2025 Hollywood Derby picks, odds: Horse racing writer has best bets for Saturday's race

The Graham Motion-trained Test Score will try to win his second Grade 1 race when he leaves the starting gate in the 2025 Hollywood Derby on Saturday at Del Mar just north of San Diego. A 3-year-old colt, Test Score has four wins, three seconds and two thirds in 11 career starts. He is coming off a win in the Twilight Derby at Santa Anita. For Saturday he has been installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the 2025 Hollywood Derby odds. Tom's Magic (7-2), Salamis (9-2), Maaz (5-1) and Tempus Volat (5-1) round out the top five choices in the Hollywood Derby field. Post time for the Hollywood Derby is 6:32 p.m. ET.

With several talented horses set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you NEED to see what SportsLine horse racing expert Gene Menez has to say before making any 2025 Hollywood Derby picks or horse racing predictions, 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, Menez accurately gave out the Kentucky Derby superfecta, which paid $1,268.20 for $2. 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. Unlock his 2025 Breeders' Futurity picks now and take 50% off with promo code JOCKEY.

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 earlier this month, Menez finished 115th out of 643 entries in the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge, the biggest live-money handicapping tournament in the country.

Now, Menez has handicapped the 2025 Hollywood Derby field and revealed his picks. We can tell you that Menez's top pick is not Test Score, even though he is the 5-2 favorite. "There is a lot to like about Test Score, who is clearly the one to beat, but the price won't be good enough for me to take," Menez told SportsLine. Menez is not using Test Score in any of his Hollywood Derby wagers. Join SportsLine NOW to unlock his full 2025 Hollywood Derby picks for 50% off with promo code JOCKEY.

Instead, Menez's top pick is a horse who "still has upside." Menez is including this horse in his 2025 Hollywood Derby bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY NEED to see which horse it is before making any 2025 Hollywood Derby picks of your own.

So which horse wins the 2025 Hollywood Derby? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? ... Join SportsLine NOW to get the top 2025 Hollywood Derby picks and bets, all from the expert who nailed the Kentucky Derby exacta and trifecta. Take 50% off with promo code JOCKEY.