Kentucky Derby 2025: Meet the trainers for the May 3 classic

The 25 horses with a chance, for now a least, at running in Kentucky Derby 2025 are trained by 20 men. Six of the trainers have won the run for the roses for a total of 16 victories. Four of them have never had a starter in the race.

Here’s a rundown of the trainers, listed alphabetically, who might have a chance in this year’s Kentucky Derby.

Steve Asmussen: Publisher, Tiztastic. The winningest trainer in North America is 0-for-26 in 18 runnings of the Kentucky Derby. He came close in 2022 when favorite Epicenter was caught late by Rich Strike. He also was second with Lookin at Lee in 2017. Tiztastic is fifth on the leaderboard after his win in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, and Publisher, still a maiden after finishing second in the Arkansas Derby (G1), is no. 14.

Bob Baffert: Citizen Bull, Rodriguez, Madaket Road. Baffert has won the Kentucky Derby six times, tied with Ben Jones for the most ever. Baffert had 34 starters, though, and Jones had 11. If Medina Spirit had not been disqualified from the 2021 edition, Baffert would hold the record outright with seven wins. As it is, he won with Silver Charm, 1997; Real Quiet, 1998; War Emblem, 2002; American Pharoah, 2015; Justify, 2018, and Authentic, 2020. Rodriguez is at no. 4 on the leaderboard, mostly because of his win in the Wood Memorial (G2). Citizen Bull is no. 11, and Madaket Road is no. 18.

Whit Beckman: Flying Mohawk. Now in his fifth year of training on his own, Beckman has a Kentucky Derby contender for the second year in a row. Honor Marie, who gave Beckman his only graded-stakes win, was eighth in the Derby last year. This year, he brings Flying Mohawk, who qualified with a runner-up effort in the Jeff Ruby (G3) and is 16th on the leaderboard. Beckman, a Louisville native, also had a training stint in Saudi Arabia in 2014, and he has worked as an assistant for Todd Pletcher, Eoin Harty and Chad Brown.

Lonnie Briley: Coal Battle. This will be the first Kentucky Derby for the 72-year-old Louisiana native. Coal Battle, bought for $70,000 as a yearling, had his first six starts at six tracks. His last three were at Oaklawn, where he won the Smarty Jones and Rebel (G2) before finishing third in the Arkansas Derby. He’s ninth in the standings with 95 points.

Mark Casse: Sandman. Casse has had 10 Derby starters, and none has finished in the money. The closest he came was fourth with Classic Empire in 2017. Sandman will be his first Derby runner since he had Helium and Soup and Sandwich in 2021. The $1.2 million colt is second in the standings with 129 points after winning the Arkansas Derby.

Wayne Catalano: Built. In 40-plus years of training, Catalano has had one Derby starter, Crypto Star, who was fifth in 1997. Built needs help to get to the gate this year, and he’s next in line if there’s a defection. He’s winless in three starts this year but picked up points in four points preps.

Brad Cox: Final Gambit, Tappan Street. Cox, also a Louisville native, has had 11 starters in the Kentucky Derby, winning it by disqualification with Mandaloun in 2021 and finishing third with Angel of Empire in 2023 and Essential Quality in 2021. Final Gambit, listed by Churchill Downs as possible for the Derby, qualified with his win in the Jeff Ruby, and Tappan Street comes in at no. 6 on the leaderboard after winning the Florida Derby (G1). Cox had another qualifier with Gotham (G3) winner Flood Zone but opted out after a flat effort in the UAE Derby (G1).

Tommy Drury: California Burrito. A Louisville native and a fixture on the Kentucky racing circuit, Drury might be best known for training Art Collector to win the 2020 Blue Grass (G2). He would make his first Kentucky Derby appearance with California Burrito. He's at no. 25 on the leaderboard with 20 points earned by winning the John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park.

Noriyuki Hori: Luxor Cafe. Hori is among the top trainers in Japan, according to the Kentucky Derby website, and his champions include Maurice, the Japan horse of the year in 2015. His only North American runner so far, Satono Carnaval was ninth in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Luxor Cafe, a Kentucky-bred son of American Pharoah, comes to the Derby via the Japan route after winning the Fukuryu Stakes last out, his third win in three starts this year.

Saffie Joseph Jr.: Neoequos. This will be Joseph’s third trip to the Kentucky Derby, He finished eighth with Ny Traffic in 2020, 16th with White Abarrio in 2022 and 19th with Catalytic last year. Neoequos, who sold for $20,000 as a yearling, is no. 22 on the leaderboard. He picked up 40 points with third-place finishes in the Fountain of Youth (G2) and Arkansas Derby.

Yukihiro Kato: Admire Daytona. Kato scored a major win on the international stage with Shadow Gate in the 2007 International Cup (G1). His leading earner was Nonkono Yume, whose signature win in the 2018 February (G1) came three years after he scored in the Japan Dirt Derby. Japan-bred Admire Daytona comes to the Kentucky Derby via the Euro-Mideast road after winning the UAE Derby (G1). He lost by a nose to Luxor Cafe in a maiden race in November.

D. Wayne Lukas: American Promise. Lukas has had 50 starters in the Kentucky Derby, second most behind Todd Pletcher. He has won it four times, with Winning Colors in 1988, Thunder Gulch in 1995, Grindstone in 1996 and Charismatic in 1999. He finished 17th last year with Just Steel, who was his first Derby runner since 2018. American Promise qualified with a 7 3/4-length win in the Virginia Derby, his second victory in nine career starts.

Brian Lynch: Owen Almighty. Brian Lynch has had one Derby starter, Classic Causeway, who was 12th in 2022. Owen Almighty brings a similar storyline to this year’s run for the roses as there seems to have been some disconnect about whether he would be pointed to the Derby after his sixth-place finish last out in the Blue Grass (G1). As of Tuesday, he was in the field. His win in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) brought his points total to 65, which puts him at no. 12 in the standings.

Michael McCarthy: Journalism. Endlessly, who was ninth in last year’s Kentucky Derby, is the only other horse McCarthy has brought to the race. He returns this year with Journalism, the likely favorite after four straight wins, including the Santa Anita Derby (G1) last out. McCarthy has one Triple Crown win, scoring in the Preakness with Rombauer in 2021.

Kenny McPeek: Render Judgment. The 10th try was the charm for McPeek, who won last year’s Derby with Mystik Dan a day after winning the Kentucky Oaks (G1) with eventual horse of the year Thorpedo Anna. McPeek’s first Derby runner, Tejano Run, finished second, but none of his others finished better than fifth until last year. Render Judgment is no. 23 in the standings. His only win came in a maiden special weight, though he finished second in the Virginia Derby.

Bill Mott: Sovereignty. Mott has a 13: 1-0-1 record in the Kentucky Derby dating to 1984, winning with Country House in 2019. Last year, he was sixth with Resilience. Sovereignty, a Godolphin homebred, is seventh in the standings with 110 points. He won the Street Sense (G3) and Fountain of Youth before a second-place finish in the Florida Derby.

Todd Pletcher: Grande. Pletcher has had 65 Kentucky Derby starters dating to 2000, more than any trainer. He’s won it twice, with Super Saver in 2010 and Always Dreaming in 2017, along with two second-place finishes and four thirds. Last year, he finished 15th with Fierceness, the favorite. Grande is his only runner this year after River Thames will train up to the Preakness. He has 50 points from finishing second in the Wood, good for no. 17th on the leaderboard.

John Shirreffs: Baeza. Shirreffs won his first Kentucky Derby attempt as Giacomo won at 50-1 odds in 2005. He’s 0-for-4 in the Derby since, most recently finishing fourth with Honor A. P. in 2020. He might have to sit this one out as Baeza is 24th on the leaderboard. He has 37.5 points from his runner-up effort in the Santa Anita Derby.

Brendan Walsh: East Avenue. Walsh will have his second Derby starter after Plus Que Parfait finished ninth in 2019. He’s in with East Avenue, who has 60 points from finishing second by a nose in the Blue Grass and winning the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) and is at no. 13 on the leaderboard.

Ethan West: Chunk of Gold. West will make his Kentucky Derby debut. A trainer since 2018, he has one graded-stakes win, with Runaway Storm in the Bryan Station (G3) in 2023. Chunk of Gold won his debut then was second in the Leonatus at Turfway, the Risen Star (G2) and the Louisiana Derby. That adds up to 75 Derby points and 10th in the standings.

Ian Wilkes: Burnham Square. Wilkes has been to the Derby once, finishing eighth with McCraken in 2017. His biggest win was in the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic with Fort Larned. This year, he has the top points earner with Burnham Square. He’s 2-for-3 this year, with wins in the Blue Grass and the Fountain of Youth.