Robertino Diodoro has a pair of three-year-olds racing in the 2025 Sunland Derby on Sunday. Diodoro has not won at Sunland Park, but will put his faith in Take Charge Tom and Itsmybirthday to cross the finish line first. Itsmybirthday is a 20-1 longshot in the 2025 Sunland Derby odds, while Take Charge Tom is 8-1. Could one of these 2025 Sunland Derby horses cross the finish line first? Post time is 6:17 p.m. ET. Getaway Car is the 9-5 favorite among the 2025 Sunland Park Derby contenders, followed by Touchy (7-2), McKinzie Street (4-1), Caldera (5-1) and Take Charge Tom (8-1). With several unproven three-year-olds set to enter the starting gate on Sunday, you’ll want to see what racing reporter and insider Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2025 Sunland Park 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 a wide-open Kentucky Derby in 2021, she gave out Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, as the winner at 12-1. In Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager two years ago, she suggested a play on All Other 3-Year-Olds, which cashed at a whopping 18-1 when Rich Strike won the Derby.

Last year, Yu correctly called National Treasure to win the Pegasus World Cup, predicted Stronghold’s upset win in the Santa Anita Derby and smashed the exacta in the Apple Blossom Handicap. On the Belmont Stakes undercard, she nailed National Treasure’s win in the Met Mile, and had the winner and exacta in the Woody Stephens Stakes. She closed out the year by hitting the exacta in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.  

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

Top 2025 Sunland Derby predictions

One surprise: Yu is fading Getaway Car, even though he is the 9-5 favorite in the Sunland Derby odds 2025. The three-year-old son of Curlin won back-to-back races to kick off his career, but hasn’t finished first since. He was also supposed to race in the Saudi Derby, but Baffert pivoted to focus on the Sunland Park Derby 2025 because of the shorter travel. Yu acknowledges Getaway Car has plenty of experience and is worthy of being the betting favorite, but she isn’t convinced he can win his first rout race.

“If you’re a fan of Beyer Speed Figures, he’s head and shoulders above the majority here. But he has lost enough races to keep me from putting all of my chips on him,” Yu told SportsLine. You can see all of Yu’s 2025 Sunland Park Derby bets here.

How to make 2025 Sunland Park Derby picks

Instead, Yu is high on a contender who “has a leg up on the field” and is intrigued by a double-digit longshot who “has shown versatility from a pace standpoint.” She is including these horses in her 2025 Sunland Park Derby bets, and so should you. She’s sharing which horses to back at SportsLine.

So who wins the 2025 Sunland Park Derby? And how has Yu constructed her wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Yu’s picks for the Sunland Park Derby 2025, all from the Santa Anita-based racing insider who nailed last year’s Pegasus World Cup winner, and find out. 

2025 Sunland Park Derby odds, contenders