Several of the country's top dirt milers will square off when the starting gate opens in the 2024 Cigar Mile on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, N.Y. The storied race has attracted multiple horses coming out of the Breeders' Cup, including Mullikin, the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the 2024 Cigar Mile odds. Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile runner-up Post Time is the 7-2 second choice among the 11 Cigar Mile horses. Book'em Danno (4-1), Locked (9-2) and Senor Buscador (6-1) round out the top five choices in the Cigar Mile 2024 odds. Post time for the $500,000 race is 3:35 p.m. ET. The latest 2024 Cigar Mile forecast is calling for cloudy skies and temperatures around 40.

With several accomplished horses set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see what SportsLine writer Gene Menez, who crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders' Cup Saturday, has to say before making any Cigar Mile picks or horse racing predictions.

A former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated, Menez covered an array of sports, including horse racing, for the magazine and its website for almost 14 years. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as SI's handicapper for the Triple Crown races and correctly predicted Super Saver to win the Kentucky Derby in 2010.

In 2015, while writing for Sports on Earth, Menez accurately gave out the Kentucky Derby superfecta (American Pharoah, Firing Line, Dortmund and Frosted), which paid $1,268.20 for $2. Then in 2017, he tweeted out his Kentucky Derby picks, including Always Dreaming to win, and hit the Pick 4, which paid almost $6,900 on a $1 bet.

In a span of seven races last year for SportsLine, he cashed the winner of the Lecomte Stakes, the exacta in the Southwest Stakes ($468), the winner of the Holy Bull Stakes, the winner of the Sam F. Davis Stakes, and the trifecta in the Jenny Wiley Stakes. He also correctly called National Treasure to win last year's Preakness.

In May, Menez gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby. In June he nailed Trikari to win the Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes ($434), and in September he had the exacta in the Franklin-Simpson Stakes. And last month, he crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders' Cup Saturday for a $5,303 score.

For Saturday, Menez has handicapped the Cigar Mile, made his picks and constructed his tickets.

We can tell you that Menez is high on Senor Buscador, even though he's the fifth choice on the morning line, at 6-1. "Last year's runner-up in the Cigar Mile enters this year's race with better form than last year," Menez told SportsLine. Menez is using Senor Buscador prominently in his wagers.

Moreover, Menez's top pick is a horse who "should be much closer to the pace." He also is high on a double-digit longshot who "seems to be circling back to his best." Menez is including these horses in his 2024 Cigar Mile bets, and so should you. You NEED to see which horses they are before making any 2024 Cigar Mile picks of your own.

So what horse wins the 2024 Cigar Mile? What double-digit longshot is a MUST-BACK? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? ... Join SportsLine now to get the top 2024 Cigar Mile picks and bets, all from the expert who gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby and crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders' Cup Saturday!