Post position can make or break the most talented horses in the world, especially in a 20-horse 2025 Kentucky Derby field. Post position No. 1 is nicknamed the "dreaded rail" since no horse since 1986 has won the Kentucky Derby from the first gate.

Journalism enters this year's race as the favorite, thanks in part to a four-race win streak, including an April 5 victory in the Santa Anita Derby, a come-from-behind victory that saw him make the necessary adjustments to secure the momentum-sustaining win.

Legendary trainer Bob Baffert 's return to the Kentucky Derby tops the list. Back at Churchill Downs for the first time in three years following his suspension due to a failed post-race drug test involving his horse, Medina Spirit, after the 2021 Kentucky Derby, Baffert returns with multiple entries ( Citizen Bull, Madaket Road, Rodriguez ).