One of the country's biggest sporting events will take place on Saturday, May 3 when the starting gate opens for the 2025 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Santa Anita Derby winner and Michael McCarthy-trained Journalism is the favorite at 3-1 in the latest 2025 Kentucky Derby odds. Arkansas Derby winner Sandman (8-1), Fountain of Youth Stakes winner Sovereignty (8-1), Wood Memorial winner Rodriguez (10-1) and Florida Derby winner Tappan Street (10-1) round out the top five favorites in the 2025 Kentucky Derby field. Mystik Dan won in 2024 as an 18-1 longshot.

With talented but inexperienced 3-year-olds set to enter the starting gate on May 3, you NEED to see what SportsLine horse racing expert Gene Menez has to say before making any 2025 Kentucky Derby picks or horse racing predictions, considering he NAILED this race last year.

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, Menez accurately gave out the Kentucky Derby superfecta, which paid $1,268.20 for $2. 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. Unlock his 2025 Kentucky Derby picks now.

In May of last year, Menez nailed 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. Anyone who followed his lead on those picks is WAY UP!

Now, Menez has handicapped the 2025 Kentucky Derby field and revealed his picks. We can tell you that Menez is fading Sandman, even though he is one of the favorites and just won the Arkansas Derby! "He is coming off a win in the Arkansas Derby, but in that race he was the beneficiary of an enormous pace meltdown, which made his 2½-length win look more impressive than it actually was," Menez told SportsLine.

Instead, Menez's top pick is a horse who "is bred to only get better with the added distance." Menez also is high on a double-digit longshot who owns "the most awesome turn of foot of any of the Kentucky Derby hopefuls." Menez is including these horses in his 2025 Kentucky Derby bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY NEED to see which horses they are before making any 2025 Kentucky Derby picks of your own!

So which horse wins the 2025 Kentucky Derby? What double-digit longshot is a MJST-BACK? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? ... Join SportsLine now to get the top 2025 Kentucky Derby picks and bets, all from the expert who nailed Mystik Dan as a live longshot in last year's Kentucky Derby!