The starting gate for the 2025 Blue Grass Stakes will open on Tuesday when seven three-year-olds compete in the final major prep race on the Kentucky Derby trail. Originally scheduled for Saturday, the Blue Grass was pushed back three days because of inclement weather. Fountain of Youth Stakes runner-up River Thames is the 5-2 favorite in the 2025 Blue Grass Stakes odds. Breeders; Futurity winner East Avenue (3-1), Owen Almighty (3-1), Chancer McPatrick (7-2) and Burnham Square (9-2) round out the top five choices according to oddsmakers in the 2025 Blue Grass Stakes field. Post time for the Kentucky Derby prep race is 5:52 p.m. ET.

With talented but inexperienced 3-year-olds set to enter the starting gate on Tuesday, you NEED to see what SportsLine writer Gene Menez has to say before making any 2025 Blue Grass Stakes 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 May of last year, Menez gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby. In November, he crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders' Cup Saturday for a $5,303 jackpot. In February he hit the winner and exacta in the Holy Bull Stakes in February for a $422.50 payday. And just last week he nailed the winner, trifecta and superfecta in the Florida Derby for a $529.60 score. Anyone who followed his lead on those picks could be way up.

Now, Menez has handicapped the 2025 Blue Grass Stakes field, made his picks and constructed his tickets. We can tell you that Menez's top pick is not River Thames, even though he is the 5-2 betting favorite! "This son of Maclean's Music is a question to get the extra distance," Menez told SportsLine. Menez prefers another horse over River Thames.

Instead, Menez's top pick is a horse who "should benefit from the added distance." Menez is including this horse in his 2025 Blue Grass Stakes bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY NEED to see which horse it is before making any 2025 Blue Grass Stakes picks of your own!

So which horse wins the 2025 Blue Grass Stakes? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? ... Join SportsLine now to get the top 2025 Blue Grass Stakes picks and bets, all from the expert who just nailed the Florida Derby!