Mark Pope, Kentucky MBB staff reveal their picks for 2025 Kentucky Derby

We’re only a few more hours away from the 151st Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs.

And if you’re someone who is still unsure of which horse you’ll be placing a wager on for this year’s Kentucky Derby, perhaps Mark Pope can sway your decision. The Kentucky men’s basketball social team posted Derby picks from all six members of the coaching staff. Pope is going with Render Judgement (16-1 odds) as his winner, a horse that is trained by UK fan Kenny McPeek (who recently threw the Ls down next to Pat Kelsey) and is partially owned by the late Toby Keith.

Pope’s right-hand man, Alvin Brooks III, is going with the betting favorite, Journalism (4-1), while Cody Fueger is going with the biggest longshot amongst his peers, Publisher (30-1). Below are the rest of the staff’s picks. Post time is set for 7:02 p.m. ET.

• Mark Pope (Head Coach): Render Judgement (16-1)
• Jason Hart (Assistant Coach): Sandman (5-1)
• Mark Fox (Associate Coach): Sovereignty (9-1)
• Cody Fueger (Assistant Coach): Publisher (30-1)
• Mikhail McLean (Assistant Coach): Burnham Square (17-1)
• Alvin Brooks III (Associate Head Coach): Journalism (4-1)

Who do you have winning the Run for the Roses? pic.twitter.com/CtQOpT5j5y

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) May 3, 2025

Kenny Brooks, WBB staff also shared Derby picks

Head coach Kenny Brooks and the Kentucky women’s basketball staff also shared their Kentucky Derby picks ahead of tonight’s race. Brooks is riding with one of the largest underdogs in the entire 19-horse field, Owen Almighty (37-1), while assistant coach Ciara Gregory is the one picking Journalism to win.

• Kenny Brooks (Head Coach): Owen Almighty (37-1)
• Ciara Gregory (Assistant Coach): Journalism (4-1)
• Lindsey Hicks (Associate Head Coach): Citizen Bull (13-1)
• Will Sims (Director of Scouting): American Promise (12-1)
• Radvile Autukaite (Assistant Coach): Chunk of Gold (27-1)
• Kendall Dillard (Assistant Coach): Admire Daytona (39-1)
• Josh Peterson (Assistant Coach): Burnham Square (17-1)
• Kevin Konopasek (Strength & Conditioning): Luxor Cafe (8-1)

Happy #KentuckyDerby! 🐎🌹 pic.twitter.com/Z9RMK0twrc

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) May 3, 2025

151st Kentucky Derby Odds (via FanDuel)

Post	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Odds
1	Citizen Bull	Bob Baffert	Martin Garcia	13-1
2	Neoequos	Saffie Joseph Jr.	Luis Saez	38-1
3	Final Gambit	Brad Cox	Luan Machado	15-1
4	Rodriguez	Bob Baffert	Mike Smith	SCR
5	American Promise	D. Wayne Lukas	Nik Juarez	12-1
6	Admire Daytona	Yukihiro Kato	Christophe Lemaire	39-1
7	Luxor Cafe	Noriyuki Hori	Joao Moreira	8-1
8	Journalism	Michael McCarthy	Umberto Rispoli	4-1
9	Burnham Square	Ian Wilkes	Brian Hernandez Jr.	17-1
10	Grande	Todd Pletcher	John Velazquez	SCR
11	Flying Mohawk	Whit Beckman	Joe Ramos	28-1
12	East Avenue	Brendan Walsh	Manny Franco	39-1
13	Publisher	Steve Asmussen	Irad Ortiz Jr.	30-1
14	Tiztastic	Steve Asmussen	Joel Rosario	21-1
15	Render Judgment	Kenny McPeek	Julien Leparoux	16-1
16	Coal Battle	Lonnie Briley	Juan Vargas	24-1
17	Sandman	Mark Casse	Jose Ortiz	5-1
18	Sovereignty	Bill Mott	Junior Alvarado	9-1
19	Chunk of Gold	Ethan West	Jareth Loveberry	27-1
20	Owen Almighty	Brian Lynch	Javier Castellano	37-1
21	Baeza	John Shirreffs	Flavien Prat	17-1

Which horse should you go with? Watch the video below for Nick Roush and Peter T. Fornatale’s picks. Get in the game with some help from our friends at NYRA Bets.

Sign up for the NYRA Bets Horse Racing app with promo code KSR25 to get an instant $25 Free Bet AND up to a $200 Deposit Match Bonus to bet the 151st Kentucky Derby! Bet it all now through May 3rd and get your bonus at nyrabets.com/KSR25.

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