The road to the Kentucky Derby rolls through Louisiana on Saturday when the starting gate opens in the 2023 Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. The Brad Cox-trained Instant Coffee has been installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the Lecomte Stakes odds. The Larry Rivelli-trained Two Phil's is the 4-1 second choice in the eight-horse Lecomte Stakes field. Tapit's Conquest (9-2), Bromley (5-1) and Echo Again (6-1) round out the top five choices. Post time for the Lecomte is 7:30 p.m. ET. 

With eight lightly raced 3-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 Lecomte Stakes picks.

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.

And on Dec. 26, Menez hit the Pick 5 at Santa Anita Park for $798.70.

Now, Menez has handicapped the field for the Lecomte Stakes, made his picks and formulated his bets.

One surprise: Menez is completely tossing Two Phil's, even though he is the 4-1 second choice on the morning line and coming off a victory at Churchill Downs. "But that race was run on the slop, and bettors should always be skeptical of horses coming off big wins in the slop," Menez told SportsLine. He is not including Two Phil's in any of his wagers.

Instead, Menez's top pick is a horse whose last race "may have been better than it looks on paper." He also is high on a longshot who "provides solid value." He is including these horses in his wagers, and so should you. You NEED to see which horses they are before making any Lecomte Stakes picks of your own.

So who wins the Lecomte Stakes? What longshot is a must-back? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? ... Join SportsLine now to get Lecomte Stakes picks and wagers, all from the expert who once cashed for $6,900 on Kentucky Derby Saturday!