The road to the Kentucky Derby continues on Saturday when seven horses compete in the 2025 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Florida. This Grade 3 prep race has produced plenty of talent in the past for the Run for the Roses, including Kentucky Derby winners Go for Gin (1994) and Barbaro (2006). Five of the horses in the 2025 Holy Bull Stakes field won their previous race, which should make the competition especially fierce at Gulfstream Park. Post time for Saturday’s Holy Bull 2025 is 5:13 p.m. ET. 

Ferocious is the 9-5 favorite in the 2025 Holy Bull Stakes odds, followed by Guns Loaded (5-2), Tappan Street (3-1) and Burnham Square (5-1). With several accomplished horses set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you’ll want to see what SportsLine writer Gene Menez has to say before making any Holy Bull 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 Holy Bull Stakes field, made his picks and constructed his best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.

Top 2025 Holy Bull Stakes predictions

One surprise: Menez is fading Ferocious, even though he is the top favorite at 9-5. The expert acknowledges that the son of Flatter has a solid resume and a victory in his first three races. However, Menez is wary of the betting favorite since he hasn’t raced since the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile back in November. The long layoff has Menez questioning whether Ferocious will have enough energy to command Saturday’s race.

“He has worked out just three times in the last 60 days and missed a scheduled workout,” Menez told SportsLine. “That tells me the connections are just using the Holy Bull as a starting point. No thanks.” You can see all of Menez’s 2025 Holy Bull Stakes bets here.

How to make 2025 Holy Bull Stakes picks

Instead, Menez’s top pick is a horse who is coming off an impressive showing and another who showed “a good finish in a hard-fought” career first. Menez is including these horses in his 2025 Holy Bull Stakes betting card, and so should you. He’s sharing what horses to back at SportsLine.

So what horse wins the Holy Bull Stakes 2025? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Menez’s picks for the Holy Bull 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 Holy Bull Stakes odds, contenders, post positions