A trio of Road to the Kentucky Derby Races headline the March 1 horse racing card. It starts early at Aqueduct with the 1-mile Gotham Stakes and includes a Coast-to-Coast $1 million Pick 5 with the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream. But all horse racing enthusiasts will tune in later in the day for the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita. The current favorite to win the May 3 Run for the Roses in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool is Barnes.

Barnes is down to 8/1 in Pool 4 of the KDFW, and he’s even money (1/1) on the advance parimutual opening odds to win the San Felipe Stakes.

Bettors looking to cash in on Saturday’s big races and the unrivaled day of racing the first Saturday of March can watch and wager on the biggest races through FanDuel Racing. FanDuelTV will be live on-site covering select stakes Saturday with exclusive coverage of the Road to the Kentucky Derby races providing expert analysis and behind-the-scenes coverage by FanDuelTV’s staff.

Also check out FanDuel Racing for handicapping tools and resources including Kentucky Derby betting information and updates. More than a dozen stakes races from around the country will be available to live stream through FanDuel racing.

San Felipe Field And Odds

Opening parimutuel odds are subject to change and adjust as more bets come in on the races.

1. Mellencamp (6/1) – Jockey Mike Smith
2. Journalism (7/2) – Umberto Rispoli
3. Barnes (1/1) – Juan Hernandez
4. Rodriguez (9/5) – Flavien Pratt
5. Smooth Cruisein (30/1) – Ricardo Gonzalez
6. Berlin Wall (30/1) – Tiago Pereira

San Felipe Picks

San Felipe picks and analysis from the FanDuel Research team along with expert insight and behind-the-scenes coverage by FanDuelTV’s staff of the San Felipe and other key stakes races around the country are available on FanDuel Racing.

Along with FanDuel Racing coverage, I turned to the experts at Horse Racing Nation (HRN) and it’s Super Screener big stakes race analysis for more insight and complete race coverage.

Horses listed below are the top win contenders in order with opening parimutuel odds subject to change.

Race 8: San Felipe

• #2 Journalism (7/2) – Top win and board hitter
• #4 Rodgriguez (9/5) – Top Value

Despite a compact field, this year’s renewal of the G2 San Felipe is quite the intriguing handicapping puzzle. Trainer Bob Baffert’s runners account for half of the six entries – Barnes (1/1), Rodriguez (9/5) and Mellencamp (6/1). It’s a low-payoff potential race, but one that could certainly produce the Kentucky Derby winner with Barnes drawing so much attention and a strong, smooth-striding, high-priced racehorse (purchased for $3.2 million).

Journalism won both his two-turn starts, and he did so exploding with triple-digit BRIS Late Pace figures. He’ll be the trailer in a compact field, but not too far back and he’s one to watch as the Curlin colt finds another gear turning for home. Rodriguez is sired by Kentucky Derby winner Authentic. He’ll get far less attention that stablemate Barnes, but Rodriguez is training very well and expected improvement to run his best race following a 2nd place finish in the Feb. 1 Robert B. Lewis Stakes behind FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Citizen Bull, another Baffert-trained beauty.

Race 9: Frank E. Kilroe Stakes

Race 9 offers high-payoff potential, and HRN’s Super Screener makes top longshot #6 Zio Jo (20/1) a top win contender along with #4 Formidable Man (6/1), who offers top value is the most reliable board hitter (top-3). Zio Joe is conditioned by 2-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer Doug O’Neill (2016, 2012).

Race 10: Santa Anita Handicap

• #7 Locked (3/2) – Most reliable board hitter
• #4 J B Strikes Back (30/1) – Win contender and top risk/reward longshot

No. 5 Mirahmadi is trained by Bob Baffert and offers top value in the 1 1/4 mile Big Cap. The horse is named after the Santa Anita track announcer. J B Strikes Back is trained by Doug O’Neill. Locked finished 2nd in the Pegasus World Cup and is trained by Todd Pletcher.

Saturday’s Coast-To-Coast $300,000 Pick 5 will feature an All-Graded Stakes sequence:

• Gulfstream Race 12: G3 Honey Fox (Turf)
• Gulfstream Race 13: G2 Fountain of Youth
• Gulfstream Race 14: G2 Mac Diarmida (Turf)
• Santa Anita Race 9: G1 Kilroe Mile (Turf)
• Santa Anita Race 10: G1 Big ‘Cap

The anchor to Big Cap Day is the Santa Anita Handicap for older horses in Race 10 at 7:47 p.m. ET and 4:47 Pacific from “The Great Race Place.”. That follows Race 9 and the Frank E. Kilroe Mile and the San Felipe Stakes in Race 8 at 6:43 p.m. ET.

On Sunday, March 2 the fine 3-year-old fillies will challenge for a spot in the Kentucky Oaks with the feature Race 6 Santa Ysabel Stakes. Six runners are scheduled to challenge the Santa Ysabel favorite Supa Speed (2/1), including three trained by Bob Baffert – Cipriani (5/2), Maysam (3/1) and Howin (7/2).

Strong gains in on-track attendance and on-track handle have bolstered Santa Anita Park’s figures as the 90-year-old track heads into the final five weeks of its Classic Meet. On-track attendance is up over 9% from last season, hosting more than 203,000 visitors on a recent weekend. The handle bet on-track, which is important as the track retains a larger percentage of those dollars bet at Santa Anita to support the racing product, is up 4% from last year. Overall, the total all-sources handle to date is over $268-million, which is an increase from last year.

The next Kentucky Derby Future Wager is Pool 5 from March 14-16. It will include Kentucky Oaks Future Wager. Over Valentine’s Day last month, Barnes (8/1) closed as the Kentucky Derby favorite for fans and bettors placing a future wager on the race.

A win in the Santa Felipe will secure his spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate, and make him a prohibitive favorite to win the April 5 Santa Anita Derby. Then it’s on to Churchill Downs for the May 3 Kentucky Derby as the high-priced favorite to capture the Run for the Roses.

National Horseplayers Championship

The NTRA National Horseplayers Championship is approaching March 14-16 at Horseshoe Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Many handicappers and horse players are playing in online qualifying tournaments hoping to win a seat in the NHC, presented by Caesars Entertainment and Racetrack Television Network.

Each year, thousands of bettors put their skills, strategy, and bankroll to the test in qualifiers across the country, competing for a coveted spot at the National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas. The NHC is the pinnacle of horse gambling, bringing together over 600 elite horseplayers battling for the $800,000 grand prize and the prestigious title of “Horseplayer of the Year.

“The moment we stepped onto the tournament floor at the NHC, it was clear that horse racing’s most passionate and knowledgeable fans are its gamblers,” said Michael Horton, director of Winner’s Circle. “Handicapping is a mix of skill, instinct, and deep research. The dedication these players bring to the game is what makes this world so compelling.”

Winner’s Circle premieres March 6, 2025, on Duality Sports & Entertainment’s YouTube channel.

“The NHC is to Thoroughbred racing what the U.S. Open is to golf. Anyone can qualify and compete in the NHC, and it’s the most competitive stage for horseplayers where the best minds in the game test their skills under intense pressure,” said Tom Rooney, President and Chief Executive Officer of the NTRA. “Duality has captured the drama and excitement that makes this tournament so special.”

So does the excitement on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and the Championship Series races with Barnes the most watched and wagered horse on the Derby Trail.

You can bet on it.

MORE FROM FORBES

ForbesFountain Of Youth Odds And Picks Headlines Three 2025 Road To The Kentucky Derby Races March 1By Jay GinsbachForbesKentucky Derby Championship Series Prep Race Schedule And 2025 TrackerBy Jay GinsbachForbesCollege Basketball Top 25 And NCAA Tournament Odds Led By Auburn, Duke And SECBy Jay Ginsbach