby prep race charts - free from DRF
- Kentucky Derby Traditions - Find out all about the big Derby Traditions: the rose garland, the trophy, the Twin Spires, mint juleps, singing "My Old Kentucy Home", fancy hats, celebrities and the annual Derby glasses.
- Fillies in the Kentucky Derby - a look at the 39 fillies who have contested the Run for the Roses and how they did. So far there have been 3 wins, 2 seconds, and 5 thirds.
- Kentucky Derby official site - lots of good info and the latest news here
- Louisville Courier Journal coverage - one of your best news sources for the Derby
- Blood Horse Triple Crown Mania - lots of good info here
- DRF Kentucky Derby Special - Lots of good info like past winners preps, contenders, past performances, and latest news.
- Review: Kentucky Derby Greatest Moments - Commemorative DVD from Churchill Downs with video from 27 different runnings along with interviews, photos, and historical info. Definitely recommended for any racing fan!
- Review: Churchill Downs - America's Most Historic Racetrack by Kimberly Gatto. An entertaining and informative account of the history of the track and it's most famous race, the Kentucky Derby, with lots of photos. Definitely recommended.
- Review: Kentucky Derby Glasses Price Guide - A Comprehensive Guide to Collecting Kentucky Derby Mint Julep Glasses and Shot Glasses edited by Judy Marchman
- Triple Crown Trivia Quiz - test your knowledge of the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont and compete with others.
- Buy advance tickets for the Derby and Oaks - from Churchill Downs and save $5 over the gate price on general admission
- Kentucky Derby Tickets on Ebay
- Triple Crown Trivia Quiz - test your knowledge of the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont and compete with others.
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Baeza – galloped under exercise rider Frankie Herrate with a timed work scheduled for Monday. Trainer John Shirreffs said, "We're ready."
Chunk of Gold – jogged under trainer Ethan West and then went to the saltwater spa. West said, "I'd rather have post 19 then not have a post at all. I was hoping for the middle portion of the gate to have a better chance at not going so wide into the turn. Jareth (Loveberry) has time to try and get into position into the turn. We're taking it all in and as long as the horse is happy, I'm happy."
Citizen Bull – galloped twice around under exercise rider Humberto Gomez. He will work Monday under jockey Martin Garcia.
East Avenue - worked 5f in 59.40 under jockey Manny Franco, getting the opening quarter in 24.20 and then out 6f in 1:12.20. "We're really happy with our draw," trainer Brendan Walsh said. "There's a lot of speed on our inside so I think it's a good spot to be."
Journalism – worked 5f in 1:01.40 under jockey Umberto Rispoli, preceded by splits of :13.60, :25.80 and :37.60 and followed by some "out" marks of 1:13.60 and 1:26.80. "He was good today," Rispoli said. "Very professional. He's a professional horse; a pleasure to ride." Trainer Mike McCarthy added, "I was very pleased with the work. Umberto was happy, so that's good. He'll just walk tomorrow. It's all good for now."
Neoequos – trained for the first time at Churchill Downs Sunday morning, jogging at 7:15 a.m. for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.
Owen Almighty – galloped a mile and a half under Antonio Orellana for trainer Brian Lynch at 7:15. Assigned morning line odds of 30-1, Owen Almighty drew post 20 for the Derby.
Rodriguez – worked 5f in 1:00, splits in :12.20, :24.20, :36.20 and :47.60, then "out" in 1:12.60 and 1:27 under exercise rider Eric Garcia. Garcia said, "Amazing work; amazing. He was in hand all the way." Trainer Bob Baffert added, "Yes, it was an amazing work. Right over there, on our shedrow rail, that's where the roses are going to hang."
Sandman – visited the starting gate and then galloped a mile and a half under Froylan Garcia for trainer Mark Casse at 7:15. Casse said, "The 14 through the 17 are about the same. (Jockey) Jose (Ortiz) was happy with it (17). I didn't ask Sandman yet, but I am sure he is fine with it."
Sovereignty – worked 5f in 1:01.80 during the special Derby/Oaks training period. Regular exercise rider Javier Cardona was at the controls as he took the Into Mischief colt through splits of :25.40, :37.80 and then went "out" in 1:15. Trainer Bill Mott oversaw the activity trackside on his ever-present pony. "Liked what I saw," the conditioner said. "He looked good coming through the stretch."
Bless the Broken galloped 1 1/2 miles under Genis Bracho during the 7:15-7:30 training window for Derby and Oaks horses.
Early On galloped twice around.
Five G made her initial appearance on the main track at Churchill Downs Sunday morning at 7:25, galloping 1 1/4 miles under Raul Alejandro for trainer George Weaver.
La Cara galloped 1 1/2 miles during the 7:15-7:30 training window under Kevin Donnis for trainer Mark Casse. "The seven is a great post for her," Casse said of the recent Ashland (G1) winner.
Quickick galloped 1 1/2 miles under Rafael Rustrian at 7:15 for trainer Tom Amoss. Two times Grade 1-placed, Quickick will exit post 5 under Umberto Rispoli as a 30-1 proposition.