The road to the Kentucky Derby resumes on Saturday when the starting gate opens in the 2025 Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. The Lecomte, which will be contested over 1 1/16 miles, will award 20 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner and serves as a stepping stone for the Fair Grounds’ two other major Kentucky Derby prep races: the Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 15 and Louisiana Derby on March 22. The Wayne Catalano-trained Built has been made the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the 2025 Lecomte Stakes odds. Disco Time (9-2), Magnitude (6-1) and Admiral Dennis (8-1) round out the top four choices among the 14 Lecomte Stakes horses. Post time for the $250,000 race is 6:30 p.m. ET.

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. And in 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 morning-line favorite, at 3-1. A $260,000 purchase last year, Built has won two straight races after losing his career debut. He is coming off a six-plus length victory in the Gun Runner Stakes on Dec. 21.

That win earned a solid 92 Beyer Speed Figure. “But 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. Menez is using Built only sparingly in his wagers. You can see all of Menez’s 2025 Lecomte Stakes bets here.

How to make 2025 Lecomte Stakes picks

Moreover, 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