An automatic berth into the Breeders' Cup Classic in November will be on the line when the starting gate opens in the 2024 Stephen Foster Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The Brad Cox-trained First Mission has been installed as the 6-5 morning-line favorite in the Stephen Foster Stakes odds. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Skippylongstocking is the 5-2 second choice among the Stephen Foster Stakes horses. Disarm (6-1), Kingsbarns (6-1) and Dreamlike (10-1) round out the top five choices. Post time is 6:03 p.m. ET.

With an accomplished field set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see what SportsLine writer Gene Menez has to say before making any Stephen Foster Stakes picks or horse racing predictions. Join SportsLine here to get his full Stephen Foster Stakes picks and start winning.

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. Join SportsLine right here to see his 2024 Stephen Foster Stakes picks.

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. And last month, he gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now, Menez has looked at the 2024 Stephen Foster Stakes, made his picks and formulated his bets. Join SportsLine here to see them.

We can tell you that Menez's top pick is not First Mission, even though he is the morning-line favorite, at 6-5. "At those odds, he just doesn't offer value," Menez told SportsLine. Menez prefers another horse over First Mission.

Instead, Menez's top pick is a horse who "could take a big step forward." He also is high on a double-digit longshot who is in "career-best form." He is including these horses in his wagers, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY NEED to see which horses they are before making any 2024 Stephen Foster Stakes picks of your own!

So who wins the 2024 Stephen Foster Stakes? What double-digit longshot is a must-back? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? ... Join SportsLine now to get the top 2024 Stephen Foster Stakes picks and bets, all from the expert who gave out Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby!