The Brad Cox-trained First Mission will try to return to the winner's circle for the first time in almost a year when the starting gate opens in the 2025 Oaklawn Handicap on Saturday at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. A son of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, First Mission has five wins in 11 career starts but hasn't won since the Alysheba Stakes on May 3, 2024. He is coming off a third-place finish in the Razorback Handicap. On Saturday, First Mission is the 2-1 favorite in the 2025 Oaklawn Handicap odds. Skippylongstocking (5-2), Banishing (7-2), Alexander Helios (4-1) and Disarm (10-1) round out the top five favorites in the 2025 Oaklawn Handicap field. Post time for the race is 7:10 p.m. ET.
With an evenly-matched field set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you NEED to see what SportsLine writer Gene Menez has to say before making any 2025 Oaklawn Handicap picks or horse racing predictions.
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 February, he hit the winner and exacta in the Holy Bull Stakes in February for a $422.50 payday. And 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.
Now, Menez has handicapped the 2025 Oaklawn Handicap field, made his picks and constructed his tickets. We can tell you that Menez's top pick is not First Mission, even though he is the 2-1 betting favorite! "His 2-1 odds are too short a price to pay in this evenly matched field," Menez told SportsLine. Menez prefers two horses over First Mission.
Instead, Menez's top pick is a double-digit longshot who "has every reason to improve" on Saturday. Menez is including this horse in his 2025 Oaklawn Handicap bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY NEED to see which horse it is before making any 2025 Oaklawn Handicap picks of your own!
So which double-digit longshot wins the 2025 Oaklawn Handicap? And how has Menez constructed his wagers? ... Join SportsLine now to get the top 2025 Oaklawn Handicap picks and bets, all from the expert who recently nailed the Blue Grass Stakes!
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