2025 Santa Anita Derby Betting Odds and Contenders Preview

The southern California spur of the Kentucky Derby trail draws to a close on Saturday, April 5, with the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. The $500,000 race is one of the most important and historic stops on the Kentucky Derby trail. Though the race drew only a field of five, it drew several of the futures market leaders, including San Felipe (G2) top two finishers Journalism and Barnes, as well as juvenile champion and Robert B. Lewis (G2) winner Citizen Bull.

Typically, it is a 100-point prep, but under a new rule for the 2024-25 season, allotments of Kentucky Derby points are lowered 25% if only five horses start, and are dropped 50% if the field is four or fewer. With five horses drawn into the field, points will be allotted 75.00-37.50-18.75-11.25-7.5 to each finisher if they all start, still enough to guarantee the winner a trip to Kentucky. Should one or more horses scratch, points will be allotted 50-25-12.5-7.5, still enough to send the winner to Churchill Downs.

The Santa Anita Derby is one of the most important races on the Kentucky Derby trail. Ten of its winners have gone on to win the Kentucky Derby, including two Triple Crown winners, Justify (2018) and Affirmed (1978). Other recent winners to win this race and the blanket of roses include locally bred hero California Chrome (2014) as well as I’ll Have Another (2012).

Keep up with the latest Kentucky Derby odds and discover the top Kentucky Derby contenders as they are revealed.

Santa Anita Derby 2025 Information

• Race Date: Saturday, April 5, 2025
• Track: Santa Anita Park
• Post Time: 4:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
• Distance: 1 1/8 miles
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV, CNBC, Peacock
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

Santa Anita Derby Odds

This is the field for the 2025 Santa Anita Derby, including the post positions, trainers, jockeys, and official morning-line odds for each runner.

Santa Anita Derby Prep Results

The five horses in the field come from four different races, all of which at Santa Anita Park. Three of the runners come out of points races. Journalism and Barnes ran 1-2 in the San Felipe (G2) last out, with Journalism 1 ¾ lengths clear of Barnes, but that one 9 ½ lengths clear of third-place Rodriguez, who gets away from these foes and runs in the Wood (G2) at Aqueduct on Saturday instead of this local spot. Citizen Bull has freshened up since a victory in the Robert B. Lewis (G2), where he set the pace and finished 3 ¾ lengths clear of his stablemate, the aforementioned Rodriguez.

The John Shirreffs pair both come out of maiden races, and will try winners for the first time in the Santa Anita Derby. Baeza took three starts to graduate but put it all together February 14 in a dirt mile, where he pressed the pace and cleared off by 4 ¾ lengths. Westwood ran into trouble in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight last out but still managed to finish a gaining second, 1 ¼ lengths behind Voldemort, in his last start.

Santa Anita Derby Contenders

These are the contenders in the 2025 Santa Anita, organized by post position:

1. Journalism: The consensus futures favorite going into the final week of Kentucky Derby prep races, this Michael McCarthy trainee was defeated in his sprint debut last year but has rattled off three straight wins in his two-turn starts, including victories in both the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) and San Felipe. He is showing improving speed figures in his victories, and his tactical speed and affinity for the Santa Anita course both bode well for his chances. The stretch out to 1 ⅛ miles should also suit him beautifully, being by classic-oriented Curlin out of the Uncle Mo mare Mopotism, who was herself Grade 1-placed going that distance.
2. Citizen Bull: Last year’s juvenile champion, the leader of the Bob Baffert pair in this race, has only started once at three. In that start, the Robert B. Lewis, he looked like he picked up exactly where he left off: he made the lead despite not starting perfectly, and left no doubt who the winner was. Strangely, the only horse who shapes as possible company on the lead for him is Barnes, who hails from the same barn (though has completely different ownership). If he runs his race, he will be the horse Journalism has to catch.
3. Westwood: He is the second-stringer from the John Shirreffs barn, and the only maiden in the field. He appears to be improving, and ran a good second from a stalking style last out. However, he needs a sharp improvement to contend with the more proven stakes horses in this field. And, especially since his owner is also one of the owners of the somewhat better-proven Baeza, it’s hard to think he wasn’t entered just to take a shot and ensure as many Kentucky Derby points as possible for Baeza to pursue.
4. Barnes: The Bob Baffert “B” in this race, he shined in the seven-furlong San Vicente two starts back but was no match for Journalism last out in the San Felipe, his first try at a two-turn trip. The 1 ⅛-mile trip is a question: not only was he no match going shorter than that last out, but even though he is out of an American Pharoah mare and sire Into Mischief has sired all kinds, his dam’s family has a lot more sprinter-miler class than route class. That may add up to an underlay, especially between the inevitable Baffert money and the buzzy $3.2 million auction price.
5. Baeza: The better-regarded of the John Shirreffs pair, Baeza took three starts to put it together, but he took a sharp step forward when breaking his maiden by 4 ¾ lengths. He was nicely forward in that maiden win, pressing the pace before drawing off. The question is whether he can go fast enough and sustain it against a better speed horse like Citizen Bull. But, the outside draw bodes well for him getting a clean trip if it turns out he can keep pace with better company. And, the pedigree screams distance: sire McKinzie won the Whitney (G1) at 1 ⅛ miles, and he is a half-brother to both Kentucky Derby winner Mage and Belmont Stakes winner Dornoch.

Santa Anita Derby Past Winners Past Performances

In the last ten years, nine of the last ten winners of the Santa Anita Derby made their last start at Santa Anita. Among those, six of them last raced in the San Felipe (G2), though only two of the last five winners came out of that race: Practical Move (2023) won it, and Honor A. P. (2020) was second in the San Felipe before winning the Santa Anita Derby. Looking a bit further back, Dortmund (2015) came in off of a win in the San Felipe, Exaggerator (2016) was third, and Gormley (2017) was fourth.

Rock Your World (2021) won the Pasadena, a listed race on the lawn. Justify (2018) and Roadster (2019) came out of allowance wins; Justify made his stakes debut in the Santa Anita Derby while Roadster was a Grade 1-placed juvenile. Taiba (2022) came out of a debut maiden win.

The only recent winner to make his last start away from Santa Anita is Stronghold (2024). He got a confidence-builder in the Sunland Park Derby (G3) and parlayed that win into Santa Anita Derby glory as well.

Santa Anita Derby Undercard

On Santa Anita Derby day, the Santa Anita Derby is the tenth race out of twelve on Saturday at Santa Anita, with five of the races on the card being stakes races. In addition to the Santa Anita Derby, the card also features the $200,000 Santa Anita Oaks (G2), a 100-point prep race for the Kentucky Oaks.

Other major races on the card include the $100,000 Monrovia (G3) for fillies and mares sprinting on the downhill turf course, and a pair of $125,000 stakes races for older California-bred dirt sprinters, the Echo Eddie and the Evening Jewel. With classy fields and excitement all day long, make plans to watch on FanDuel TV, and to play the card through FanDuel and TVG!

Santa Anita Park

Santa Anita Park began as a part of Rancho Santa Anita. After a series of owners, it was acquired by horse breeder Lucky Baldwin, who built the original Santa Anita Park in 1904. That facility closed in 1909 after a California law banning racetrack gambling, and it burned down in 1912. Horse racing became legal again in California in 1933, after which the Los Angeles Turf Club was formed. They built a new track, the present Santa Anita, which opened on Christmas Day in 1934. Signature Grade 1 races include the Santa Anita Derby, Santa Anita Handicap (known as the Big ‘Cap), and the new California Crown in the fall.

Santa Anita's main track is a one-mile dirt oval. The turf track inside of it is a 0.9-mile grass oval. A unique feature of that Santa Anita turf track is the downhill course, which juts out to the northwest over the far turn, crosses over the dirt, and then joins the turf oval. Santa Anita runs 6 1/2-furlong turf sprints over that course, and also uses it as a start for some of its longer turf routes. The track offers free admission and parking for Friday afternoon racing.

Santa Anita Derby FAQ

Q: When is the Santa Anita Derby?

A: The 2025 Santa Anita Derby happens Saturday, April 5, at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. It is carded as the tenth race of 12 on the card.

Q: Where is the Santa Anita Derby?

A: It takes place at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Santa Anita Derby?

A: Trainer Bob Baffert leads all trainers with nine wins in the Santa Anita Derby, most recently in 2019 with Roadster. He can make it ten if either Citizen Bull or Barnes wins in 2025.

Q: Who is the favorite for the 2025 Santa Anita Derby?

A: Journalism, who beat Barnes in the San Felipe last out, is the 6-5 morning-line favorite and should hold as the choice to post time. Watch the price on Citizen Bull (8-5), however; he has yet to clash with Journalism this year and might at least challenge him for favoritism.

Q: Who is the best Santa Anita Derby jockey?

A: Gary Stevens won the Santa Anita Derby nine times between 1988 and 2003. No jockey entered this year has won more than once, though Martin Garcia (Citizen Bull) or Umberto Rispoli (Journalism) can win for the second time in 2025.

Q: Who won the 2024 Santa Anita Derby?

A: Stronghold won the Santa Anita Derby in 2024 for jockey Antonio Fresu and trainer Phil D’Amato. Neither returns to the field for 2025.

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