2023 Southwest Stakes morning line odds, picks: Horse racing writer has best bets for Saturday's Kentucky Derby prep race

The Bob Baffert-trained Arabian Knight will try to solidify his status as one of the top contenders for the Kentucky Derby when he leaves the starting gate in the 2023 Southwest Stakes on Saturday at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. A $2.3 million purchase last year, Arabian Knight has been installed as the formidable 1-1 morning-line favorite in the Southwest Stakes odds. The Brad Cox-trained Jace's Road is the 4-1 second choice in the nine-horse Southwest Stakes field. Post time for the Southwest is 5:57 p.m. ET. 

With nine 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 Southwest 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.

On Dec. 26, Menez hit the Pick 5 at Santa Anita Park for $798.70, and last week he hit the winner of the Lecomte for $172.50.

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

One surprise: Menez is completely tossing Jace's Road, even though he is the 4-1 second choice on the morning line. "He set a slow pace in winning his last race and will face a completely different pace scenario on Saturday with multiple speed horses in the gate," Menez told SportsLine. He is not including Jace's Road in any of his wagers.

Instead, Menez's top pick is a horse who "has trained consistently fast." He also is high on a double-digit longshot who "coming off a nice effort." He is including these horses in his wagers, and so should you. You NEED to see which horses they are before making any Southwest Stakes picks of your own.

So who wins the Southwest Stakes? What longshot is a must-back? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? ... Join SportsLine now to get Southwest Stakes picks and wagers, all from the expert who hit the winner of the Lecomte Stakes last week!