2025 Churchill Downs morning line odds: Racing writer gives Pick 3 picks for Saturday, May 3

Saturday is Kentucky Derby day at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and there's a Pick 3 that begins with the Derby City Distaff at 4:50 p.m. ET and ends with the Kentucky Derby. Before you make any picks, you NEED to know how SportsLine writer Gene Menez, who crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders' Cup Saturday, has handicapped the sequence.

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. In November, he crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders' Cup Saturday for a $5,303 windfall. In the last round of Derby preps, he nailed the winner, trifecta and superfecta in the Florida Derby for a $529.60 score and the winner and trifecta in the Blue Grass Stakes for a $761.96 jackpot. And just yesterday he hit the late Pick 4 on Kentucky Oaks day for $915.48.

For Friday, Menez has handicapped the Pick 3 at Churchill Downs, made his picks and constructed his tickets.

We can tell you that Menez is high on Kopion, an 8-1 longshot in the Derby City Distaff, the first leg of the Pick 3. "2 Trainer Richard Mandella doesn't ship out of California much, which shows you how much confidence he has in her," Menez told SportsLine. Kopion is an A horse on his Pick 3 tickets.

In addition, Menez is high on a double-digit longshot on Friday. This horse "ran sneaky good in his last race" and could spice up the Pick 3. Menez is including this longshot on his tickets, and so should you. You NEED to see Menez's analysis before making any Pick 3 selections.

So which double-digit longshot can win? And how has Menez constructed his Pick 3 tickets? ... Join SportsLine now to get Pick 3 selections at Churchill Downs for Friday, all from the horse racing writer who gave out Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby, crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders' Cup Saturday for $5,303 and recently nailed the Blue Grass Stakes for a $762 score!