The road to the Kentucky Derby heats up Saturday with the first of the final major prep races, the 2025 Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans. The race is the first of the 105-point Derby preps and will award Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top five finishers on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale. That means the winner of the Rise Star Stakes 2025 will essentially be guaranteed a spot in the starting gate in the Run for the Roses on Saturday, May 3. For Saturday, Breeders Futurity winner East Avenue is the 9-5 favorite in the 2025 Risen Star Stakes odds. Jonathan's Way was made the 4-1 second choice, but will not run due to an unsatisfactory blood count. Built (5-1) and Vassimo (8-1) round out the top choices among the 13 Risen Star Stakes horses. Post time is 7:30 p.m. ET. The latest 2025 Risen Star Stakes forecast is calling for mostly cloudy skies with a 15% chance of rain.

With talented 3-year-olds 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 Risen Star 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 score. And two weeks ago he hit the winner and exacta in the Holy Bull Stakes for a $422.50 payday. Anyone who followed his lead could have been way up.

For Saturday, Menez has handicapped the 2025 Risen Star field, made his picks and constructed his tickets.

We can tell you that Menez is fading East Avenue, the 9-5 morning-line favorite. "He is arguably the most talented horse in the field, but I doubt that trainer Brendan Walsh will have East Avenue 100% cranked up to win the Risen Star when there are much bigger goals in mind down the road, such as the Kentucky Derby," Menez told SportsLine. Menez is using East Avenue only sparingly in his wagers.

Instead, Menez's top pick is an enormous double-digit longshot who "will thrive at longer distances." He also is high on another double-digit longshot who "should improve significantly" from his last start. Menez is including these horses in his 2025 Risen Star Stakes bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY NEED to see which horses they are before making any 2025 Risen Star Stakes picks of your own.

So which enormous double-digit longshot wins the 2025 Risen Star Stakes? What other double-digit longshot is a must-back? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? ... Join SportsLine now to get the top 2025 Risen Star Stakes picks and bets, all from the expert who gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby, crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders' Cup Saturday for $5,303 and just hit the Holy Bull Stakes for a $422.50 payday.