Kentucky Derby qualifying points will be up for grabs when 12 colts take to the track at the 2025 Risen Star Stakes on Saturday. The 105-point Kentucky Derby prep race can be a major stepping stone towards the Run for the Roses, awarding the top-five finishers on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale. That’s what happened last year for Sierra Leone, who won the Risen Star Stakes en route to a Kentucky Derby entry and victory at the Breeder’s Cup Classic. Will the winner of the Risen Star Stakes 2025 be even more successful?
Post time for Saturday’s race at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans is 7:30 p.m. ET. East Avenue is the 9-5 favorite in the 2025 Risen Star Stakes odds, followed by Built (5-1) and Vassimo (8-1). With several talented three-year-olds set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you’ll want to see what SportsLine writer Gene Menez 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. Last November, he crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders’ Cup Saturday for a $5,303 score.
For Saturday, Menez has handicapped the 2025 Risen Star Stakes field, made his picks and constructed his best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2025 Risen Star Stakes predictions
One surprise: Menez is fading East Avenue, even though he is the betting favorite at 9-5. The expert acknowledges that East Avenue is one of the most talented horses in the 2025 Risen Star Stakes lineup, but he isn’t convinced trainer Brendan Walsh will run him at 100% with bigger races on the horizon.
“Maybe he is just that much more talented than this field and he will win anyway, but on Saturday I’m going to fade East Avenue at this price. The time to bet him will be in his next start,” Menez told SportsLine. You can see all of Menez’s 2025 Risen Star Stakes bets here.
How to make 2025 Risen Star Stakes picks
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. He’s sharing what horses to back at SportsLine.
So what horse wins the Risen Star Stakes 2025? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Menez’s picks for the Risen Star 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.
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