2025 Santa Anita Derby prediction, odds, contenders: Surprising picks from expert who nailed Breeders' Cup

After hitting the winners of the Robert B. Lewis Stakes, Saudi Cup and San Felipe Stakes this year, Michelle Yu offers her best bets for the Santa Anita Derby 2025 in Arcadia, Ca.

By Chelena Goldman

Apr 5, 2025 at 3:19 pm ET • 2 min read

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The stage is set for the 2025 Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park, one of the most important Kentucky Derby prep races left this spring. Twenty horses who have competed in the Santa Anita Derby have gone on to compete in the Run for the Roses, and 10 of them have won both. This last happened in 2018 when Justify won the Santa Anita Derby en route to winning the elusive Triple Crown. Journalism is the 6-5 favorite to win the Santa Anita Derby 2025, which has a post time of 7:46 p.m. ET on Saturday. Citizen Bull (9-5), Barnes (3-1), Baeza (6-1) and Westwood (20-1) round out the top contenders in the 2025 Santa Anita Derby odds. With talented three-year-olds set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see what Santa Anita-based racing reporter and insider Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2025 Santa Anita Derby picks.

Few people in racing are as well-connected as Yu. An on-air host and reporter who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders' Cup, Yu has spent a lifetime in racing. Prior to her television career, she worked for trainers Steve Asmussen and Ron Moquett. She also is married to Santa Anita-based trainer Ryan Hanson.

Yu also has tremendous handicapping chops. In the last two years, Yu nailed the winners of the Pegasus World Cup, Santa Anita Derby, Apple Blossom Handicap, Met Mile, Breeders' Cup Classic, Robert B. Lewis Stakes, Saudi Cup, and San Felipe Stakes, among others. She also nailed the race-day result of the Kentucky Derby in 2021 and 2023. Anyone who has followed her on these picks is way up.

Now, Yu has handicapped the 2025 Santa Anita Derby lineup, made her picks and constructed her best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.

Top 2025 Santa Anita Derby predictions

One surprise: Yu is high on Citizen Bull, even though he is one of the favorites at betting sites at 9-5. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has two horses racing in the 2025 Santa Anita Derby field and the expert is leaning on this son of Into Mischief to be a big contender.

Citizen Bull has three wins in four career starts. That includes a victory his last time out in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes, which was also held at Santa Anita Park. In that race, the colt stumbled out of the gate but was able to take a commanding lead at the first turn and never lose ground. You can see all of Yu's 2025 Santa Anita Derby bets here.

How to make 2025 Santa Anita Derby picks

Yu is also eyeing a horse who "has been absolutely working lights-out." She is including this horse in her 2025 Santa Anita Derby bets, and so should you. She's sharing which 2025 Santa Anita Derby horses to back at SportsLine.

So who wins the 2025 Santa Anita Derby? And which horse shocks at Santa Anita Park? Visit SportsLine to see Yu's picks for the Santa Anita Derby 2025, all from the Santa Anita-based racing insider who nailed the Breeders' Cup Classic, and find out.