Kentucky Derby 2025: Owen Almighty Back Among the Field for What is Sure to be an Epic Race

Having been previously pulled from the race, Owen Almighty has returned to the field of 20 that will be taking part in the illustrious race at Churchill Downs in May. Trainer Brian Lynch’s horse finished sixth at the Blue Grass Stakes in Keeneland and was initially set to miss out on the Kentucky Derby, but has been handed a reprieve, albeit it is still considered a long shot to make an impact.

The inclusion of Owen Almighty means that Built will miss out on the race, having been ready to take the field as the first also-eligible. The famous race takes place on May 3rd in Louisville, an event that is likely to welcome over 150,000 spectators.

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On Owen Almighty’s return to race at the Kentucky Derby, the Flying Dutchmen president, Hunter Rankin, commented,

“The biggest thing is it’s the Kentucky Derby,”

“While we know he’s going to be a longshot for sure, you don’t get many chances at it and we’re going to take one more shot with him.”

“He’s come out of the race really well,”

“We think with some different strategy, maybe he can be competitive. We know it’s a tough task and everything else, but we’re all on the same page. Now that we’ve made a decision, it’s really exciting.” Rankin added.

As yet, the choice of jockey to ride Owen Almighty has not been announced, but one rider who won’t be in that particular saddle is Irad Ortiz Jr., who rode the horse three times last winter, as he is already set to be on board Publisher for the race. Jose Ortiz will be on Sandman, who is very much one of the top picks for the Kentucky Derby for 2025.

Journalism is currently the favorite to win the race, with Sandman and Sovereignty close behind in the betting.

On Owen Almighty’s performance in the Blue Grass Stakes, Brian Lynch commented.

“He did everything he was supposed to do”

“He got up with the leader (East Avenue) at the top of the stretch, but he just doesn’t want to go that far.” Lynch added.

Lynch will hope that Owen Almighty can surprise many at the Kentucky Derby, and the three-year-old is currently priced at around 50/1, which shows you just how unfancied the colt is in what is a very strong field.

Owen Almighty did impress by winning at the Tampa Bay Downs in early March, and that followed a second-place finish on the same course the month prior. In 2024 at Churchill Downs, he completed another second-place finish in the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes.