2025 Churchill Downs morning line odds: Racing writer gives Pick 3 selections for Nov. 8
SportsLine horse racing writer Gene Menez, who finished 115th in last week's Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge, has identified his picks for Saturday
World class horse racing takes place at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and on Saturday there's a Pick 3 that begins with Race 9 at 4:55 p.m. ET and ends with the River City Stakes. Before you make any picks, you NEED to know how SportsLine writer Gene Menez has handicapped the sequence, considering the roll he has been on since last year's Breeders' Cup.
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.
Menez has been on a roll since last year's Breeders' Cup. He crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders' Cup Saturday for a $5,303 windfall. 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. Hit the late Pick 4 on Kentucky Oaks day for $915.48. In the Kentucky Derby, he hammered the exacta and trifecta for a $1,045 payout.
And just last week, Menez finished 115th out of 643 entries in the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge, the biggest live-money handicapping tournament in the country.
For Saturday, Menez has handicapped the Pick 3 beginning with Race 9, made his picks and constructed his tickets. We can tell you that Menez is high on R Disaster, the 9-5 favorite in the Dream Supreme Stakes, the second leg of the Pick 3. "R Disaster was good enough to be a major contender in last week's Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, but the connections took the conservative route and bypassed the race," he told SportsLine. "She has a significant class edge over this field and is well drawn." R Disaster is Menez's top pick in the Dream Supreme Stakes and the only A horse on his Pick 3 tickets.
In addition, Menez is high on a double-digit longshot on Saturday. This horse should be "running late" and could spice up the payouts. Menez is including this horse on his tickets, and so should you. You NEED to see Menez's analysis before making any selections.
So which double-digit longshot can win? And how has Menez constructed his tickets? ... Join SportsLine now to get selections at Churchill Downs for Saturday, all from the horse racing writer who finished 115th in the 2025 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge.
GET VEGAS EXPERT PICKS FOR NFL, MLB, NBA, CBB, GOLF, NHL, HORSE RACING AND MORE - PLUS ADVANCED COMPUTER SIMULATIONS, WINNING TOOLS, AND MORE!
JOIN NOW