2025 Arkansas Derby

2025 Arkansas Derby Preview: Madness, Mayhem, and Money at Oaklawn Park

Coady Photography, 2023

Hot Springs, Arkansas—April 2025. The Arkansas Derby is upon us, and if you’ve never been to Oaklawn Park, you’re about to learn why this fever-drenched, backwoods track is one of the most important venues in the run-up to the Kentucky Derby. This isn’t Santa Anita or Churchill Downs, where everything smells like corporate money and polished egos. No—this is the place where the savage blood of thoroughbreds meets the smell of cheap whiskey and tobacco-stained jackets. It’s where the real race happens, where the grit of the track collides with the kind of wild-eyed ambition that can only be found in the South, where dreams get crushed and careers are born in the span of two minutes. If you think you’ve seen it all, you haven’t seen anything until you’ve witnessed the Arkansas Derby in full force.

What’s on the line? Glory, fame, and a damn good chance at a spot in the Kentucky Derby lineup. The stakes are insane, the competitors are hungry, and the crowd? Well, they’re drunker than a skunk and ready for a show. Welcome to Oaklawn Park, where desperation and determination run wild, and the air is thick with the electric tension of hard money and hard lives.

The 2025 Arkansas Derby is a classic setup. Some of these horses will break through, defy the odds, and carve their names into the dirty annals of horse racing history. Others? Well, others will collapse under the weight of expectations and fall off the map faster than a bad trip in a red-hot ditch.

Without further ado, let’s dive into this pit of insanity and break down the contenders—the good, the bad, and the downright ugly—who will be lining up for the madness that is the 2025 Arkansas Derby.

1. Hellfire & Brimstone

Let’s kick things off with the horse who looks like he was bred for this exact moment. If you want to talk about a beast, a horse who oozes the kind of raw power that’ll put the fear of God into his competitors, Hellfire & Brimstone is your horse. This fire-breathing monster has been building steam in the lead-up to the race, dominating prep events like a ravenous lion ripping apart a gazelle. His training has been nothing short of incredible, and by all accounts, he’s got the speed to stay in the game until the bitter end.

But here’s the thing—Hellfire & Brimstone isn’t just a big, fast horse. He’s a wild card. There’s a psychotic intensity to his approach, the kind of bloodshot-eyed hunger that can either carry him to a stunning victory or send him flying off the rails faster than a heroin-addicted rabbit. The key here is whether he can maintain his focus for the full distance. Will he burn out, or will he have the intestinal fortitude to last the mile-and-an-eighth of the Arkansas Derby? One thing’s for sure—Hellfire & Brimstone isn’t here to mess around. He’s coming for blood, and either he’ll make history, or he’ll leave a trail of carnage in his wake.

2. Midnight Marauder

Let’s talk about Midnight Marauder, the one who’s been lurking in the shadows like a night-time ghost, just waiting for his moment to pounce. This horse is a quiet assassin, one who’s been flying under the radar, building momentum and running consistently well in the prep races. He doesn’t scream "look at me!" like the showboat contenders; instead, he has that kind of calm, cool arrogance that makes you think he’s up to something. Midnight Marauder doesn’t race with the fury of Hellfire & Brimstone, but he doesn’t need to. He’s the type of horse that waits, like a snake coiled in the brush, biding his time until he can strike with deadly precision.

Midnight Marauder has that silent strength—the ability to stick with the leaders without exerting too much energy early on. He knows exactly when to push and when to hold back. The big question is whether this smooth-talking son of a gun can hold his own when the going gets rough. The Arkansas Derby has a way of breaking horses who are too calculated, too careful in their approach. Can he handle the pressure when the big boys start flexing? If Midnight Marauder can make his move at the right time, there’s no reason he can’t storm home with a win. But you’ll be holding your breath the whole way.

3. Queen’s Gambit

Queen’s Gambit is exactly the kind of horse that should send shivers down the spines of the competition. She’s not just a filly—she’s a force of nature in the making. If you’re looking for a horse that has the speed, the stamina, and the cutthroat mentality to win the Arkansas Derby, you might have found her in Queen’s Gambit. There’s something almost regal about her—she knows she’s destined for greatness. When she charges down that stretch, it’s like watching royalty come to claim her throne.

But don’t mistake that regal bearing for weakness. Queen’s Gambit is tough as nails, and she’s more than capable of holding her own in this brutal race. The only issue? She’s a filly, and the Arkansas Derby tends to favor the colts. Still, if she gets the right run, doesn’t get boxed in, and stays focused, Queen’s Gambit could very well shock the hell out of the boys. There’s a sense of quiet confidence in her movement—a sense of inevitability—and that makes her one to watch, and possibly bet on.

4. Scorched Earth

This is the horse you’re going to love or hate, no in-between. Scorched Earth has been flashing raw speed in his prep races, leaving competitors in the dust like a tornado tearing through a trailer park. You can feel the fire in this horse—a volatile, unpredictable streak that makes him both exciting and terrifying to bet on. When Scorched Earth goes off, he’s dangerous—but when he falters, he crashes out like a deranged rocket.

There’s no doubt that Scorched Earth has the ability to dominate the Arkansas Derby. The question is, can he hold it together when the real pressure comes in? Will his nerves hold steady, or will the madness of the race break him down into a quivering wreck? In a field like this, you need to keep your wits about you, and Scorched Earth has been known to lose his cool in high-stakes situations. If he can keep his head on straight, he’ll be a serious threat. But this horse is more likely to burn out than go the distance. Watch for him early—he’s going to go flying out of the gates, but whether he holds his position until the finish line is anyone’s guess.

5. Delta King

Delta King is the horse that keeps making a name for himself, always just a step behind the leaders, yet consistently in the conversation. He’s not as flashy as some of his peers, but there’s something about Delta King that tells you he’s gritty. He’s the type of horse that’s willing to take a punch and keep coming back for more. In a race like the Arkansas Derby, where the intensity is turned up to 11, that’s the kind of horse you want on your side.

Delta King doesn’t have the firepower to burn through the field like some of the others, but he has the stamina and determination to stick around when the real chaos unfolds. He’s not the type of horse that will burn you with a lightning strike, but rather, he’s a plodding, unrelenting force that wears down the competition over time. The Arkansas Derby is a test of grit, and Delta King has grit for days. If he stays out of trouble and finds the right spot on the track, he could very well come charging down the stretch to snatch a win from the jaws of defeat.

6. Big River Fury

Let’s wrap this up with Big River Fury, a horse that might just be the dark horse of the Arkansas Derby. You’ve heard of him, sure, but you’re probably not giving him enough credit. He’s been quietly getting better, sneaking into the picture while everyone else is too busy focusing on the big names. There’s something about Big River Fury that screams "take me seriously"—even though he hasn’t had that big breakthrough yet.

Big River Fury is a horse with potential. A lot of potential. He’s got the speed, the stamina, and the bloodlines to be a serious contender. He’s just waiting for the right moment to explode, and the Arkansas Derby might just be that moment. Keep an eye on this one—he’s going to make a move when you least expect it.

The Bottom Line: The Arkansas Derby’s Savage Dance

So, there we have it—the main players, the wild-eyed contenders, and the ones you’re either going to love or curse at the finish line. The 2025 Arkansas Derby isn’t just another race; it’s a culmination of guts, sweat, and the occasional bad decision made at 2 a.m. over a drink. Oaklawn Park is a place where dreams are made, but they’re just as quickly crushed under the weight of ambition and the savage nature of competition. It’s a test of fortitude, of will, and, of course, of who can hold their nerve when the stakes are higher than anyone would have imagined when this race was still a pipe dream.

You see, races like the Arkansas Derby are less about the horses and more about the battles behind the gates. The owners, the jockeys, the trainers—all of them have spent years waiting for this moment, only to see it slip through their fingers like a handful of sand. Some will make it; most will fail. But for those who break through, the payoff is as sweet as any drug.

As the horses line up, the air will be thick with the smell of sweat, bourbon, and desperation. The crowd will roar, the announcer will blare, and the gates will swing open with all the violence of a starting gun at the edge of hell. And once those horses are off? Anything can happen.

This isn’t a race for the faint of heart. If you’re looking for choreographed, pretty, polished racing, go somewhere else. The Arkansas Derby is a gauntlet, a mad dash, and, at the end of it all, you might just find a horse—or a whole new level of insanity—that makes it all worthwhile.

The Road to the Kentucky Derby: Who Will Make It?

The Arkansas Derby is one of the last great pre-Derby tests, a place where horses can get the final jolt they need before the biggest race of their lives. Some of these horses will fall short, crash into the wall of reality and blink out of the Derby picture entirely. Others will rise to the occasion, surviving the madness to earn a spot at Churchill Downs. The horses that thrive here are often the ones that can stand the heat—the horses who’ve been battle-tested in the fire of the Arkansas Derby and emerged with their hooves still steady, their heads held high.

Hellfire & Brimstone could very well burn through the field and push through to the Kentucky Derby, but there’s a world of pain waiting for him if he loses his head. Midnight Marauder’s cool-headed calculations could be his ticket to stardom, but in the chaos of this track, cool-headed might just mean dead in the water. Queen’s Gambit might turn heads as the lone filly in this race, but history isn’t kind to underdogs in this contest. Scorched Earth will either set the place on fire or leave the track a smoldering wreck—who the hell knows? Delta King and Big River Fury are the types to show up with a “screw you” attitude and surprise everyone when they take the lead at the last possible moment.

It’s a nasty, dirty game, and there’s no way to predict the outcome with any certainty. One thing’s for sure, though: come April 2025, you won’t want to be anywhere else. Whether you’re there at Oaklawn Park, sweating in the crowd and feeling the earth shake beneath you, or sitting in front of your screen with a bourbon in hand, you’ll feel the electricity, the raw, unfiltered thrill of the chase. This is horse racing at its finest, and the Arkansas Derby will be a bloodbath.

In the end, we’re all just sitting here hoping to see a masterpiece of chaos unfold. Will one of these horses emerge as the next great hope for the Kentucky Derby, or will they fizzle out, just another ghost in the graveyard of failed dreams? The race is as much about the journey as it is about the destination, and there’s no better place to feel that than Oaklawn Park.

Get ready for the Arkansas Derby. It’s going to be a hell of a ride.