The countdown to the Kentucky Derby continues on Saturday with the 2025 Lecomte Stakes. There are 20 Kentucky Derby qualifying points on the line at the 2025 Lecomte Stakes, as well as a $250,000 purse. Finishing strong in Saturday’s Lecomte 2025 also paves the way for the Risen Star Stakes and Louisiana Derby in the coming months, which are important 2025 Kentucky Derby prep races. Renowned trainers such as Brad Cox, Steve Asmussen and D. Wayne Lukas all have at least one horse racing in the 2025 Lecomte Stakes lineup.

Post time for the 2025 Lecomte Stakes at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans is 6:30 p.m. ET. Built is the 3-1 favorite in the latest 2025 Lecomte Stakes odds, followed by Disco Time at 9-2, Magnitude at 6-1, and Admiral Dennis at 8-1. 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 Lecomte 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. Last November, he crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders’ Cup Saturday for a $5,303 score.

For Saturday, Menez has handicapped the 2025 Lecomte Stakes field, made his picks and constructed his best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.

Top 2025 Lecomte Stakes predictions

One surprise: Menez’s top pick is not Built, even though he’s the top favorite at 3-1. The Wayne Catalano-trained colt has back-to-back wins in three career starts, including a first-place finish in the Gun Runner Stakes in December. That race, which also took place at the Fair Grounds, showcased Built’s speed on the 1 1/16-mile dirt track and earned him a 92 Beyer Speed Figure.

That being said, Menez thinks the betting favorite’s starting pace could be his downfall in this 2025 Kentucky Derby prep race. “In the Gun Runner, he was able to set a soft early pace from the rail, a scenario that he won’t be able to duplicate in the Lecomte from this wide post and with tons of speed to his inside,” Menez told SportsLine. You can see all of Menez’s 2025 Lecomte Stakes bets here.

How to make 2025 Lecomte Stakes picks

Menez’s top pick is a horse who is “set up to fire his best.” He also is high on a double-digit longshot who is “dangerous at a price.” Menez is including these horses in his 2025 Lecomte Stakes bets, and so should you. He’s sharing what horses to back at SportsLine.

So what horse wins Lecomte Stakes 2025? What double-digit longshot is a must-back? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Menez’s picks for the Lecomte Stakes, 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 for $5,303, and find out. 

2025 Lecomte Stakes odds, contenders, post positions